Here in California we can only get 91 octane. It is more of a problem during the summer when the temperatures are in the high 90's and often well into the 100's. Anyone know of an off the shelf booster that works well without causing problems?

E.T. Can you shed some light on this?

 

This one I can answer. Torco Accelerator works great. It's not super common but a decent number of speed shops stock the stuff.

 

Wow! Is that really true? How can they advertise 93 octane if it is really 91? That is all that is available to me, other than race gas. Might have to start blending

 

Sorry for the cynicism. You see in 13 years here on this forum, it has been my gift to give back to the community that supported my career over the last 40 years.
IN my 13 years here on this forum since retiring from GM, I've rarely started a thread. I've spent most of my time here trying to help people here in open forum with 14,000 plus posts and most importantly in private message with over 20,000 post. With over 30,000 help post under my belt, many of the questions Ive answered over and over and posted hundreds of times to thousands of members, I've never been cynical to anyone asking for help or turned my back.. my only cynicism is that people with no clue about automotive technology seem to think they know better than the guys who design these cars. Their attempts to undermine real answer to real concerns, only confuse those who come here for help. So if the recommended fuel is high octane, then what part of recommended don't you get. If low octane fuel was ok then it would be recommended. Its recommended that you brush your teeth after every meal.. but you don't have too.. but if all your teeth fall out when you are 40, then the point here is not literal. the point is the recommendation is the right choice not a loop hole that an IDIOT can use to further their cheap and uneducated mind can conjure up.. there is a right way and a wrong way to do most things. Car care is something that can cost you now or cost you later. I know people who never change their oil they keep it 3 years, put 30,000 miles on it and trade it in. That is the reason some cars have nothing but problems for the second owner, and the converse is that some members of this forum have 400K + on their C5 and have never had anything internal done to their motor, they use the correct oil, and use the OLM. That's why guys like me have 100,000 miles on their car and it is a strong and visually appealing as it was 16 years ago, and other peoples cars are trashed in the same time. I've seen some awfully pathetic cars that are as old as mine. At 100,000 miles my car is hardly a garage queen, I take it anywhere and park it anywhere but I park smart. Parking smart does not mean taking up two spots either. that's parking dumb. Yet people brag about doing that. So my point here is that not everyone has the same level of intelligence when it comes to their choices in car care or maintenance.. personally I would heed the advice of a Corvette design Engineer who was privy to all the testing that was done and the results of test to fail, procedures.

 

there was a booster suggestion offered.

Also based on your driving habits, you may have a build up of carbon. you could benefit by a top engine cleaner a variant of Seafoam which I think it not legal in Ca. This could lower your compression back to stock. Even a clean motor can reduce combustion temperature.

 

I do appreciate your education and help here. And I do take the advice of those smarter than me. There is a difference between recommended and required though. Maybe engineers should have worded differently to understand better. But that would be yet another entire chapter in the owners manual for sure.

I will take your advice. I know better anyway.

 

What are some educated thoughts about using Ethanol Free Gas.It is expensive,It runs around $5.00 a gallon give or take a bit.There are thousands of stations that sell it in the US and Canada.We have 194 here in Oregon.For those of you that want know, or are just curious you can Google PURE-GAS.ORG then just select your state to find the information.In Oregon the octane ratings vary between 87 and 110.
Fred

 

I agree with E-T and I seek out 91 octane, 100% dino gas locally. I've never been able to understand why someone will spend thousands of dollars on a "high performance" car like a Corvette and try to save a few pennies on cheap gas. I know a couple of guys who fit that description and they can't explain the logic behind their decision, but they keep doing it. Go figure

OBD

 

Lower octane means knock sensors telling the computer to start pulling timing (in simplified terms). If nothing else about that strikes you as a consideration then at least think of the reduced performance.

 

I think it's much better.

 

What about using lower octane gasoline in a high octane engine?

In this situation, you will see negative effects that could be even worse. Using low octane fuel in a high octane engine will result in severely reduced performance because the engine will attempt to adjust to the lower octane gasoline. In extreme cases, or with prolonged use of low octane gasoline in these engines, pinging or pre-detonation can occur and can eventually destroy your engine. Pre-detonation causes very hot conditions in your engine and can melt sparkplug and pistons.

 

I only have one question. What's a ganglia?

 

there is this thing called the internet... you can use it to access interesting items like who has the biggest, who has the fastest, who has the most expensive , etc. you can actually type things into something called a search field.. this will then post line items ( hits ) who's URL ( universal resource locator will take you to the answer you seek. I've already read through the whole internet once and I'm now re reading it to pick up any knowledge I missed.

noun, plural gan·gli·a [gang-glee-uh] Show IPA , gan·gli·ons.
1.
Anatomy .
a.
a mass of nerve tissue existing outside the central nervous system.

b.
any of certain masses of gray matter in the brain, as the basal ganglia.

2.
Pathology . a cyst or enlargement in connection with the sheath of a tendon, usually at the wrist.

3.
a center of intellectual or industrial force, activity, etc.


I hope this is helpful in further queries
Bill aka ET

 

Too bad GM engineers never thought to take alcohol blend into an account when designing their engines. Here in SoCal the best we can get is 91 octane alcohol added fuels. At $4.20 average per gallon it is not cheep either. So according to OP and some consensus I'm either an idiot to pour this garbage into my tank or just a plain idiot to keep a car that was designed for ancient fuel no longer available in the world I live in. Or maybe I have been lied to when I read in the manual that lower octane fuel is OK to use in my vehicle and won't harm anything. But then GM would never lie to their customers. Bill, I don't doubt for a second what you posted is true, factual and meant with nothing but best intention. I thank you for that. But the reality of what you said also predicts early demise of my fun car due to things I can't controll and that just plain
$uck$

 

Thanks Bill. I (many of us) always appreciate your insight, and understanding of these things Corvette.

Some (like the horse led to water), will not drink, no matter the sweet water offered. However, (raised as a farm boy, riding and racing quarterhorses since I was 4 years old), I don't remember ever encountering a horse, without the good sense, to drink...

Don

 

I have a Quick Trip in town that has non-oxy 91 premium at all of their pumps. I know I will have to use ethanol blend on a trip, but it is great to have this source for most of my fill ups. Change oil once a year with mobile 1 as a good year of driving is only 3-5 thousand a year.

 

I do... Then again I put 91 Ethanol Free gas in the ol' Briggs and Stratton

 

The problem is that states I said "States" regulations control environmental issue within each state, I am fully empathetic. I loved the quality and the longevity found in beta max tapes back in the 70's. FYI beta tapes can last 15 to 20 years, before they loose their magnetic integrity. VHS tapes are good for about ten years. This is why News agencies all over the world were using Beta long after they stopped using them for consumer use. This is a well know fact in the transfer media world. When I retired from GM , one of my projects was to transfer my 40 beta tapes of my children growing up onto DVD's it took me four months to complete that job because once I started to watch them, I could not run them and high speed transfer. Also I was able to edit and copy each one and then quickly make 3 copies, one for each of my kids and one for myself. good things come and go based on things we have no control over. As residents of any state, its in your hands to change the laws, not some guy working at a work station 2,000 miles away who is trying to design an oil life monitoring scheme that would insure a 200,000 mile engine design would be properly lubricated.
Its easy to put the blame on the seats or the radio, or the cheap plastic, or most of the 6,000 parts we design or overviewed their production from second and third tier suppliers from all over the world, and then all arrive at BG and all fit together and continue the line of American sport car icons, that we all enjoy today.
I have no concern over the loss of any compatible fuel. this simple answer is to have engines tuned for reduced power that will keep the engine in a safe condition, of course this will cost you in performance. You can have a set of after market head made that produce 8:1 compression. There are things that you can do. The solution to your problem would only cause more problems for the greater majority.. If I needed to buy an Alcohol blended fuel right now I would not know where to find it. So you see your solution would require much more overall legislation for a Car that works as design in 98 % of the places it is sold. For those of us who follow the guidelines of the original design, we can keep our car for an easy 300,000 to 400,000 miles as has been documented here. Last time I looked at the mileage registry for a C5 .. here on the forum there was at least a dozen people who have over 400K, there are hundreds registered who come to this forum with 300K +which is a small sampling of the 1/4 million C5 that were built.
I can feel your pain. but your pain is not a gripe felt by the majority of owners, about their C5.

 

http://pure-gas.org/index.jsp

 

Lol, not a gripe but a quick desperate rant brought on by pure jealousy on my part of the 98% other more fortunate ones. I'm better now

On a similar note for the less fortunate 2% of us who due to the wisdom of our elected constitutes are forced to consume alcohol on daily basis (punt intended) is there a additive product that will not harm our cats and neutralize the ethanol affect in gas we are forced to use. I have used StarBrite additive in my high performance boat engines with great success to subdue alcohol related problems but they have no cats. The only Torco additive available here clearly states not for use on engines equipped with catalytic converters. I personally witnessed the difference high octane alcohol free fuel had on my car during some cross country rallys I did in the past. Aside of averaging 3 more miles per gallon the car felt smoother and stronger. I would not mind spending more or even blending my fuel to get that level of performance back.