Fuel additives

Is anyone adding anything to your pump gas to up octane? What are you adding, how much and is it 02 safe?

If I go to the track and it's very cold outside, I add some race gas. Yes I know it's leaded and will ruin my O2's, however, .... I'd rather have a ruined O2 then an engine. I usually add a few gallons to bump the octane up. Just something to consider.

They sell 100 octane unleaded Sunoco fuel here in my area. I run that at a high concentration for track trips, and maybe add a gallon or two per tank-full for regular driving.

I would highly recommend staying away from octane boosters. IMO they do not work and are a huge waste of money. As the people above posted the best way is to mix race gas.

see i've done the race fuel thing and wipe out my 02's everytime.

see i've done the race fuel thing and wipe out my 02's everytime.

Yeah, I got tired of trashing and paying for O2's after about 3 times of doing it, and figured that the 100 octane unleaded gave me darn near the same performance potential (I don't run my stuff TOO aggressively), so I just use that now.

best thing you could do is buy some toulene or xylene for an octane booster...anything else is a waste....well, except maybe nitrous oxide lol

Will the toulene or xylene ruin o2 sensors?

best thing you could do is buy some toulene or xylene for an octane booster...anything else is a waste....well, except maybe nitrous oxide lol
How do you mix it? And where to buy it?

How do you mix it? And where to buy it?

3:1 ratio. You can get it at Lowes, Sherwin Williams...just about any paint supply store.

do some reading here for mixing
http://www.gnttype.org/techarea/misc/octanebooster.html

toulene burns totally clean, it was the primary ingredient in F1 cars for a short period they ran it almost straight. but i haven't found a good source, the paint supply on groes didn't carry it, i haven't tried depot or anything...i don't really need it yet.

mike

OK, I don't know about Xylene and I have no idea if it's a good idea to use. You might want to stay away from it unless you can verify it's octane and whether or not it's safe.

However, I DO know about Toluene and I use it myself. Let me tell you a few things about it.

1) In the same way that gasoline has a higher energy content than alcohol, Toluene has a higher energy content than gasoline. I do not know the specific percentage though.

2) Toluene has an octane of 114.

3) Toluene is a pure hydrocarbon, which is already used in the gas you buy at the pump as... wait for it... an octane booster!

4) Toluene will NOT harm your oxygen sensor.

5) You could theoretically run straight Toluene in your gas tank, but there are two drawbacks.

At 114 octane you would probably need a ProMag to ignite the stuff.
The stuff is around $8 gallon


Just mix it at whatever ratio you want to get the octane level you desire.

Be aware of one thing though; some race classes have fuel rules.

I think i'll try the toluene. Is anyone tried the unleaded vp racing fuels?

Ive only used Xylene because its easier to find around here but both Xylene and Toluene will do what you need. Theyre both hydrocarbons, neither will harm o2s, theyre both about 8bucks a gallon. Toluene octane rating is 114, xylene is 117.

Is Xylene a pure hydrocarbon or is it a blend of some type?

Yes, its a pure hydrocarbon, C8H10.

I tried Toluene w/horrible results one time. I believe it was from Sherwin Williams. I later learned that there are different grades of it and you need to stay away from certain types. Anyone have a short answer as to what to look for? ...or do I need to read that link earlier in the thread? Thanks.

I tried Toluene w/horrible results one time. I believe it was from Sherwin Williams. I later learned that there are different grades of it and you need to stay away from certain types. Anyone have a short answer as to what to look for? ...or do I need to read that link earlier in the thread? Thanks.



Maybe you bought a blend instead of straight toluene?

Still got the can?

I tried Toluene w/horrible results one time. I believe it was from Sherwin Williams. I later learned that there are different grades of it and you need to stay away from certain types. Anyone have a short answer as to what to look for? ...or do I need to read that link earlier in the thread? Thanks.

Yeah, I dont think it was pure Toluene. I was going to try that stuff one time because they were out of Xylene. I cant remember what it was (been a few years) but something I read on the can made me skeptical. I guess im glad that I passed on it and ended up going to Lowes :D There are different grades and some cans will have a % purity printed on it.

I havnt found a good source for Toluene but ive used the Xylene from Sherwin Williams and Lowes(actually labeled Xylol there) many of times with no problems. It comes in 1 gallon rectangular metal cans with plastic screw caps.

Yeah, I dont think it was pure Toluene. I was going to try that stuff one time because they were out of Xylene. I cant remember what it was (been a few years) but something I read on the can made me skeptical. I guess im glad that I passed on it and ended up going to Lowes :D There are different grades and some cans will have a % purity printed on it.

I havnt found a good source for Toluene but ive used the Xylene from Sherwin Williams and Lowes(actually labeled Xylol there) many of times with no problems. It comes in 1 gallon rectangular metal cans with plastic screw caps.

Thanks. It's been years since I tried the toluene so I can't remember what it was ....it said it was pure though and it was still junk, never had more knock retard. I never found Xylene before so I will try that next time, thanks for the info.

I've posted about this previously, please do a search. But in short be VERY CAREFUL about toluene or xylene mixtures. They will increase the octane of your fuel, but the car will run leaner unless you have a separate tune or raise your FP with an AFPR. Luckly, most LT1 tunes are rich anyway, so you can probably get away with a 1/4 mix. But on a cold day you need to be especially careful. Personally, I wouldn't do it without a wide-band verified tune for that particular mixture.

One other thing is that the mixture will burn slower than gasoline. So, advancing the timing is going to be needed to avoid power loss. Overall, I'd call it foolish to just dump an aromatic into your gas and expect any positive change. If you are able and willing to do some controlled dyno experiementation, you may find something useful.

Rich

I've posted about this previously, please do a search. But in short be VERY CAREFUL about toluene or xylene mixtures. They will increase the octane of your fuel, but the car will run leaner unless you have a separate tune or raise your FP with an AFPR. Luckly, most LT1 tunes are rich anyway, so you can probably get away with a 1/4 mix. But on a cold day you need to be especially careful. Personally, I wouldn't do it without a wide-band verified tune for that particular mixture.

One other thing is that the mixture will burn slower than gasoline. So, advancing the timing is going to be needed to avoid power loss. Overall, I'd call it foolish to just dump an aromatic into your gas and expect any positive change. If you are able and willing to do some controlled dyno experiementation, you may find something useful.

Rich

Thanks. Proof that absolutely NOTHING is ever simple. These days my 9.5:1 static C.R. should be safe for the 7 PSI (on 7.8:1 E.C.R. motor) on pump gas I'm running now, so maybe I should just stick w/pump gas at 92+ and forget it ....not seeing knock now anyway.

Thanks again.

BTW: the stoichiometric air:fuel ratio for 100% toluene is ~11.5:1.

Rich

Bryan 94 Z28 -
They sell 100 octane unleaded Sunoco fuel here in my area

could you tell me where exactly you get Unleaded Sunoco 100???
Please??? I am located in Des Moines and can only get 92 Octane...I used to find Conoco 100 octane a year ago but they closed.

Bryan 94 Z28 -
They sell 100 octane unleaded Sunoco fuel here in my area

could you tell me where exactly you get Unleaded Sunoco 100???
Please??? I am located in Des Moines and can only get 92 Octane...I used to find Conoco 100 octane a year ago but they closed.

Dale's Tires & More on Euclid, call them ahead of time to make sure they have some on hand. They sell it out of a 55 gallon drum. Bring your own container because they won't pump it straight into your car. I think it was $4.75/gallon last time I got it this past summer.

You ever go to Porky's during the summer? :cool: