Octane booster question

[StreakinOraNgeX]

I saw this particular octane boost that said it will raise octane rating from 5-7 numbers, not points. Is this true or do all octane boosters only raise it a little?

[jersey_emt]

The only 'real' octane boosters are xylene and tolulene.

[celdridge]

The only 'real' octane boosters are xylene and tolulene.


Isn't tolulene paint thinner ?

[EvilMSP]

What raised the octane in old leaded gasoline? I don't wanna just assume it was lead additives alone so i'm asking :)

[DSMConvert]

tulene is paint thinner basically.... leaded gas is actually the result of having higher octane, dont ahve the specifics off the top of my head, I'll have to find the article I have at home...

[EvilMSP]

Yeah all I remember is that the oil companies found that leasded gasoline was a cheap way to increase the octane by a good amount. Just not sure what exactly was in there.

[jersey_emt]

Isn't tolulene paint thinner ?

Yup, and there's already some in your gas tank

[celdridge]

Yup, and there's already some in your gas tank


ummm ... so thats why gas tastes sooo darn good .... mmmm mmmm ...
lol

[EvilMSP]

ummm ... so thats why gas tastes sooo darn good .... mmmm mmmm ...
lol
Eeehhhhhhhhhh..... (shrug)

[jus10 msp]

don't use octane boosts they will mess up the seals in the turbo.


thanks justin h.

[mspdfreak]

I had a '65 Impala SS w/a 409 that required 101 octane, which was premium leaded at the time. 400hp out of the factory, though. That thing would haul ass!

[wicked]

old timers would add things like lead,denatured alcohol,ethonal,moth balls,even urine,but the problem is you will contaminate your O2 sensors,and do harm to your fuel system,

[jonbig]

ocane booster is not all bad..i have some that takes it from 93-94

[daedalus]

wont leaded fuel like c16 kill your o2 sensor? I know it would on stock DSM sensors, does the same apply to the MSP?

[Rich24km]

it didn't kill mine

[Puckpimp71]

I've run a half tank of leaded 100 and half unleaded 93 a few times with no problem yet, but I'm guessing it'll take more than that to mess up the O2 sensors.

[goldstar]

What raised the octane in old leaded gasoline? I don't wanna just assume it was lead additives alone so i'm asking :)
The 'lead' in gasoline is tetraethyl lead, Pb(CH2CH3)4. When added to gasoline, particles of lead and lead oxide, PbO, are formed during combustion. This causes the gasoline to burn more slowly and smoothly preventing knock and raising the octane rating. 1,2-dibromoethane is also added to the gasoline to remove the lead from the cylinder by converting it to a vapor, PbBr2. This is how the lead gets released into the environment from leaded fuels.

Ethanol is often added to gasoline today to boost the octane rating without producing the harmful effects caused by lead being released into the environment.

[EvilMSP]

Thank you for the wonderful answer, and I totally forgot about ethanol. I forget what series it is (perhaps nascar) but the gasoline has such a high % of ethanol (or pure I forget) that it burns clear. I remember seeing a video of a pit crew guy running around flaying his arms and you could only see heat radiating from his body (he was on fire.)

[goldstar]

Yes, Indy cars ( including Indy Racing League) use straight methanol fuel instead of gasoline. Methanol (wood alcohol) is similar to Ethanol (grain alcohol, typically made from corn) but it is poisonous to drink. At least with ethanol, if you lose the race you can siphon off some fuel, get drunk and feel better about the loss. (Don't actually try this!)

Methanol is used for two reasons:
1. Being less explosive than gasoline it is safer to handle at the track.
2. Since it is a "cooler" burning fuel with a higher octane rating than gasoline, it permits the use of much higher compression ratios without detonation than are possible with gasoline.

Both Methanol and Ethanol have a lower BTU content than gasoline so alcohol-fueled cars require larger fuel tanks (sometimes twice as large) and have a much higher fuel consumption compared with an equivalent gasoline- powered car.

Alcohol can burn with an invisible, smokeless flame compared with gasoline as you pointed out.

02 DX Millenium Red

[StreakinOraNgeX]

Yes, Indy cars ( including Indy Racing League) use straight methanol fuel instead of gasoline. Methanol (wood alcohol) is similar to Ethanol (grain alcohol, typically made from corn) but it is poisonous to drink. At least with ethanol, if you lose the race you can siphon off some fuel, get drunk and feel better about the loss. (Don't actually try this!)

Methanol is used for two reasons:
1. Being less explosive than gasoline it is safer to handle at the track.
2. Since it is a "cooler" burning fuel with a higher octane rating than gasoline, it permits the use of much higher compression ratios without detonation than are possible with gasoline.

Both Methanol and Ethanol have a lower BTU content than gasoline so alcohol-fueled cars require larger fuel tanks (sometimes twice as large) and have a much higher fuel consumption compared with an equivalent gasoline- powered car.

Alcohol can burn with an invisible, smokeless flame compared with gasoline as you pointed out.

02 DX Millenium RedHow do you knoe so much about all this stuff.... I wish I had that knowledge.

[EvilMSP]

Yes another awsome answer. We'll he's either really into racing, works for a fuel company, or is a chemist is my bet. Either way thanks for the great info.

[wicked]

good info

[goldstar]

Thanks for the good words guys. Actually, I'm a technical writer with a background in mechanical engineering (although I'm not an engineer). I also have some small knowledge in the chemical and electrical engineering areas that I had to acquire in order to better carry out my job. I guess that makes me a jack of all trades, master of none.

02 DX Millenium Red