Octan Booster
rolleyes.gif not GSX's
05-03-2005, 05:20 PM
#12
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Does anyone have good experiences with octane boosters? I'm thinking of using a few gallons of toluene with the turbo, particularly with the price of gas these days and because toluene isn't subject to fuel tax.
05-03-2005, 05:31 PM
#13
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Vehicle: 2001 Hyundai Tiburon
Not just GSX's... the K20A in the 95-99 RS and GS did this as well. Just as guess as the K20A and the Beta are fairly similar in design, I don't know how the Tib's ECU compares to a K20A's ECU, there really hasn't been much ECU work done to these cars. 
I've never really used octane booster, so I don't know which brands work/don't work. I've always just mixed 110 octane with pump gas if the gas I got was causing problems with detonation. 110 is only like $4.00 a gallon here, I'm sure thats cheaper than buying a gallon of octane booster.
I've never really used octane booster, so I don't know which brands work/don't work. I've always just mixed 110 octane with pump gas if the gas I got was causing problems with detonation. 110 is only like $4.00 a gallon here, I'm sure thats cheaper than buying a gallon of octane booster.
05-03-2005, 06:57 PM
#14
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Ironicaly i was looking at buying one of those cute little cans of Nos Octane Booster, theres two diferant compounds, street performance and Race performance or such. Im thinking of using half the bottle once, and then like putting it hanging in my passenger side pillar. Maybe use the other half when i go Auto-X.
05-03-2005, 07:10 PM
#15
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Vehicle: 2004 Acura TL
Kit, this does not increase your horsepower, all this does is make your car less likely to detonate.(ie. Go KAboom!!) It might have an effect on cars that use the knock sensor heavily to correct A/F ratios but on a stock tiburon, octane booster is useless. If your F/I or running Nitrous, then a higher octane might be useful.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Kit-Fox @ May 3 2005, 08:57 PM)</div><div class='quotemain'>Im thinking of using half the bottle once, and then like putting it hanging in my passenger side pillar. Maybe use the other half when i go Auto-X.
<div align='right'><{POST_SNAPBACK}></div></div>
<span style="color:red"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:100%">PLEASE DON'T DO THIS!!!</span></span>
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Kit-Fox @ May 3 2005, 08:57 PM)</div><div class='quotemain'>Im thinking of using half the bottle once, and then like putting it hanging in my passenger side pillar. Maybe use the other half when i go Auto-X.
<div align='right'><{POST_SNAPBACK}></div></div>
<span style="color:red"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:100%">PLEASE DON'T DO THIS!!!</span></span>
05-03-2005, 07:16 PM
#16
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Vehicle: 2001 Hyundai Tiburon
I know the Tiburon knocks back timing when it senses detonation... I think there is a semi-decent chance that it advances timing as well. The main reason manufacturers would do this is to increase low-end drivability, which is a major factor in car reviews and when people buy a car. I don't know if Hyundai does this though... however I know Mitsubishi does it on most of their cars and Mazda as well.
Maybe more all-knowing Hyundai gurus can give me some insight into the inner workings of the ECU (Grandaddy of the H? wink1.gif )
Maybe more all-knowing Hyundai gurus can give me some insight into the inner workings of the ECU (Grandaddy of the H? wink1.gif )
05-03-2005, 07:31 PM
#17
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Octane actually has two definitions.
One is chemical: Octane is a flammable hydrocarbon liquid that along with other hydrocarbons – pentane, hexane, heptane, and many others – is refined from crude oil and make up the blend of
chemical components called gasoline.
A second definition: Octane is a measure of a fuel’s tendency to knock or ping when it is mixed with air and burned in the cylinder of an engine. This octane rating is not based on the amount of chemical octane in the gasoline. The rating is called octane because the gasoline’s ability to prevent engine knock has been rated against the performance of pure hydrocarbon octane, which has a rating of 100. Gasoline, which is made from a blend of many other hydrocarbons, may have a higher or lower rating, depending on how its anti-knock performance compares to the performance of pure hydrocarbon octane.
Octane Facts
• Knock occurs when cylinder pressures are high. It is normal for an engine to ping a little at full throttle because cylinder pressures are very high at full throttle. Engine knock, however, should not be ignored since it can result in serious damage to the engine.
• High octane gasoline burns slower than low octane gasoline. The slow burn prevents engine knock when cylinder pressures are high.
• If your engine runs well and does not knock or ping on low octane gasoline, there is no advantage in switching to higher octane gasoline.
• If your engine knocks or pings, it does not necessarily mean something is wrong with the gasoline. It could be a problem with the engine’s electronic control systems, ignition timing or exhaust gas recirculation. On a high mileage engine, a carbon build-up in the cylinders can increase cylinder pressures and cause knock.
• Almost all of today’s new cars have fuel-injected engines that need to use gasoline with a detergent additive. They do not necessarily need high octane gasoline with a detergent additive. Generally, new automobiles need high octane gasoline only if the manufacturer recommends it.
• Always follow the auto manufacturer’s octane recommendations in your owner’s manual.
Octane Myths
• High octane gasoline improves mileage. In general, if your car is designed to run on 87 octane gasoline, high octane gasoline will not improve mileage. If switching to high octane gasoline does improve mileage, you might find that your engine, or its control systems, need repair.
• High octane gasoline gives quicker starting. No, it doesn’t.
• High octane gasoline increases power. If your car is designed to run on 87 octane gasoline, you shouldn’t notice any more power on high octane gasoline. Again, if it does make a noticeable difference, your engine, or the engine’s electronic control systems, may need repair.
• High octane gasoline has been refined more – it is just a better product.
Additional refining steps are used to increase the octane; however, these additional steps do not necessarily make the gasoline a “better” product for all engines. They just yield a different blend of hydrocarbons that burn more slowly. The additional steps also increase the price.
One is chemical: Octane is a flammable hydrocarbon liquid that along with other hydrocarbons – pentane, hexane, heptane, and many others – is refined from crude oil and make up the blend of
chemical components called gasoline.
A second definition: Octane is a measure of a fuel’s tendency to knock or ping when it is mixed with air and burned in the cylinder of an engine. This octane rating is not based on the amount of chemical octane in the gasoline. The rating is called octane because the gasoline’s ability to prevent engine knock has been rated against the performance of pure hydrocarbon octane, which has a rating of 100. Gasoline, which is made from a blend of many other hydrocarbons, may have a higher or lower rating, depending on how its anti-knock performance compares to the performance of pure hydrocarbon octane.
Octane Facts
• Knock occurs when cylinder pressures are high. It is normal for an engine to ping a little at full throttle because cylinder pressures are very high at full throttle. Engine knock, however, should not be ignored since it can result in serious damage to the engine.
• High octane gasoline burns slower than low octane gasoline. The slow burn prevents engine knock when cylinder pressures are high.
• If your engine runs well and does not knock or ping on low octane gasoline, there is no advantage in switching to higher octane gasoline.
• If your engine knocks or pings, it does not necessarily mean something is wrong with the gasoline. It could be a problem with the engine’s electronic control systems, ignition timing or exhaust gas recirculation. On a high mileage engine, a carbon build-up in the cylinders can increase cylinder pressures and cause knock.
• Almost all of today’s new cars have fuel-injected engines that need to use gasoline with a detergent additive. They do not necessarily need high octane gasoline with a detergent additive. Generally, new automobiles need high octane gasoline only if the manufacturer recommends it.
• Always follow the auto manufacturer’s octane recommendations in your owner’s manual.
Octane Myths
• High octane gasoline improves mileage. In general, if your car is designed to run on 87 octane gasoline, high octane gasoline will not improve mileage. If switching to high octane gasoline does improve mileage, you might find that your engine, or its control systems, need repair.
• High octane gasoline gives quicker starting. No, it doesn’t.
• High octane gasoline increases power. If your car is designed to run on 87 octane gasoline, you shouldn’t notice any more power on high octane gasoline. Again, if it does make a noticeable difference, your engine, or the engine’s electronic control systems, may need repair.
• High octane gasoline has been refined more – it is just a better product.
Additional refining steps are used to increase the octane; however, these additional steps do not necessarily make the gasoline a “better” product for all engines. They just yield a different blend of hydrocarbons that burn more slowly. The additional steps also increase the price.
05-03-2005, 07:33 PM
#18
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Hi, I agree octane booster will not give you mopre power, but it's related to what you have on your gas tank too (at least in my case I can tell; but my Tib is Southamerican spec with open loop ECU, does not correct fuel ratios for emissions, so it's probably different than yours USA Tibs).
lets say you add 87oct to your tank and add octane booster resulting on an equivalent 90 cotane tank, it should help because ECU would advance timing and you could get better performance.
Here we have four octane ranges: 84 - 90 - 95 - 97 octane gasoline.
Hyundai advises locally not to go under 91 octane, so in the real world they are telling you to go with 95; when I use 95 I can feel the car runs a little less crispier than with 97 (and I suspect because of that I step more on the throttle) and I get better fuel mileage with 97oct.
So, what hamhead said would be basically true at least in my case with a very different ECU.
Also, the car would have a limit to adjust timing advance, so if you put 110 octane in your car it would be a total waste, the same as adding octane booster to your car if you already have higher octane gasoline, I think around 97-98 (in Europe they use 98 octane gasoline) is the max a Tib would advance the timing.
lets say you add 87oct to your tank and add octane booster resulting on an equivalent 90 cotane tank, it should help because ECU would advance timing and you could get better performance.
Here we have four octane ranges: 84 - 90 - 95 - 97 octane gasoline.
Hyundai advises locally not to go under 91 octane, so in the real world they are telling you to go with 95; when I use 95 I can feel the car runs a little less crispier than with 97 (and I suspect because of that I step more on the throttle) and I get better fuel mileage with 97oct.
So, what hamhead said would be basically true at least in my case with a very different ECU.
Also, the car would have a limit to adjust timing advance, so if you put 110 octane in your car it would be a total waste, the same as adding octane booster to your car if you already have higher octane gasoline, I think around 97-98 (in Europe they use 98 octane gasoline) is the max a Tib would advance the timing.
05-03-2005, 07:38 PM
#19
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Zman-
The 90 Octane you refer to is via the RON method. The USA uses a different system for Octane measurement, so it would be slightly below our 87 Octane.
If you were to do back to back blind tests (someone else fill your tank and not tell you what grade of gas was in the tank) you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the 95 or 97 octane.
The same goes for USA folks. If you give someone else your keys, and have them go fill up your tank, you won't be able to tell if they put in 91/93 or 87. You may THINK you can, but if done over several tankfulls, you get as many guesses "wrong" as "right". Air Pressure and Tempature (and humidity) will show more of a performance variation than variations in Octane rating.
The 90 Octane you refer to is via the RON method. The USA uses a different system for Octane measurement, so it would be slightly below our 87 Octane.
If you were to do back to back blind tests (someone else fill your tank and not tell you what grade of gas was in the tank) you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the 95 or 97 octane.
The same goes for USA folks. If you give someone else your keys, and have them go fill up your tank, you won't be able to tell if they put in 91/93 or 87. You may THINK you can, but if done over several tankfulls, you get as many guesses "wrong" as "right". Air Pressure and Tempature (and humidity) will show more of a performance variation than variations in Octane rating.