Premium fuel is not available in many areas here. Dos anyone know how much octane improver should be added per 10 gallons to get regular 87 octane up to an acceptable level for our cars? Or is this even practical?

 

I see you are from Georgia so it must hot there. LS1's can run on 87 octane, but I wouldn't drive it hard a lot in the heat. A couple of things I have found out about octane improvers.
The ones sold over the counter are primarily toulene which is more commonly known as paint thinner or xylene and some other ingredients. A quart of that will only raise you octance a few tenths of a point. Maybe from 87 to 87.3. You can get a 5 gallon can of toulene from a paint store, just make sure it is 100% toulene and add it to 13 gallons of of 87 and you should ahve around 91 octane.
I read an article on toulene a little while ago and it was very enlightening. Here is a link to it: Toulene
I think the best treatment you can do for your car though would be to add a quart or 2 of Torco to a full tank of gas. 1 quart of Torco added to 10 gallons of gas will raise 93 to 104. I don't know the ratio for 87 but I bet it will get you to at least 94 to 95. So it would stand to reason that 2 quarts to a full tank (19 gallons) would give similar results.
Try contacting jbsblownc5, a forum member, he is a dealer for Torco, a stand up guy, and he may be able to answer you questions regarding Torco better than I.

 

1 qt of Torco added to 10 gallons of 91 will increase it to approx. 96.5.

 

Where do you get torco?

 

Here is Joel's website.

I use Torco and highly recommend it

http://www.jbsblownc5.net/


DH

 

With regular 87 over $3 per, toulene sounds like a great idea for boosting it to 94.

 

Be advised, most octane boost fluids (other than the one mentioned above) contain lead, which will destroy your O2 sensors very quickly. So be careful and don't just go to the local auto parts store and pick up whatever is on the shelf. Read the label very closely looking for lead.

 

Torco is kind of expensive at $72 for 6 cans plus a $9.95 hazardous waste fee. There must be a less expensive way to get increased octane.

 

Richard Lassiter's "How to Mix Your Own Brew"
FORMULA 1
Toulene
R+M/2...114
Cost...$2.50/gal
Mixtures with 92 Octane Premium
10%...94.2 Octane
20%...96.4 Octane
30%...98.6 Octane
Notes: Common ingredient in Octane Boosters in a can. 12-16 ounces will only raise octane 2-3 *points*, I.e. from 92 to 92.3. Often costs $3-5 for 12-16 ounces, when it can be purchased for less than $3/gal at chemical supply houses or paint stores.
FORMULA 2
Xylene
R+M/2...117
Cost...$2.75/gal
Mixtures with 92 Octane Premium
10%...94.5 Octane
20%...97.0 Octane
30%...99.5 Octane
Notes: Similar to Toulene. 12-16 ounces will only raise octane 2-3 *points*, I.e. from 92 to 92.3. Usually mixed with Toulene and advertised as *race formula*.

FORMULA 3
Methyl-tertiary-butyl-ether (MTBE)
R+M/2...118
Cost...$3.50/gal
Mixtures with 92 Octane Premium
10%...94.6 Octane
20%...97.2 Octane
30%...99.8 Octane
Notes: Oxygenate. Very common in octane booster products. Has lower BTU content than toulene or xylene, but oxygenate effect makes the gasoline burn better and produce more energy.

FORMULA 4
Methanol or Ethanol
R+M/2...101
Cost...$0.60 - $1.75/gal
Mixtures with 92 Octane Premium
10%...94.3 Octane (Methanol)
10%...94.7 Octane (Ethanol)
20%...Not Recommended
Notes: Methanol is wood alcohol. Ethanol is grain alcohol and found in Gasohol in 10% ratios. Both alcohols are mildly corrosive and will eat gas tank linings, rubber and aluminum if used in excessive ratios. Main ingredient in "Gas Dryers", combines with water.

FORMULA 5
Isopropyl Alcohol and Tertiary Butyl Alcohol
R+M/2...101
Cost...$0.60-$1.50/gal
Mixtures with 92 Octane Premium
10%...94.5 Octane
20%...Not Recommended
30%...Not Recommended
Notes: Similar to Methanol/Ethanol. Isopropyl Alcohol is simply rubbing alcohol.


MAKE YOUR OWN OCTANE BOOST
How to make your own octane booster (this is the basic formula of one of the popular octane booster products). To make eight 16 ounce bottles (128 oz = 1 gal):

100 oz of toulene for octane boost
25 oz of mineral spirits (cleaning agent)
3 oz of transmission fluid (lubricating agent)

This product is advertised as "octane booster with cleaning agent *and* lubricating agent!". Diesel fuel or kerosene can be substituted for mineral spirits and light turbine oil can be substituted for transmission fluid. Color can be added with petroleum dyes.


Disclaimer: this intellectual property is offered to GN/TType owners at no charge. Use it at your own risk. The GN/TType Organization is is not responsible for any damage or problems associated with use of this information. This information is for use by GN/TType owners on their own personal vehicles and may not be used for profit.



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Actually since this recipe was post several years ago Toulene has been harder to find for the average consumer and has also gone way up in price if you can find it.. $14-$18 a gallon at a paint store. Home Depot does not have it or won't sell it to you. Xylene is about $10 a gallon.

 

Is everyone sure this Toulene stuff won't harm our engines?

 

Actually, I get it for much less, and if you add a can @$10 to a tank of 87@$3pg * 18 = $64 for 91 octane. 91 Octane @$3.30 for comes to $59.40. So even obtaining it at the price I get it for you would be saving money by NOT using Torco. However, this is not what Torco is designed for. It's designed for guys who want to track the car. On the can it says One quart added to 10 gallons of 93 octane minimum will net 104 octane. And one can added to 20 gallons of 93 octane will net 97 octane. Just right for a no knock street fuel.
The reason I told Barry Hanna about Torco was because he stated he couldn't get premium gas where he was, so I offered to alternatives. One was toulene, the other Torco. If you can't get premium and wanted that level of octane you have no choice but to add boosters to your fuel. And the 'over the counter' offereings are pretty much snake oil.
Oh btw, toulene won't harm your engine. It's in the gas you pump into it. Check out the link to the article I posted in my response above. It's pretty informative.

 

It would be highly unlikely that it would contain lead as TEL is quite toxic and would not be allowed for retail sale.

 

Toluene is one of the things that the refineries add to boost Octane.

 

Some good info

 

Original post

http://www.gnttype.org/techarea/misc/octanebooster.html