Good fuel information. VERY long!!!
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 150
Likes: 0
From: chandler, az, USA
Good fuel information. VERY long!!!
Q: How did you discover using toluene?
A: Someone came across a web page that described various DIY home brew
octane booster formulas. One of which used toluene as its main
ingredient. As a Formula 1 racing fan of many years, I recalled that
toluene was used extensively in the turbo era in the 1980s by all the
Formula 1 teams. The 1.5 liter turbocharged engines ran as much as 5
bars of boost (73 psi) in qualifying and 4 bars (59 psi) in the actual
race. Power output exceeded 1500bhp, which translates into
1000bhp/liter, an astronomical figure.
A motorsports journalist, Ian Bamsey, was able to obtain Honda's
cooperation for his book "McLaren Honda Turbo, a Technical Appraisal".
The book documents the key role that the toluene fuel played in allowing
these tiny engines to run so much turbo boost without detonation. The
term "rocket fuel" originated from the Formula 1 fraternity as an
affectionate nickname to describe its devastating potency. Thus I
concluded that I should focus my research on using toluene for my octane
boosting project.
Individuals with good long term memory will recall that when unleaded
gasoline was first introduced, only low octane grades were available.
While it is not entirely clear that high octane super unleaded gas came
about as a result of the advances in fuel technology in Formula 1, there
is every reason to suspect that this is indeed the case, since many of
the major oil companies were involved in the escalating race to develop
increasingly potent racing fuel during this era.
Q: Why do you think toluene is better than other types of octane boosters?
A: Several reasons:
Mindful of the evil reputation of octane boosters in general, toluene is
a very safe choice because it is one of the main octane boosters used by
oil companies in producing ordinary gasoline of all grades. Thus if
toluene is indeed harmful to your engine as feared, your engine would
have disintegrated long, long ago since ordinary pump gasoline can
contain as much as 50% aromatic hydrocarbons.
Toluene is a pure hydrocarbon (C7H8). i.e. it contains only hydrogen and
carbon atoms. It belongs to a particular category of hydrocarbons called
aromatic hydrocarbons. Complete combustion of toluene yields CO2 and
H2O. This fact ensures that the entire emission control system such as
the catalyst and oxygen sensor of your car is unaffected. There are no
metallic compounds (lead, magnesium etc), no nitro compounds and no
oxygen atoms in toluene. It is made up of exactly the same ingredients
as ordinary gasoline. In fact it is one of the main ingredients of
gasoline.
Toluene has a RON octane rating of 121 and a MON rating of 107, leading
to a (R+M)/2 rating of 114. (R+M)/2 is how ordinary fuels are rated in
the US. Note that toluene has a sensitivity rating of 121-107=14. This
compares favorably with alcohols which have sensitivities in the 20-30
range. The more sensitive a fuel is the more its performance degrades
under load. Toluene's low sensitivity means that it is an excellent fuel
for a heavily loaded engine.
Toluene is denser than ordinary gasoline (0.87 g/mL vs. 0.72-0.74) and
contains more energy per unit volume. Thus combustion of toluene leads
to more energy being liberated and thus more power generated. This is in
contrast to oxygenated octane boosters like ethanol or MTBE which
contain less energy per unit volume compared to gasoline. The higher
heating value of toluene also means that the exhaust gases contain more
kinetic energy, which in turn means that there is more energy to drive
turbocharger vanes. In practical terms this is experienced as a faster
onset of turbo boost.
Chevron's published composition of 100 octane aviation fuel shows that
toluene comprises up to 14% alone and is the predominant aromatic
hydrocarbon. Unfortunately composition specifications for automotive
gasoline is harder to pin down due to constantly changing requirements.
Chevron's web site also describes the problems of ethanol being used in
gasoline.
MTBE was heavily touted as a clean additive several years ago, and
became a key ingredient in reformulated gasoline that is sold in
California. But recently new studies arose that showed that MTBE was far
more toxic than previously imagined. Organizations such as oxybusters
have formed around the country to eliminate the use of MTBE in gasoline
and several states, including California have passed new laws to
eventually outlaw MTBE.
Q: How much toluene should I use per tank of gas?
A: Octane ratings can be very easily calculated by simple averaging. For
example, the tank of an Audi A4 1.8TQ is 15.6 gallons. Filling it with
14.6 gallons of 92 octane and 1 gallon of toluene (114 octane) will
yield a fuel mix of:
(14.6 * 92) + (1 * 114) / 15.6 = 93.4
The Audi A4 1.8T is a good example of a car that has very high octane
needs if it has been modified to produce more turbo boost. The base
compression ratio of this car is a very high 9.5:1 and when an
additional 1 bar (14.7 psi) of turbo boost is applied on top of it, the
resulting effective compression ratio is way beyond what 92 or 93 octane
fuel can ever hope to cope with. Most modified 1.8Ts running without
octane enhancement are running with severely retarded ignition timing
and boost.
Q: Will toluene damage my engine or other parts of my car?
A: A 5 or 10% increase in the aromatic content of gas will most likely
be well within the refining specifications of gasoline defined by ASTM
D4814, which specify an aromatic content of between 20% and 45%. What
this means is that if the 92 octane gas that you started off with had an
aromatic content of say 30% and you increased it by 10% to 40% you would
still be left with a mix that meets the industry definition of gasoline.
So the above question would amount to: "Will gasoline damage my engine
or other parts of my car?"
Even in the unlikely event that the 92 octane gas has a aromatic content
of 45% the resulting mix would still be within the bounds of gasoline
sold in other countries.
Q: Isn't toluene an extremely toxic substance?
A: The common perception of toluene's toxicity far exceeds reality.
Fortunately there is an ample body of information available that
specifically addresses this question. Toluene is more toxic than
gasoline but it is certainly not agent orange or cyanide.
US Environmental Protection Agency Chemical Summary
US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)
National priority list of toxic substances
Note that the ATSDR also rates gasoline as a hazardous substance.
Mobil's spec sheet for toluene even goes as far as saying that "Based on
available toxicological information, it has been determined that this
product poses no significant health risk when used and handled properly."
Q: Isn't toluene an active ingredient of TNT (trinitrotoluene) and is
thus deadly?
A: In the same way that cotton wool is the base ingredient of
nitrocellulose (guncotton) which in turn is the main ingredient in
modern smokeless gunpowder. Using this reasoning one could conclude that
cotton wool is a deadly substance. This question reflects a poor
understanding of basic chemistry but unfortunately it has been asked
often enough.
Q: How much does toluene cost, and where can I buy some?
A: $10/gallon in a one gallon can at a hardware store, about $6/gallon
in a 5 gallon can from a chemical supply or paint store, or $3/gallon in
a 55 gallon drum from a chemical supply warehouse.
Q: Can I just dump in 100% toluene into the tank like the F1 racers?
vroom vroom vroom
A: First of all, the F1 racers did not use 100% toluene, but 84%. The
other 16% in their brew is n-heptane, which has an octane rating of
zero. The reason for this strange combination is because the F1 rocket
fuel was limited to the rules to being of 102 RON octane. The n-heptane
is "filler" to make the fuel comply with the rules.
Because toluene is such an effective anti knock fuel it also means that
it is more difficult to ignite at low temperatures. The Formula 1 cars
that ran on 84% toluene needed to have hot radiator air diverted to heat
its fuel tank to 70C to assist its vaporization. Thus too strong a
concentration of toluene will lead to poor cold start and running
characteristics. I recommend that the concentration of toluene used to
not exceed what the engine is capable of utilizing. i.e. Experiment with
small increases in concentration until you can no longer detect an
improvement.
Q: Why not simply use racing gasoline or aviation fuel?
A1: Most types of aviation fuel have very high lead content, which would
rule out cars equipped with catalytic converters. Most piston engined
aircraft burn leaded fuel. Also aviation fuel has a very different
hydrocarbon mix to optimize volatility properties at high altitude.
A2: Racing gasoline could be a much more convenient way to run high
octane fuel compared to having to constantly mix in toluene with each
fill up. There are, however a few caveats:
You don't know for sure if you are really getting what is being
advertised. You should find out if the fuel inspectors verify the actual
octane of the racing gasoline in addition to ordinary gasoline. If you
paid $3/gallon and only got 94 or 95 octane instead of 100 octane you
may conclude erroneously that your car does not benefit from octane
boosting.
You don't know what octane boosters are used in the racing gasoline. The
worst case scenario is buying leaded racing gasoline without knowing it.
Unleaded racing gasoline may still contain damaging octane boosters like
MMT or methanol. A very high alcohol content will lead to fuel line
erosion, accelerated fuel pump wear, very poor fuel economy and possibly
lower performance, as alcohols have a less impressive MON rating than
aromatics.
It takes smaller quantities of toluene to achieve the same octane boost
compared to 100 octane racing gas. I have not seen unleaded racing gas
for sale that exceeds the octane rating of toluene.
Since toluene is not officially sold as a fuel, gas taxes do not apply.
Also racing gasoline tend to have higher markups being of interest to
the performance minded enthusiast and thus is very likely to be more
expensive to buy and use long term than toluene, which is typically used
in more mundane applications like paint thinner.
Q: Ok, what is the catch?
A: It should be mentioned that in the US, efforts are underway to reduce
the aromatic content of gasolines in general as a higher aromatic
content leads to higher benzene emissions. Benzene is an extremely toxic
substance. However it should also be noted that the proportions that is
being discussed in this FAQ is relatively small and in the grand scheme
of things is probably insignificant. Moreover, the industrial standard
for defining gasoline composition allows plenty of leeway in aromatic
content and the proportions present in US gas is already lower than most
other countries. I therefore feel that the information provided here is
useful to a performance minded car enthusiast while not being
significantly detrimental to the environment.
Q: What safety measures can you recommend in handling toluene?
A: The following is a good reference guide:
Q: Do you have testimonies of others who have tried this?
A: Some samples of feedback is reprinted with the names removed below.
You may contact me if you wish to contact the respondents directly.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Since I didn't have any reference point for how much to use, I dumped
about a half gallon of this mix into a mostly empty tank (the GT has a
16 gallon tank) and then filled up with Chevron 92 octane.
I didn't get to drive the car until PIR the next morning, (my GF doesn't
like the 200; it's too big) but the report was that there was no change
for a mile or so, and then all of a sudden, the engine seemed to smooth
out and became quite eager to rev and run.
Well, by that calculation, I only managed to bump the octane to just shy
of 93, but it seemed to make a big difference. I ran the car hard all
day, (for reference, it's got an '87 MC turbo motor, K26, 12psi boost,
and currently no intercooler) and even at 12 pounds of boost, I never
once felt the ECU backing the timing off. Granted, the ambient temps
never got above 50, and my water and oil temps were rock solid. (Oil
just pushing above 100C)
The only cars that I had to get out of the way for was an Integra Type R
and a couple of race-prepped P-cars. I even managed to lap the NSX once!
It was a really good day!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Okay, kids, gather round. This is important: we spend lots of money for
our car, lot of money modifying and taking care of it, lots of effort
and pride in owning it. So if someone comes along and proposes to give
you something that would increase your enjoyment in driving by
exponential measures and it would only cost you two or three bucks per
tank of gas, would you be suspicious like the 100MPG carburetors? Would
you listen long enough to real-life testimonies to consider this
improvement for yourself?
Well, this is the case for Toluene and what it can do for your V8Q if
you been using anything less than 92+ octane. Get some.Try it. No harm,
no risk. Use about 24-32 ounces per 1/2 to full tank. You will not look
debonair. You will have to suspend your "cool" look. You may want to try
this alone. YOU WILL HAVE THE SHITTEST, MOST PLASTER, GRIN ON YOUR FACE
YOU HAVE EVER HAD! It won't come off. You'll tell the kids, daddy has
his own "transformer". It will be like a new car...no, better than new!
I took my family out to dinner tonight and could hardly keep from
dropping it into manual and showing off like some teenager (I don't
think my 17 year old daughter was inpressed). I wanna see some posts
here with personal experiences by you guys using this stuff - I wanna
know that my car is normal and hasn't been deprived ever since I've
owned it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I did the Rocket Fuel thing tonight on my Extremely Modified 5KCSTQ that
runs 24 PSI of boost... And I can tell you not only does my ears and my
butt say that the Rocket fuel is doing it's job but My ECU Data logger
that gives me the timing value for all 5 cyls says it's working too.
Before Rocket Fuel I was running full retard (14 Deg of timing) on boost
and would still on occasion get some knock, now I'm getting timing
numbers around 22 Deg's with ZERO knock ever. I'm running 2 Gallons of
Toluene 7oz of ATF and 17.5 gals of 93 oct gas for a net octane of
95.15. I'm next going to try 3 Gallons of Toluene (96.23 Octane) to see
what timing numbers I get.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After being convinced that my car was running below it potential -
Owners manual recommends octane rating between 95 and 99, although
it_will_run on octane as low as 91 - I stopped by Sherwin Williams and
picked up a gallon. It was on sale for $5.85! Anyway, head to the
chevron and pour a half gallon into the tank before pumping in the
premium. The car took 16 gallons so there was still 4 gallons in the
tank. I take off....nothing (obviously burning the fuel still in the
lines). About 10 miles later, HOLY SH*****T!!!!!!!!!! It really does
everything advertised by the list. It is so much more responsive from a
stop and low speed, it really is impressive. I would agree with the
sentiment that it feels like a totally different car.
For the non believers, you really should try to get some higher octane
fuel in your tank, whether through the use of Toluene or not. The owners
manual recommends 95 to 99 octane** for optimal performance. With the
half gallon of Toluene I added to the 92 octane, I was only running at
approximately 92.6 octane and the difference was simply amazing!
If you haven't tried it, do yourself a favor and give it a whirl - I
swear you'll be impressed.
(**note: this person confused RON octane mentioned in the owners manual
with R+M/2 octane that is sold in the pump. 95-99 RON is roughly
equivalent to 91-94 R+M/2)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After trying rocket fuel for two weeks, I can only say I love it.
The first tank, however, was a disappointment. I think I did not add
enough of rocket fuel for the first tank. So I added a little more for
my second tank, it ran better but not too much improvement. Then on my
3rd tank, what a difference, the car feels like a "Rocket" now, even
though it is an "Auto". I always feel there is more power available for me.
I think for my 1st and 2nd tank, I did not have enough rocket fuel in
it, even though I added one gallon per tank. Then, on my 3rd tank, I had
enough because of the left overs from my 1st and 2nd tank. (I fill up my
tank at about the 1/4 mark). Now I only have about 2 gallons of rocket
fuel left, I better get more now!!!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reference materials:
1. Gasoline FAQ
2. McLaren Honda Turbo - a technical appraisal
Ian Bamsey
ISBN 0-85429-840-1, published 1990
3. Chevron's excellent Motor Gasolines Technical Review
A: Someone came across a web page that described various DIY home brew
octane booster formulas. One of which used toluene as its main
ingredient. As a Formula 1 racing fan of many years, I recalled that
toluene was used extensively in the turbo era in the 1980s by all the
Formula 1 teams. The 1.5 liter turbocharged engines ran as much as 5
bars of boost (73 psi) in qualifying and 4 bars (59 psi) in the actual
race. Power output exceeded 1500bhp, which translates into
1000bhp/liter, an astronomical figure.
A motorsports journalist, Ian Bamsey, was able to obtain Honda's
cooperation for his book "McLaren Honda Turbo, a Technical Appraisal".
The book documents the key role that the toluene fuel played in allowing
these tiny engines to run so much turbo boost without detonation. The
term "rocket fuel" originated from the Formula 1 fraternity as an
affectionate nickname to describe its devastating potency. Thus I
concluded that I should focus my research on using toluene for my octane
boosting project.
Individuals with good long term memory will recall that when unleaded
gasoline was first introduced, only low octane grades were available.
While it is not entirely clear that high octane super unleaded gas came
about as a result of the advances in fuel technology in Formula 1, there
is every reason to suspect that this is indeed the case, since many of
the major oil companies were involved in the escalating race to develop
increasingly potent racing fuel during this era.
Q: Why do you think toluene is better than other types of octane boosters?
A: Several reasons:
Mindful of the evil reputation of octane boosters in general, toluene is
a very safe choice because it is one of the main octane boosters used by
oil companies in producing ordinary gasoline of all grades. Thus if
toluene is indeed harmful to your engine as feared, your engine would
have disintegrated long, long ago since ordinary pump gasoline can
contain as much as 50% aromatic hydrocarbons.
Toluene is a pure hydrocarbon (C7H8). i.e. it contains only hydrogen and
carbon atoms. It belongs to a particular category of hydrocarbons called
aromatic hydrocarbons. Complete combustion of toluene yields CO2 and
H2O. This fact ensures that the entire emission control system such as
the catalyst and oxygen sensor of your car is unaffected. There are no
metallic compounds (lead, magnesium etc), no nitro compounds and no
oxygen atoms in toluene. It is made up of exactly the same ingredients
as ordinary gasoline. In fact it is one of the main ingredients of
gasoline.
Toluene has a RON octane rating of 121 and a MON rating of 107, leading
to a (R+M)/2 rating of 114. (R+M)/2 is how ordinary fuels are rated in
the US. Note that toluene has a sensitivity rating of 121-107=14. This
compares favorably with alcohols which have sensitivities in the 20-30
range. The more sensitive a fuel is the more its performance degrades
under load. Toluene's low sensitivity means that it is an excellent fuel
for a heavily loaded engine.
Toluene is denser than ordinary gasoline (0.87 g/mL vs. 0.72-0.74) and
contains more energy per unit volume. Thus combustion of toluene leads
to more energy being liberated and thus more power generated. This is in
contrast to oxygenated octane boosters like ethanol or MTBE which
contain less energy per unit volume compared to gasoline. The higher
heating value of toluene also means that the exhaust gases contain more
kinetic energy, which in turn means that there is more energy to drive
turbocharger vanes. In practical terms this is experienced as a faster
onset of turbo boost.
Chevron's published composition of 100 octane aviation fuel shows that
toluene comprises up to 14% alone and is the predominant aromatic
hydrocarbon. Unfortunately composition specifications for automotive
gasoline is harder to pin down due to constantly changing requirements.
Chevron's web site also describes the problems of ethanol being used in
gasoline.
MTBE was heavily touted as a clean additive several years ago, and
became a key ingredient in reformulated gasoline that is sold in
California. But recently new studies arose that showed that MTBE was far
more toxic than previously imagined. Organizations such as oxybusters
have formed around the country to eliminate the use of MTBE in gasoline
and several states, including California have passed new laws to
eventually outlaw MTBE.
Q: How much toluene should I use per tank of gas?
A: Octane ratings can be very easily calculated by simple averaging. For
example, the tank of an Audi A4 1.8TQ is 15.6 gallons. Filling it with
14.6 gallons of 92 octane and 1 gallon of toluene (114 octane) will
yield a fuel mix of:
(14.6 * 92) + (1 * 114) / 15.6 = 93.4
The Audi A4 1.8T is a good example of a car that has very high octane
needs if it has been modified to produce more turbo boost. The base
compression ratio of this car is a very high 9.5:1 and when an
additional 1 bar (14.7 psi) of turbo boost is applied on top of it, the
resulting effective compression ratio is way beyond what 92 or 93 octane
fuel can ever hope to cope with. Most modified 1.8Ts running without
octane enhancement are running with severely retarded ignition timing
and boost.
Q: Will toluene damage my engine or other parts of my car?
A: A 5 or 10% increase in the aromatic content of gas will most likely
be well within the refining specifications of gasoline defined by ASTM
D4814, which specify an aromatic content of between 20% and 45%. What
this means is that if the 92 octane gas that you started off with had an
aromatic content of say 30% and you increased it by 10% to 40% you would
still be left with a mix that meets the industry definition of gasoline.
So the above question would amount to: "Will gasoline damage my engine
or other parts of my car?"
Even in the unlikely event that the 92 octane gas has a aromatic content
of 45% the resulting mix would still be within the bounds of gasoline
sold in other countries.
Q: Isn't toluene an extremely toxic substance?
A: The common perception of toluene's toxicity far exceeds reality.
Fortunately there is an ample body of information available that
specifically addresses this question. Toluene is more toxic than
gasoline but it is certainly not agent orange or cyanide.
US Environmental Protection Agency Chemical Summary
US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)
National priority list of toxic substances
Note that the ATSDR also rates gasoline as a hazardous substance.
Mobil's spec sheet for toluene even goes as far as saying that "Based on
available toxicological information, it has been determined that this
product poses no significant health risk when used and handled properly."
Q: Isn't toluene an active ingredient of TNT (trinitrotoluene) and is
thus deadly?
A: In the same way that cotton wool is the base ingredient of
nitrocellulose (guncotton) which in turn is the main ingredient in
modern smokeless gunpowder. Using this reasoning one could conclude that
cotton wool is a deadly substance. This question reflects a poor
understanding of basic chemistry but unfortunately it has been asked
often enough.
Q: How much does toluene cost, and where can I buy some?
A: $10/gallon in a one gallon can at a hardware store, about $6/gallon
in a 5 gallon can from a chemical supply or paint store, or $3/gallon in
a 55 gallon drum from a chemical supply warehouse.
Q: Can I just dump in 100% toluene into the tank like the F1 racers?
vroom vroom vroom
A: First of all, the F1 racers did not use 100% toluene, but 84%. The
other 16% in their brew is n-heptane, which has an octane rating of
zero. The reason for this strange combination is because the F1 rocket
fuel was limited to the rules to being of 102 RON octane. The n-heptane
is "filler" to make the fuel comply with the rules.
Because toluene is such an effective anti knock fuel it also means that
it is more difficult to ignite at low temperatures. The Formula 1 cars
that ran on 84% toluene needed to have hot radiator air diverted to heat
its fuel tank to 70C to assist its vaporization. Thus too strong a
concentration of toluene will lead to poor cold start and running
characteristics. I recommend that the concentration of toluene used to
not exceed what the engine is capable of utilizing. i.e. Experiment with
small increases in concentration until you can no longer detect an
improvement.
Q: Why not simply use racing gasoline or aviation fuel?
A1: Most types of aviation fuel have very high lead content, which would
rule out cars equipped with catalytic converters. Most piston engined
aircraft burn leaded fuel. Also aviation fuel has a very different
hydrocarbon mix to optimize volatility properties at high altitude.
A2: Racing gasoline could be a much more convenient way to run high
octane fuel compared to having to constantly mix in toluene with each
fill up. There are, however a few caveats:
You don't know for sure if you are really getting what is being
advertised. You should find out if the fuel inspectors verify the actual
octane of the racing gasoline in addition to ordinary gasoline. If you
paid $3/gallon and only got 94 or 95 octane instead of 100 octane you
may conclude erroneously that your car does not benefit from octane
boosting.
You don't know what octane boosters are used in the racing gasoline. The
worst case scenario is buying leaded racing gasoline without knowing it.
Unleaded racing gasoline may still contain damaging octane boosters like
MMT or methanol. A very high alcohol content will lead to fuel line
erosion, accelerated fuel pump wear, very poor fuel economy and possibly
lower performance, as alcohols have a less impressive MON rating than
aromatics.
It takes smaller quantities of toluene to achieve the same octane boost
compared to 100 octane racing gas. I have not seen unleaded racing gas
for sale that exceeds the octane rating of toluene.
Since toluene is not officially sold as a fuel, gas taxes do not apply.
Also racing gasoline tend to have higher markups being of interest to
the performance minded enthusiast and thus is very likely to be more
expensive to buy and use long term than toluene, which is typically used
in more mundane applications like paint thinner.
Q: Ok, what is the catch?
A: It should be mentioned that in the US, efforts are underway to reduce
the aromatic content of gasolines in general as a higher aromatic
content leads to higher benzene emissions. Benzene is an extremely toxic
substance. However it should also be noted that the proportions that is
being discussed in this FAQ is relatively small and in the grand scheme
of things is probably insignificant. Moreover, the industrial standard
for defining gasoline composition allows plenty of leeway in aromatic
content and the proportions present in US gas is already lower than most
other countries. I therefore feel that the information provided here is
useful to a performance minded car enthusiast while not being
significantly detrimental to the environment.
Q: What safety measures can you recommend in handling toluene?
A: The following is a good reference guide:
Q: Do you have testimonies of others who have tried this?
A: Some samples of feedback is reprinted with the names removed below.
You may contact me if you wish to contact the respondents directly.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Since I didn't have any reference point for how much to use, I dumped
about a half gallon of this mix into a mostly empty tank (the GT has a
16 gallon tank) and then filled up with Chevron 92 octane.
I didn't get to drive the car until PIR the next morning, (my GF doesn't
like the 200; it's too big) but the report was that there was no change
for a mile or so, and then all of a sudden, the engine seemed to smooth
out and became quite eager to rev and run.
Well, by that calculation, I only managed to bump the octane to just shy
of 93, but it seemed to make a big difference. I ran the car hard all
day, (for reference, it's got an '87 MC turbo motor, K26, 12psi boost,
and currently no intercooler) and even at 12 pounds of boost, I never
once felt the ECU backing the timing off. Granted, the ambient temps
never got above 50, and my water and oil temps were rock solid. (Oil
just pushing above 100C)
The only cars that I had to get out of the way for was an Integra Type R
and a couple of race-prepped P-cars. I even managed to lap the NSX once!
It was a really good day!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Okay, kids, gather round. This is important: we spend lots of money for
our car, lot of money modifying and taking care of it, lots of effort
and pride in owning it. So if someone comes along and proposes to give
you something that would increase your enjoyment in driving by
exponential measures and it would only cost you two or three bucks per
tank of gas, would you be suspicious like the 100MPG carburetors? Would
you listen long enough to real-life testimonies to consider this
improvement for yourself?
Well, this is the case for Toluene and what it can do for your V8Q if
you been using anything less than 92+ octane. Get some.Try it. No harm,
no risk. Use about 24-32 ounces per 1/2 to full tank. You will not look
debonair. You will have to suspend your "cool" look. You may want to try
this alone. YOU WILL HAVE THE SHITTEST, MOST PLASTER, GRIN ON YOUR FACE
YOU HAVE EVER HAD! It won't come off. You'll tell the kids, daddy has
his own "transformer". It will be like a new car...no, better than new!
I took my family out to dinner tonight and could hardly keep from
dropping it into manual and showing off like some teenager (I don't
think my 17 year old daughter was inpressed). I wanna see some posts
here with personal experiences by you guys using this stuff - I wanna
know that my car is normal and hasn't been deprived ever since I've
owned it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I did the Rocket Fuel thing tonight on my Extremely Modified 5KCSTQ that
runs 24 PSI of boost... And I can tell you not only does my ears and my
butt say that the Rocket fuel is doing it's job but My ECU Data logger
that gives me the timing value for all 5 cyls says it's working too.
Before Rocket Fuel I was running full retard (14 Deg of timing) on boost
and would still on occasion get some knock, now I'm getting timing
numbers around 22 Deg's with ZERO knock ever. I'm running 2 Gallons of
Toluene 7oz of ATF and 17.5 gals of 93 oct gas for a net octane of
95.15. I'm next going to try 3 Gallons of Toluene (96.23 Octane) to see
what timing numbers I get.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After being convinced that my car was running below it potential -
Owners manual recommends octane rating between 95 and 99, although
it_will_run on octane as low as 91 - I stopped by Sherwin Williams and
picked up a gallon. It was on sale for $5.85! Anyway, head to the
chevron and pour a half gallon into the tank before pumping in the
premium. The car took 16 gallons so there was still 4 gallons in the
tank. I take off....nothing (obviously burning the fuel still in the
lines). About 10 miles later, HOLY SH*****T!!!!!!!!!! It really does
everything advertised by the list. It is so much more responsive from a
stop and low speed, it really is impressive. I would agree with the
sentiment that it feels like a totally different car.
For the non believers, you really should try to get some higher octane
fuel in your tank, whether through the use of Toluene or not. The owners
manual recommends 95 to 99 octane** for optimal performance. With the
half gallon of Toluene I added to the 92 octane, I was only running at
approximately 92.6 octane and the difference was simply amazing!
If you haven't tried it, do yourself a favor and give it a whirl - I
swear you'll be impressed.
(**note: this person confused RON octane mentioned in the owners manual
with R+M/2 octane that is sold in the pump. 95-99 RON is roughly
equivalent to 91-94 R+M/2)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After trying rocket fuel for two weeks, I can only say I love it.
The first tank, however, was a disappointment. I think I did not add
enough of rocket fuel for the first tank. So I added a little more for
my second tank, it ran better but not too much improvement. Then on my
3rd tank, what a difference, the car feels like a "Rocket" now, even
though it is an "Auto". I always feel there is more power available for me.
I think for my 1st and 2nd tank, I did not have enough rocket fuel in
it, even though I added one gallon per tank. Then, on my 3rd tank, I had
enough because of the left overs from my 1st and 2nd tank. (I fill up my
tank at about the 1/4 mark). Now I only have about 2 gallons of rocket
fuel left, I better get more now!!!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reference materials:
1. Gasoline FAQ
2. McLaren Honda Turbo - a technical appraisal
Ian Bamsey
ISBN 0-85429-840-1, published 1990
3. Chevron's excellent Motor Gasolines Technical Review
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