out of everything i had seen here
has anyone ever done a true comparison on the octane boosters out there
ie- which actually bumps octane ratings as advertised
which does its job better
is the NOS race version with nitromethane worth it
stuff like that

Im not a chemist but its something that piqued my interest

 

I don't know what anyone else thinks but personally I don't like octane boosters. I've seen that they usually leave deposits and generally aren't going to boost the octane much anyways...

My suggestion is, add toluene

 

ditto.

Octane booster = huge waste of money.

 

well the reason I ask is my motor barely runs on 94 pump gas
12.5 compression maybe slightly higher
it likes 100
hence the octane booster question

 

Try toluene

Search the net for mixing tables...I'll see if I can dig up a link for you

If you've got a nice built motor the last thing I'd put in it is crap octane booster

Here ya go man....for my fellow NJ'r
http://www.elektro.com/~audi/audi/toluene.html

[Modified by Prod, 7:24 PM 10/29/2002]


[Modified by Prod, 7:25 PM 10/29/2002]

 

hmmm interesting article
I may have to check this out

 

what is toluene?

 

Reffering to my good old maximum boost book for a technical definition...it's a distillate of oil and a cousin of gasoline, it's a hydrocarbon. Toluene is also known as methyl-benzene.

 

The closest test to me was my friends supercharged civic, that car could definetly make power with it. He always ran different octane boosters and said that the red stp octane booster was the best one. It also happened to be the cheapest.

 

Ditto, toluene (or another suitable aromatic) is the only really downside free octane booster. If you look on any of the octane booster cans you are comparing, choose the one who's main ingredient is toluene. If none of them contain it, forget about it and just retard your timing until it's not hellish hot wherever you are.



EDIT: Just noticed, you're in HELL, NJ. MOVE.


[Modified by texan, 1:34 AM 10/30/2002]

 

where do you get toluene from?

 

55 gallon drum you'd have to get from like a chemical warehouse...otherwise you can usually get a small can from your local hardware / paint store

 

sounds like you need some serious fuel system tuning

 

no actually just put it in and go, it's just going to raise the octane and speed the burn rate tremedously


[Modified by Prod, 6:56 PM 10/30/2002]

 

Actually higher octane slows down the combustion process and gives you a more controlled burn, and less prone to detonation, allowing you to run a more advanced timing curve.

Austin

 

Octane rating and burn rate are two different properties of a fuel, one doesn't necessarily affect the other. Many racing fuels are both very high octane and very fast burn rate, specifically tailored for high RPM duties.

 

http://www.techweasel.com/articles/octane.htm

http://chemistry.about.com/library/weekly/aa070401a.htm?termsctane

Here is another link:
http://chemistry.about.com/gi/dynami.../gasoline.html

I still believe my information to be correct...but if I'm wrong please tell me....

Thank you,
Austin

 

Hey Austin

I'm always one for new information but I beleive the links you've posted are related to gasoline...toluene has it's own unique properties which it brings into the combustion process and everythign I've read about it says it speeds up burns rate alot. This is one of the few reasons it was so popular on those small displacement insane turbo motors back in the turbo Formula One Days.

 

I think your both correct just locked up in your terminology and what specifically your talking about.

*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.

Taken from http://www.elektro.com/~audi/audi/toluene.html

Austin is correct about Octane and pre-ignition, while Prod is correct about Toluene and the energy released.

 

Austin- The FAQ gasoline link is the best resource you'll find online concerning the physics of fuel. And I qoute...


The antiknock ability is related to the "autoignition temperature" of the hydrocarbons. Antiknock ability is _not_ substantially related to:-

1. The energy content of fuel, this should be obvious, as oxygenates have lower energy contents, but high octanes.
2. The flame speed of the conventionally ignited mixture, this should be evident from the similarities of the two reference hydrocarbons. Although flame speed does play a minor part, there are many other factors that are far more important. ( such as compression ratio, stoichiometry, combustion chamber shape, chemical structure of the fuel, presence of antiknock additives, number and position of spark plugs, turbulence etc.) Flame speed does not correlate with octane.

That's what I was speaking of. Burn rate and octane rating are two different properties of fuel, and gasoline now being the witch's brew it is, you can't infer anything about one property from the other these days. Once upon a time there weren't 20 different compounds in pump gas, and then you could make a few more generalizations concerning it's properties.


Ps- If you're really concerned about energy content per gallon, just get a diesel engine.

Pps- While oxygenated gasolines do carry less energy per gallon, you can usually make more power with them once you richen up the mixture a bit. The hardest thing with an engine is getting 02 into the chamber, and it's always nice when the fuel takes a good bit along with it. Nitromethane is a good example: it takes a TON of nitro in the chamber to burn, but the power output from this fuel and it's large oxygen content makes incredible power.


[Modified by texan, 5:40 PM 10/30/2002]

 

hey, just wanted to say i remember your name and your crazy good explanations of everything from some other forum, i think automotiveforums.com! Sometimes you lose me, but i know you know your ****! Glad to have your knowledge on HT! Just one thing i'm not sure about, is your explanation about the standing strut bar test!! chow!

 

Texan thanks for the insight bro...I just got linked to that Gasoline FAQ so I gots some reading to do. All I know is toluene works for me ;P

 

people sure are friendly around here


Rybrid- About the strut bar tech, I could make some graphics explaining myself better, but they'd still just illustrate my opinion and not necessarily the truth of it. Bottom line though, if a chassis brace can't withstand my weight applied to it without significant flexing, I hesitate to call it a brace.

 

i love all this cos it reaffirms what i learned working with so many race engine builders
there is however this gasoline out there which does help produce a bit more power that a few circle track guys use and one that a consistent winner uses
and its slightly oxygenated
i will find out waht it is called again and repost it
they make a bit more power than their competitors and they are trying to illegalize its use

 

... I'm still waiting for someone to actually run Toluene. I've heard about this for years... no one ever seems quite ready to put it in their tank though..