Octane Booster

[Alex]

Hi all,

 

Below is a link to some octane booster. Anyone know if its any good and if it is any good where can you get it from???

 

http://www.goldeagle.com/104plus/products.htm

 

[Phil Wall]

This product appears to give very high boost and 'safe with Cats' If you still have them.

 

Millers is only safe to boost 2 pts if  your cats are still in!

 

So what is this stuff???

 

 

[francesca]

While we're on the subject, I've been using STP Power Booster, mainly because I can't find anything else locally - that is supposed to be safe for cats (though I haven't any) but I don't know how much it improves the octane rating. I just put the recommended bottle per tankful with SUL. Just says 'contains kerosene' which is basically what jet aircraft use I think!  Anyone else used STP, is it OK?

[Guest Martin F]

Not sure if this is the most appropriate subject, but it's close.

 

I've been told that UK spec cars do not need to be run constantly on SUL, as the fuelling is slightly different.

 

Is this correct or is it BS ??

 

Obviously if i wanted that little bit extra i would use SUL.

 

Martin

 

 

 

(Edited by Martin F at 10:07 pm on July 3, 2001)

[Phil Wall]

Martin

 

Jap cars were designed to run on 102 ron so we are all trying to get close to that.

 

If we run on 95 it pinks and doesn’t like it.  I guess if all you used the car for was picking up the shopping then 95 in  Jap car would be ok.

 

I think the UK car was designed to run on 95. I am sure it doesn’t do it any harm.

 

Some one more knowledgeable will help you out and hopefully confirm.

 

[GavinL]

Hi....

 

 

The UK model runs quite happily on UL 95 RON petrol. Some people like to run the car on SUL 97 RON and get better fuel consumption. I run mine on SUL and don't consider fuel consumption so I can comment.

 

If you have a modified UK car it think the consensus is to run on SUL.

 

 

Gavin

[Guest Ash]

 

 

Had a look at the advert and it seems a bit of a con to me. There's this huge 104 in big red letters but it's not 104 at all.

 

Now, I don't know that much about chemistry, but what I do know is there aren't that many proven octane boosters that you can just bung in a tank of fuel and get a couple of extra RONs.

 

However, there is this chemical that really does work. It's one of those chemicals with a name so long I need a few large ones to pronounce. And I do know for a fact that it is *banned* for over the counter sale in the US, due to the fact it gives unborn children a 0.00000000000000000000006% extra chance of being born spotty (or whatever).

 

But it *is* legal for over the counter sale in the UK. And you can buy it in the form of Millers octane booster.

 

There was also an article some years ago in one of the classic car mags (so I heard) and they actually chemically tested all the octane boosters available. Then they only allowed adverts from the products that performed as well as it made out on the packet.

 

There's two others I know of but haven't any experience of either, Silkolene and another company called Aldon, both produce what they say are octane boosters. But whether they actually work or not I couldn't say.

 

I wonder how you'd go about testing octane boosters... anyone know?

 

Yours,

J

 

[Alex]

Yeah, your right J,

 

I realised it says a 3-5 point surge in octane boost therfore 102 octane (with SUL) would be the best you can obtain. Millers on the other-hand only get 2 points which is 99-100ron so my basic point is. The literiture states that they got 104 when useing older fuel grades that the US doesn't bother with now. I assume that they used to get 99-100ron out of the pumps.. but anyway...

 

If I can get hold of this 104 booster does anybody know if its any good? I am assuming from what people are saying by avoiding this clear cut question is that they don't know. Which is at the end of the day all I wanted to know. I've read enough on the web about octane boosters to know there is alot of pit falls so I'm not going to rush headlong into this and risk my baby.

 

Millers is fine and I have a local stockist in Norwich....

But I've also heard about octane tablets and delayed release canisters of octane boosters which you fit in the fuel line. Does any one know anything about these "tablets" or have any web links which may provide answers for me.

 

So Q1 = If I can get some for a reasonable price should I try some 104+

Q2. Does anybody know anything about tablet form octane boosters

Q3. Does anybody know anything about canister delayed release octane boosters.

Q4. How the hell do you get race grade fuel - which I assume is v.high octane. For use on track days or when I fancy swatting some big powerful cars on the road!

 

Your thoughts are/would be appreciated.

 

Cheers All,

 

.....Off down the pub now

 

[Ian C]

I use Silkolene ProBoost because it's CAT friendly (I still have the rearmost one on, no MOT probs for me!).  One 1ltr can per tank will give me a two point octane rise, which is enough to protect against detonation under high boost conditions (1.45bar for me).  It does not increase power at that mixing level.  If you want more power, add one car per 20 litres of fuel or more.

 

Millers CVL is the stuff I would use sans CATs.

 

Alex - in case you didn't know, there is a place on SweetBriar ind est called SCA that sell this along with stacks of other gubbins, it's ten quid per litre though!

 

-Ian

[Guest Ash]

Also, I think you may have to consider another issue which is there's not only RON but MON as well. And the two are basically different measures of a fuel's octane rating. RON (Research Octane Number) was the first standardised test that was invented. But to derive the MON figure (Motor Octane Number) the inlet air temperature and RPM is raised on the fuel test-cell. MON is more of an indication of the anti-knock properties of a fuel for high-power turbo motors.  

 

I don't know this for sure, but I always understood the Yanks used MON on their pumps or something tells me it may be the average between the two. If that is so, you may have to make corrections when using the additive with UK fuel as you might not be getting quite the octane number you expect. Or you might be getting more, I don't know. Unfortunately, the advert is none too clear.  

 

BTW, my nephew will be going to the US for 6-weeks from 9 July. So I'll no doubt hear about all the performance cars he has seen and it may give me a chance to find out more regarding the fuel stuff.

 

Yours,

J

 

PS

I just found the name of the chemical in the Millers octane booster, it's, Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether.

 

Why they can't just call it booster-stuff I don't know. That's why I could never get on at chemistry, and it was the same with biology too. It seems to me like when these two sciences were being first formed, there was a major competition to see who could attach the longest and most unpronounceable names to things.

 

 

 

 

(Edited by Ash at 2:09 pm on July 4, 2001)

 

 

(Edited by Ash at 2:17 pm on July 4, 2001)

[Branners]

I use Millers and it really does work well. If the other octane booster actually works then you will definitely feel the difference in the car. If you want 4 point raise then you can use Millers CVL but only if you dont have any cats, and also only if you fancy spending a fortune on the stuff.

 

Use millers, and use 2 bottles if you have no cats and really want to up the RON on the fuel.

 

JB

[Alex]

Branners, Ash,

 

If your using the cat friendly Millers how much can you put in, in one tank full? I have both my cats though I will be getting a new down pipe soon.

 

**********

Cheers Ian C for the silkolene @ SCA - I've dealt with them before so I may well pop down there at lunch time. How come it takes a whole litre of the stuff!! ..... p.s. did you notice when we passed each other on the A11 on Friday night. You were heading for Cambridge....

 

[Branners]

if you have removed the cats you can put in 2 bottles to give something like a 3 point raise, any more than that and it doesnt make any difference. Thats based on a full tank of fuel, I sometimes short fill the tank to about 45 litres and throw a whole bottle in.

 

Somebody told me that with Millers CVL you are supposed to use it with a 40l tank and not a full 60l tank, so it works out even more expensive.

 

JB

[Guest Ash]

 

According to my info on Millers...........

 

Millers Octane Plus raises the fuel 2 octane points. 250ml treats 100 litres of fuel in catalyst applications, and 50 litres of fuel in non-catalyst applications.

 

Quite why the difference I don't know.

 

CVL increases octane 3 points and 250ml treats 20 litres of fuel.  

 

One thing people need to be wary of is that octane boosting chemicals don't always mix linearly. In the sense that if you mix two in the tank you get double.

 

But what I know about chemistry you could fit on a postage stamp I'm afraid.

 

Yours,

J

[Paul Booth]

Quote: from Ian C on 1:50 pm on July 4, 2001[br]I use Silkolene ProBoost because it's CAT friendly (I still have the rearmost one on, no MOT probs for me

 

-Ian

 

Can someone correct me here. I was always led to understand that cars had to be fitted with a catalytic converter from new if built after "some date", but it is not a legal requirement to refit one if the original comes to then end of its natural life. I.e., the law covers manufacture not refitting.

 

 

(Edited by Paul Booth at 8:11 pm on July 5, 2001)