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Does octane booster actually produce a noticeable performance improvement? Can using octane booster be harmful to a motor? The reason I ask is because here in Cali the higest octane available is 91. Thanks
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Octane Booster...
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Re: Octane Booster... (AOx4)
All higher octane gas does is prevent knock. By itself it does nothing for performance. If your engine doesn't knock now, higher octane gas provides no benefit...
All higher octane gas does is prevent knock. By itself it does nothing for performance. If your engine doesn't knock now, higher octane gas provides no benefit...
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Re: Octane Booster... (AOx4)
That's not necessarily true, you can have pre-ignition and sub-par performance without noticeable detonation (knock) if running crappy gas. If you want the acid test, try 91 pump versus 94 or so on a dyno. I'd be quite surprised if you didn't see a slight improvement in overall power, given the utter crap they call gas in Cali.
Now, as to octane booster, the off the shelf stuff in the small bottles doesn't do a whole lot. At best, a can of 104+ or similar will raise your octane a few points. Say, 91.0 to 91.5 or so. As such, you're better off finding a source for higher octane fuel at the pump. It can't hurt to toss a bottle or two in, but it would end up being cheaper to simply get a drum of race gas, given what those octane booster bottles cost.
Alternatively, if you're brave, you can always mix your own with toluene or xylene.
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That's not necessarily true, you can have pre-ignition and sub-par performance without noticeable detonation (knock) if running crappy gas. If you want the acid test, try 91 pump versus 94 or so on a dyno. I'd be quite surprised if you didn't see a slight improvement in overall power, given the utter crap they call gas in Cali.
Now, as to octane booster, the off the shelf stuff in the small bottles doesn't do a whole lot. At best, a can of 104+ or similar will raise your octane a few points. Say, 91.0 to 91.5 or so. As such, you're better off finding a source for higher octane fuel at the pump. It can't hurt to toss a bottle or two in, but it would end up being cheaper to simply get a drum of race gas, given what those octane booster bottles cost.
Alternatively, if you're brave, you can always mix your own with toluene or xylene.
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Re: Octane Booster... (Simba)
When I bought my KTM the dealer said to use 100 LL aviation gas. It is 100 octain low lead but I have seen no difference with my KTM but then again I am not Evil Kenevil either.
You can get it at airports that have privite aircraft. It was $2.65 a gallon last summer, more now I am sure, but for an experiment that is pretty cheap.
When I bought my KTM the dealer said to use 100 LL aviation gas. It is 100 octain low lead but I have seen no difference with my KTM but then again I am not Evil Kenevil either.
You can get it at airports that have privite aircraft. It was $2.65 a gallon last summer, more now I am sure, but for an experiment that is pretty cheap.
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Re: Octane Booster... (Sagerider)
I ran across this:
http://www.nsxprime.com/FAQ/Mi...s.htm
We asked Sunoco's Wurth about using aviation fuel in an automobile engine. He was emphatic when he said, "Don't do it. Even though Sunoco is a major producer of aviation fuel, this fuel is specifically blended for aircraft engines. Aircraft operate under very different conditions than automobiles, and the fuel requirements are quite different as well. Aircraft engines generally ... run within a very narrow rpm range. There's no need for transient throttle response in an airplane because after the pilot does the initial engine run-up, the throttle is set in one position and the rpm doesn't normally change until landing. Also, airplanes fly where the air is cold and thin, and the atmospheric pressure is low. These are not even close to the conditions your street machine will see on the ground. Also, since most piston-driven aircraft cruise at 3,000 rpm or so, the burn rate of aviation gas is much too slow for any high performance automotive applications."
I ran across this:
http://www.nsxprime.com/FAQ/Mi...s.htm
We asked Sunoco's Wurth about using aviation fuel in an automobile engine. He was emphatic when he said, "Don't do it. Even though Sunoco is a major producer of aviation fuel, this fuel is specifically blended for aircraft engines. Aircraft operate under very different conditions than automobiles, and the fuel requirements are quite different as well. Aircraft engines generally ... run within a very narrow rpm range. There's no need for transient throttle response in an airplane because after the pilot does the initial engine run-up, the throttle is set in one position and the rpm doesn't normally change until landing. Also, airplanes fly where the air is cold and thin, and the atmospheric pressure is low. These are not even close to the conditions your street machine will see on the ground. Also, since most piston-driven aircraft cruise at 3,000 rpm or so, the burn rate of aviation gas is much too slow for any high performance automotive applications."
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Re: Octane Booster... (Shazaam!)
That makes a lot of sence Shazaam!!
That makes a lot of sence Shazaam!!
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Re: Octane Booster... (AOx4)
Well living in Cali your bound to have a race track near by somewhere and if it's a descent size track they'll have higher octane fuel. If you have a newer Ducati with a CAT then you'll have to use Unleaded which is even more money, but if you have an older Ducati with out a CAT you can run leaded race gas which is a little cheaper and actually has a lubricating effect. As far as performance I never noticed any more grunt or pick-up but it did seem to run a little smoother ie. throttle response was smoothed out, and it smells a heck of a site better. You might notice power gains if you have higher compression pistons and advance your ignition but on a stock bike its very negligible. Now in my Evo VIII, it's a high octane whore! Requires 93 and here in Nevada we only get you Californian's crappy 91 so I have to add 5 gallons of 110 unleaded to bring it to around 95. Was at Infineon Raceway last weekend and they had 96 up to 114 at their Sunoco pump, filled the car with 96 and after a little while it felt like a different car. So...high octane does have an effect depending on the application.
Well living in Cali your bound to have a race track near by somewhere and if it's a descent size track they'll have higher octane fuel. If you have a newer Ducati with a CAT then you'll have to use Unleaded which is even more money, but if you have an older Ducati with out a CAT you can run leaded race gas which is a little cheaper and actually has a lubricating effect. As far as performance I never noticed any more grunt or pick-up but it did seem to run a little smoother ie. throttle response was smoothed out, and it smells a heck of a site better. You might notice power gains if you have higher compression pistons and advance your ignition but on a stock bike its very negligible. Now in my Evo VIII, it's a high octane whore! Requires 93 and here in Nevada we only get you Californian's crappy 91 so I have to add 5 gallons of 110 unleaded to bring it to around 95. Was at Infineon Raceway last weekend and they had 96 up to 114 at their Sunoco pump, filled the car with 96 and after a little while it felt like a different car. So...high octane does have an effect depending on the application.
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Re: Octane Booster... (dus10r)
I'm not an expert...but I thought leaded gas was a no no for injected bikes. Something about it clogging the injectors. I could be wrong though.
I'm not an expert...but I thought leaded gas was a no no for injected bikes. Something about it clogging the injectors. I could be wrong though.
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High compression engines run a lot better with high octane. High octane gas does not just stop detonation(knocking). Especially with anything supercharged. I.E. My car (93 Stang) improved by 3/4's of a second in the 1/4 with 110 octane vice 93 octane. I have thought about putting 110 in my 996, but it runs fine with 93..02.
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Re: Octane Booster... (drnknmnky13)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by drnknmnky13 »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I'm not an expert...but I thought leaded gas was a no no for injected bikes. Something about it clogging the injectors. I could be wrong though.</TD></TR></TABLE>
Leaded gas is a no-no for injected engines that use a closed-loop AFM/MAF and 02 sensor setup for setting mixture. Namely, as the lead clogs up the 02 sensor, and can cause it to gradually fail and/or become inaccurate (meaning you either go pig rich, or go boom) before it fails all together.
Anything with no cat and no 02 sensor can use leaded go-juice until the cows come home. Only negative aspect is the grayish soot that'll accumulate in your pipes.
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by drnknmnky13 »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I'm not an expert...but I thought leaded gas was a no no for injected bikes. Something about it clogging the injectors. I could be wrong though.</TD></TR></TABLE>
Leaded gas is a no-no for injected engines that use a closed-loop AFM/MAF and 02 sensor setup for setting mixture. Namely, as the lead clogs up the 02 sensor, and can cause it to gradually fail and/or become inaccurate (meaning you either go pig rich, or go boom) before it fails all together.
Anything with no cat and no 02 sensor can use leaded go-juice until the cows come home. Only negative aspect is the grayish soot that'll accumulate in your pipes.
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