E55 RUSS

What do you guys think about Octaine Boosters ???

I have tried NOS octaine booster...I not sure and cant really say if it helped ME run better at the track...or made my beast to perform better...

Anyone uses them for 1/4 racing ???

Do they help to make more POWER bringing octaine number 1-6 numbers higher (deoends on the booster)...


Let know what you know...

Thanks

JAYCL600

the only one I know if is Torco Accelerator that is clamied to work, i use their race gas with excellent results, I just havent purchased this yet but ordering some this week.

Fast55

Doesn't matter if it's higher octane fuel or a booster, it won't do anything for the car if it isn't tuned to use it. IF your car isn't pulling timing now, higher octane will slow you down. Higher octane just means the fuel burns slower (more resistance to detonation). This has been beat to death. Considering what you have into the car and the state of tune, you probably will get no benefit from increased octane unless you re-map the ECU. The bad thing is that let's say, you do extensive testing and find out that about 100 octane is the most the car will handle without driveability and/or starting problems no matter what you do with the ECU, boost, and/or injector sizes. You consistently run 100 octane and have now gained another 15-20 RWHP. The first time you get stuck with some pump gas at say, 94 octane, your car is going to be very upset. Octane boosters do more for the people selling them than anyone else.

ItalianStallion

I've used the NOS Octane Race Booster (the black bottle) in my CLK500 and I could have sworn that it works...my ECU is set for 93 octane. I used to put it in with 93 Octane.
On the bottle I think it said in bold letters and bright colors that it contained "Nitro-methane," not sure if that means anything.

Some people have installed a switch where they can change their ECU tune from normal octane gas to race fuel. Might not be a bad thing to ask your tuner about.

chiromikey

read the fine print. when they claim they raise octane by "x points", their definition of "points" is NOT the same as the octane rating of the fuel. in reality boosters only raises fuel octane by about 1/2 of 1 point.

VERY dishonest/misleading or great marketing...you make the call.

ChicagoX

chiromikey is right.

Their "points" are one-tenth of an octane point.

If they claim 3-5 points, expect to go from 91 to 91.3/91.5

I wonder how many freshly-turboed ricers have grenaded their motors thinking they were running the equivalent of c16.......

Fast55

Or how many others are suckered into thinking this actually increases performance. Unless of course, once again folks, the car actually needs and is tuned for increased octane. PT Barnum would be proud.

E55 RUSS

Ok...this is jsut what I thought...my car is tuned for 98 EURO fuel...I run mainly 98 Ultimte which rates from 98-99.8 octaine numbers...so booster wont change anything...

ChicagoX

98 Euro is equal to about 93 Octane in USA, FWIW.

L8Apex

Octane Boosters are a total waste of money in any car.

You are much better off using race gas or toluene mixed with pump (if your car is tuned for it).

medici78

The NOS Racing octane booster in the black bottle was proven to work in an article I had read. Unlike others who raise by "points" it was purported to raise octane by much higher degrees.

Vadim @ FD

Misha:

NOS Racing Octane Booster is worth about 2 points (R+M/2). I have used in the past and it did work.

E55 RUSS

Privet Vadim...

But will it work on my car ??? I thought ECU need to be adjusted to make more power...

P.S. Sorry for not calling you been very busy last week...so as I have some good news I call you immediately...

Vadim @ FD

Misha, the octane booster is more like an insurance in case of any detonation rearing it's head and also in case of bad gas.

Call me when you can.

Thanks.

E55 RUSS

Thanks Vadim...

Now BP Ultimate pertol here are Euro 4 quality...so there is not point to use one for 1/4 right ???

Finnish C32

there was a gasoline test in some magazine, and Shell V-power (98 in eu) gave more power than BP Ultimate

E55 RUSS

So you should use it ...

We dont have Shell here on in St.Peterburg...In Moscow only BP...

MVD

Correct

Not correct. Higher octane means it's less prone to auto-ignition. In other words, the fuel is less likely to auto-ignite when it's injected into the cylinder and mixed with the hot air. Heat is the key as all fluids (think of air as a 'fluid') heat up when compressed. The key is to get the maximum compression ratio with-out causing the fuel to ignite before the spark fires.

There's no measurable slowing of the burn rate (ie, flame front).

In CA, premium gaso is 91 octane and yet the cars are tuned for 93. In this case, octane boosters (or race gasoline) will help get the full potential from your engine.

- A chemical engineer in CA -

RoydRage

Bravo,

You are absolutely correct. To Put it more simply... Higher 0ctane raises the temperature at which the fuel burns.

If you don't need the anti detonation factor you will lose power with high octane fuel... With regular you get faster more complete burning. I remember learning this lesson while a youngster drag racing my old Kawasaki 750 H2 Two stroke, It actually ran a tenth and a half faster on Regular!!!

Best,

RoydRage

E55 RUSS

We have diff opinions here

tigerlam92

Skip the octane booster. If anything, the one that I use a great deal and works well is the Redline SL1 injector cleaner. Techron is not too bad. Octane booster is a waste of money unless you want to increase octane by 0.2 to 0.3.

What I would do for added octane and I have used before is:


Toulene
R+M/2...114
Cost...$4.50/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 $5/gal at chemical supply houses or paint stores.

Fast55

A better way to describe it. Pre-ignition is indeed "auto ignition". In other words, a source other than the desired ignition source (your spark plug), prematurely starts the burn cycle. It can be a spec of carbon on the face of a piston, or just an overheated mixtures that "detonates" as it is compressed. Octane is not the only factor that affects the speed of the burn (deflagration), but it does affect it. People usually believe that higher octane fuel is "more powerful" than lower octane fuel although it does not "explode" as readily as lower octane fuel. It is possible to have both higher octane (resistance to detonation) AND more energy at the same time, although that is even harder for people to understand. In Ca. you might see a gain depending on the setting in the ECU if you were to use only 93+ octane, but I doubt Russ would get anything from a booster or better fuel if his tuner has done a good job. Thanks for the clarification. And yes, Toluene is very commonly used as the "active ingredient" in commercial boosters, although as pointed out, at a very premium price.

Richard Galing

I've used Torco which is a race fuel concentrate for the past two years, with some datalog using HP Tuners I find it to work real well keeping the PCM at high-octane table on my Vette. I'm currently testing-out Octanium, seems to be just as good as Torco thus far.

For OTC stuff, I like the Lucas brand octane booster.