this is correct now that i think of it becuse 150 octane avgas used to have tons of lead in it and it used to make all sorts of problems

Ryan

 

I tried octane booster and honestly I wasnt impressed. If your engine says 87 octane put 87 in... if it says higher octane go higher. I was reading a bottle on one of the octane boosters that claimed to increase octane by 10 'points'... well in the fine print 1 octane 'point' is actually .1 actual octane rating. So 10 points will bring 87 octane to a whopping 88... so is that extra $$ worth 1 actual octane rating? Not so much here. And besides octane is just to avoid engine knock correct? Unless you're going with high grade racing fuel you're not going to see any advantage and no convenience store octane booster is going to push your premium gas to race grade level.

Now about the question of engine cleaners and oil additives and such I do run them but not on a monthly basis. If my car seems to be lacking slightly I'll oil additive. If it knocks I'll add engine cleaner. Carbon buildup is more of a factor not fuel octane rating.

Edit:
Searched and found this http://volvospeed.com/Reviews/octane_boosters.html Check it out you can almost get 98 octane from 92 or 93 fuel... but then again adding 6 bottles of octane booster which is highly over the maximum doesnt seem like a good idea and opens a host of more problems.

 

Yet another myth. Racing fuel does not make cars go faster. It does not have some mysterious ingredient that boost horsepower.

If an engine runs fine with pump fuel it will not run better with 'race' fuel.

 

I'll just throw this out there to stir the pot... What about Marvel Mystery Oil in the fuel? I know some people who swear by it, but I personally don't really have an opinion on it. This would fall under longevity, not performance but it's still a gas additive.

Thoughts on MMO?

 

OK, I'll bite.

What precise problems would it fix?
What problems does it avoid?
How would you know if it works or not?

How come hundreds of millions of car owners have driven billions of miles in every country on earth without using this stuff and have never had a moments worth of problem?

I have a bag of petrified voodoo chicken bones in my car. Every morning, I take the bag and wave it in front of the car while chanting 'Ohwhatanassiamohwhatanassiam' over and over. After three minutes of this, I get back into the car and presto it starts right away.

This proves without a doubt that these bones really work. I bought them on eBay if anybody else wants some.

 

I tried the chicken bones, but found I had better luck with a dried monkey head.

According to the MMO people, their product will fix every ailment that you might have. Like I said before, you won't see my buying it, but I'm sure at least a few people here use it. What are the results or at least reasons they do.

• Marvel Mystery Oil® lubricates the entire fuel system-fuel pumps, fuel injectors or carburetors and the top portion of the cylinders. These are areas, that by design, motor oil does not reach. Using Marvel Mystery Oil in your fuel extends the life of these vital components by providing them with lubrication that fuel alone does not provide.

• Marvel reduces and prevents varnish and gum build-up, two key contributors to robbing engine performance. When you shut off your engine, a miniscule drop of fuel is left at the tip of the fuel injectors or carburetor jets. This miniscule drop off of fuel then solidifies into a varnish type residue. Over time, the accumulated varnish blocks the openings of the injectors or jets, contributing to lower performance and fuel economy and shorter life of these components.

• Spark plug life is also extended by using Marvel in your fuel. It creates a cleaner burning cylinder environment that reduces carbon build-up on spark plugs resulting in better firing plugs that increase performance and durability.

• In addition, Marvel Mystery Oil® improves fuel mileage by reducing internal friction in the engine.

 

Does that mean I need to blow on my carb and constantly clean my dirty plugs when I turn my car off!?

Oh wait my plugs have yet to be bad after I regularly change them... must be that sacrificed goat I offer to the Vette gods every Friday....

Anything with Marvel Mystery in front of it either has to end with a fictional comic book character not car additives!

 

My SB with above average HP, runs perfect on pumped 92 octane gas, never needed any additives. Put your time and money into timming & tune, using good parts.

 

I have been to dozens of automotive training seminars and workshops over the last 25 years. I would have to say that when ever it has come up, most all the training instructors have had the stronge opinion that these product are nothing more than modern day "snake oil" I have been fed a line of crap from too many salesmen trying to push this stuff on me in my shops to even begin to count. Sometimes they have some pretty convincing storys untill the next competing salesman comes in and tells me why and how its BS.. so who knows.. I have found the best medicine is just to change all the fluids in a car on a regular basis. I have service historys of a lot of customers whos cars have never had trans replacement, p/s pump replacement, rear axle bearing/gear replacement, ect.. Thats all the proof I need to use quality fluids and change them as a matter of maintinance every 30k. I have a fleet customer that started in 99 with 12 new s-10 trucks. We have changed the fluids every 30k and not one of his trucks has had a fluid lubricated part replaced, all 10 trucks <2 were crashed> have 250K+ miles on them now and still in dailey service.

 

Holy crap- that's actually what they publish. And people fall for it?

Where'd you get your dried monkey head. I'd like to get one as a back up for my chicken bones for when there's really bad mojo around

 

It amazing what people will believe in with a good salespitch and the promise of something too good to be true. Heck, just ask Obama!

The dried monkey head was hard to come by but I did find a monkey skull on ebay...that should have some mojo too! http://tinyurl.com/c7xe8h

 

A number of studies ( by Gas Companies) have shown no adverse effects from using unleaded gas in old engines designed for it regardless of valve seats. If it makes you feel good just do it!

 

Are these NOM oct right ? not RON

the standard gas in Italy is 94 RON , premium 98 RON

-on my 79 350 300hp 9:1 CR full timing , the premium 98 makes run the car far better : torque seems higher, off idle acceleration is largely improved , the sound is more aggressive- high pitched, engine stays cooler

- same effects on my 69 427 L88R : 11.2 CR . premium 98oct RON +20% toluene : total about 102 RON . initial timing is 18 deg.
I have tried also 98 RON only , but much much better with 102, regardless of engine knocking: better acceleration, bright racing sound, less heat

the only problem I've found with my additive ( Toluene) is probably a certain dryness of cylinder walls. I opened my engine for head replacing and found the cylinder walls to dry and colored. I suspect the toluene... Octane boosters are toluene based

 

I am referring to the us octane ratings hope that answers your question.

 

i try to put sea-foam fuel additive in my car every month.

 

Gasoline octane ratings in North America are (RON+MON)/2. There's a 4-5 point difference in ratings between Europe and here, probably the basis for yet another myth that your gas is 'better' than ours.

 

Like I said, get the tune right and the proper carb jetting, no need to run any higher octane with the setup, your wasting your money.