vdimemmo

Can these products hurt the engine?

I just added a chip tuner that requires a minimim rating of 93. Although this octane rating is readily available at most gas stations, I've been thinking of adding a booster such as 104+ to kick up the rating a few points. The product says it won't hurt the oxygen sensors, etc.

Looking for some expert advice.

thanks

Dual 5Ls

The octane booster won't hurt your engine. It only becomes unsafe when you start getting into large mixtures of it in your tank. The chips that want 93 octane, should really run on higher than that. A lot of gas out there, Arco for a good example, is really bad and contains water. You may be putting in a "92 octane" but its going to ping like crazy because its crappy gas. Use Chevron, Texaco, or 76. I've had good luck with Citgo and Mobil if theres one in your area. That 104+ stuff won't give you 104 octane. It ups the "points" of your octane rating, which is in tenths. So, if it says it ups the octane by 7 points in one tank, you go from 92 octane to 92.7 octane. Woopee! The good stuff to get is made by Eagle. They make great treatment formulas and they have some gasoline additive that makes your gas more efficient by promoting a more complete combustion, and also cleans out your car. It removes carbon deposits, increases engine life, and ups fuel economy. They claim a 10% increase in fuel economy, and 40% more engine life. 3oz in a 20 gallon tank will raise the octane by a full point, so one treatment and you're good to go. A 16oz bottle is $22 from the maker Eagle , and thats about $5.50 per use if you used 4oz per tank. I've used Eagle's stuff and it really is quality stuff, they know what they're doing! Wow, I feel like the company mouth-piece, I'm going to shut up now....

Lynn

So, what you are saying is that 3oz will raise 92 to 92.1. Not much gain for the five bucks.

speedybenz

Here is an article on Octane Booster performance.

http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/72498/


Jeff

SL500 AMG

To Vidememmo,

How is that power chip working out for you, and How much did it cust you, I've been looking for chips but haven't really found anyone that has done it really... So any input will be Greatly appreciated. Thanks...
V.

vdimemmo

I pruchased the PowerChip Gold 93. On my car it claims to add 21 HP and 23 ft-lbs of torque.

On the E500, this is an ECU reprogramming. Basically, you remove the ECU, ship to them, they reprogram the ECU and ship it back to you the same day they receive it. The ECU removal and installation is a snap and takes only 5-10 minutes.

I paid approximatley $860 including shipping charges. Talk to Joel over at Powerchipgroup.com. He was very helpful and covers MB cars.

I have to say the car peforms noticably better; particulary off the line. Manual shifting the 5-speed automatic is a pleasure as this car really feels like its getting to 100 mph much faster. Unfortunately, I have not clocked this so its more of a 'seat of my pants' claim. My buddy with his modified 540 says I'm pulling away from him a lot more than in the past.

What I really like is that the shape of the power and torque curves feel the same, just more there. One of the nice things about the stock programming was its linearity over a wide RPM range. This has not been modified.

Its worth a try. I believe they offer a money back satisfaction warranty.

SL500 AMG

Thank You, I appreciate the info... I will give it a shot one of these days for sure... and post some pics or send us a link, to check out your car.... V.

Ken D

If you really need to boost your octane, what you need is to pick up a gallon or two of Toulene or Xylene from your local hardware store. When mixed with gasolene (as a ratio) you can increase your octane to the 'required' 93. Here is an excellent link:
Octane Boosters

Here is another popular link to a 'white paper' written by Eliot Lim. A bit more in-depth discussion.

F1 Rocket Fuel

I would research and determine if this is a road you wish to take.

Good luck!

Chappy

They sell 100 octane gas at the station up the street from me, but is is really $$$

SL500 AMG

exactly Unocal 76 Gas stations Sell 100 octane, so you can just put couple of gallons of 100 and the rest 91-93, well in Cali. highest is 91 now. which sucks... but good for the environment or what ever... V.

dtkw

We get 93 in most places here. Not sure I need any more than that.

OutOfAfrica

Just for intrest sake.
Toluene has a ron of 114 so
1 gallon Toluene plus 1 gal 93 = 2 gal 103.5 octane
1 gal Tol plus 9 gal 93 = 10 gal 95.1 octane
Xylene has a ron of 117 so
1 gallon Xylene plus 1 gal 93 = 2 gal 105 ron or standard racing fuel.

You can up to 10% toluene in your tank and all should be safe. I ran 15/1 95/toluene mix in my SLK 1998 for 4 years without any problems. With the kleemann pulley I found it performed a lot better with the higher octane. The chaps at Subaru run with 15% toluene mixed with 95 ron.

My PowerChip when it arrives needs ron 98 so my mixes will be 31 to 2 with 97 to get 98
Can also get my hands on 105 racing fuel thats a 7 to 3 mix.

PS Toluene cost about 60 US cents in South Africa, just a bit more expensive than 95 octane.

E55AMG99

Personaly, I've never dumped straight Toluen in my tank but I've seen some people try to run as much as 20% on the track. Some say their results are no better than 10%. I wonder if higher concentrations may cause some startability/drivability problems? Do you think the computer would know somehting was amiss with the higher density fuel?

The biggest problem I have with Toluene (or any volitile/explosive/flamable) is in material handling safety. Gasoline is dispensed nicely from the pumps at your local station where the vapors are captured, the nozzles are grounded and people are generally aware of the consequences. This stuff is just as dangerous as gasoline but I can't tell you how many times I see guys pulling a one gallon can out of their trunk and dumping into their tank before running at the track. Scares the krap out of me! The problem is worse at the PWC races. These guys are dumpig and mixing on the beach or when the boat is in the water.