I recently found a gas station that has 110, is it safe to use in a stock engine?

 

You do not need 110 octane with a stock 'vette. My guess is that it will slow you down. 93 Amoco is all I've used, maybe there is a better burning gas?

 

I usually add about 1 gallon to my full tank of 93 about every oil change to clean everything out. I would not fill up with 110 though. The gallon of 110 is equal to about 10 of those bottles octane booster. And I get a gallon for about 3.99 compared to $5.00+ for the other crap.

 

Not if it's leaded; the tetraethyl lead will trash your catalytic converters and your O2 sensors.

Otherwise, if it's bona fide highway fuel, than it should be okay, although pointless on a stock motor.

 

Only if it's unleaded and then mix it with 91 if that's all you have. I buy some unleaded 101 from a local Mobil because all we have here is 91. I only do it if I'm going to the track and then only enough to get it to around 93 to 95 octane. I run my tank down to around 3 gallons, then if I add another 2 gallons of 101, it averages out to 95.

 

not if it's leaded,


It will damage the cats

 

Best solution is to go to a local municipal airport and buy AVGAS (aviation gas)

Extremely pure and high octane. Wonderful stuff. As long as you buy the unleaded.

 

I use 4 gallons of 100 octane no lead and 12 gallons of 91 octane at each 16 gallon fill up. Works out to 93 octane, and produces the best performance. Anything over 93 octane theoretically can actually slow you down. Although probably its very minimal.

 

This may be true of any readily available unleaded (I really dont know) but it is not true of leaded race fuels. You can buy fuels of the same octane with almost any flame travel speed. The fastest readily avalable fuel is the AMA Superbike Fuel but it was around $36 a gal last I checked.

There is alot more to selecting the proper race fuel than just octane.

Gene

 

It may be important to some that I mention that more octane, if not needed, lowers HP since it slows down the burn rate of the combustion. If you increase octane where it isnt needed you will have less HP. That is not to say that there are FI guys over 700rwhp that will tell you running 97 will gain 30rwhp....but that isnt you with a stock car. The car has knock protection that functions perfectly and adding octane isnt doing anything for you since the car pulls timing if you do knock.

Run 93 with a good tuune and leave the high octane stuff for the guys that need it.

 

My point was that "the burn rate" is what you have to watch, the octane rating itself has no effect on horsepower. You can buy fuels with both a high octane rating and fast burn rates. A fuel which requires a high intial pressure/temperature for ignition can also have a fast flame travel speed. The two are not mutually exclusive.

However most of the cheap race fuels available at local tracks and speed shops does tend to have slow flame travel speeds.

Gene

 

Last year we tested my H/C Z06 with 93, 112, and aviation fuel on a dyno. there was no difference in power period, none. On a hot day it may ping less, but don't expect any miracles, save your cash for go fast parts.

 

Dosn't the car have to be tuned for 100 or 110 race fuel for it to work properly??

 

I do the same thing - probably get the gas at the same station.

 

It was a Mobil, now it's called something else, but I think it's still a Mobil. It's located on Chandler Blvd about a mile and half West of I10.

We'll have to get together at Firebird next time it cools off (in 4 months!).

 

Couldn't you bump the compression up to get some free HP on that 110 octane? What are they charging at the pump?

 

It wouldn't be free to do that, as you'd need different heads (or milled?) or pistons. Then add in the price of a serious tune....

 

Well, the octane is just one side of the story with fuel that determins the rate the fuel and stand up agaist pre detenation, you also have to consider other characteristics such as Gravity, Burn rate, Additeves and % that is Oxygenated and Energy Value. For Instence 93 Octane may with 10% ethonal provides less energy value then 93 Octane with MTBE.

With that said if you buy the run of the meal 100+ octane the chances are that you will not see much diffrence. However if you get premium race fuel like VP MS103 or 109 then you will see a very noticable diffrence with trottle response and power. And when I spay my 150 shot the diffrence is unbelievable.

With this type of fuel you have to keep it sealed and out of sunlight as losses its potenciy if not and if left in your tank to long.

A reason why so may people do not feel a diffrence when running high octane race fuel is because it is often not high quility, mixed with pump gas and it looses alot of the characteristis of good fuel, has not been stored properly, and the PCM is programmed for 93 .

I love my VP MS109 and its going to be hard to go to pump gas. If you are unhappy with this new junk gas they are selling now with ethonal then they some VP MS103 or MS109 that is properly cared for and after your tank is dryed up emty. I never noticed a diffrence running the 100+ stuff at race tracks before but like some told me, if you mix this good stuff with anything eles its like mixing nice stong whiskey with water.

 

I'd be very careful about using AVGAS (it could actually decrease perfomance). I was told by a racing fuel expert that AVGAS is very different than automotive gasoline and is designed for engines which turn over a maximum of around 2,800 rpm - among other differences. In other words octane isn't everything!

I'm no expert on this, and the information I was given could be wrong but I'd sure check with a real expert before using or blending very much of it. I think its illegal as well, as there is no "road tax" charged for it - not that I'd worry much about the that.

If you do check, please let us know what you find out.

Just a suggestion!

 

I have never heard anyone who sells race gas speak highly of AV gas. I have used it for years in high output engines in my boat with excellent sucess. It was a 9.3:1 509ci BBC with a 3.3l whipple turning 8.25lbs boost. Dustin whipple uses it exclusively in his personal boat that has twin BB quad rotor whippled hemi's that make a mild 1200hp each.

The thing about av gas is the FAA regulates the fuel for clarity, composition and a minimum of octane rating of 100, so that any plane running it can purchase the fuel anywhere without risk of failure do to fuel composition.