Fuel blends (OT?)
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 4,101
Likes: 10
From: NorCal
Fuel blends (OT?)
I have a question that's been bugging me for a while, but really got me yesterday. I run my 10:75 - 1 compression (on the vette and BOSS 302), 4 degrees retarded on 91 pump gas, (which includes about 10% Ethanol in CA) so they don't pre-ignite ('ping') in normal driving.
So yesterday I ran my BOSS at Sears Point Raceway (I just can't say Infineon) with a local club and I always run 100 octane unleaded on top of whatever is left in the tank. This amounts to about 2-3 gallons of 91 and 6-7 gallons of 100 at $6.45/gal. Works real well, or so I thought. Sooo, I get there at 7:30 AM and the unleaded pump is locked up. The other pumps have 112, 114, and 116 leaded race fuel (!), so I use 6 gallons of 112 so I can race the dog.
HOLY MOTHER!, that car felt like it had an extra 30 ponys (at least) pushing it along, and I mean a noticable difference. So my question is, what is in that stuff? Even on the drive home, throttle response was awesome and it ran sweet! Any fuel gurus out there want to chime in?
Hans
So yesterday I ran my BOSS at Sears Point Raceway (I just can't say Infineon) with a local club and I always run 100 octane unleaded on top of whatever is left in the tank. This amounts to about 2-3 gallons of 91 and 6-7 gallons of 100 at $6.45/gal. Works real well, or so I thought. Sooo, I get there at 7:30 AM and the unleaded pump is locked up. The other pumps have 112, 114, and 116 leaded race fuel (!), so I use 6 gallons of 112 so I can race the dog.
HOLY MOTHER!, that car felt like it had an extra 30 ponys (at least) pushing it along, and I mean a noticable difference. So my question is, what is in that stuff? Even on the drive home, throttle response was awesome and it ran sweet! Any fuel gurus out there want to chime in?
Hans
Race Director
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 10,674
Likes: 122
From: Millington Illinois
St. Jude Donor '08-'09
Sounds like your car likes race fuel!
Leaded fuel will screw up Cat convertors but lead is a good upper cylinder lubricant. Seals the chamber better and the octane boost results in a better flame front in the cylinder, helps the fuel burn totally resulting in more power.
Leaded fuel will screw up Cat convertors but lead is a good upper cylinder lubricant. Seals the chamber better and the octane boost results in a better flame front in the cylinder, helps the fuel burn totally resulting in more power.
Last edited by 63mako; Nov 25, 2006 at 10:12 PM.
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 4,101
Likes: 10
From: NorCal
I was just surprised at the difference between unleaded 100 and leaded 112. Really a marked improvement. Converter damage is not a problem, since I don't own a car that has one (the 'burb and My sweetie's Subaru don't count!), So now I'm itching to try it in the 427. Only problem is the track is 70 mile away. I must say the exhaust smelled just like I remembered...
Hans
Hans
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 7,123
Likes: 433
From: Gladstone MO
C3 of Year Finalist (appearance mods) 2019
Octane
I run 110 octane all the time. The guy I got my 'vert from had some premium unleaded and some 104 octane booster stuff in it. Turned all of the brass inside an Edelbrock carb a real pretty green. Turns out that Missouri uses Ethanol in the gas, ethanol is after all, alcohol, and that absorbs moisture, and that corroded the brass. I called Edelbrock about it and they offered to sell me either new carbs, or enough parts to rebuild. So I bought a Demon. And switched to 110 Race gas. Bumped the timing back up to where it should be. Now I'm havin' fun.
