What is the best octane booster

[troy.70R/T]

do any of you use octane booster? what is the best I need to get rid of the ping. 93 octane will not do the trick.

[Charger-Bodie]

do any of you use octane booster? what is the best I need to get rid of the ping. 93 octane will not do the trick.

The best way to cure that IMO is to mix in some race fuel.

most of those additives dont really do much. 

[troy.70R/T]

Are you talking like Cam2?

[mikepmcs]

Cam 2 is a good sub, haven't seen that in a while.  Go to your local roundy round or the drags and get a gallon or two of the $8.50-$10 junk and that should help out.
I have a question though....if 93 won't get rid of the ping, what do you have for a power plant and is your timing right?

v/r
Mike

[mally69]

What compression are you running and make certain your timing is correct.

[aifilaw]

you can usually fix it a bit by changing your mix a little or backing your timing off a tad.
More and more problems like this are cropping up from the use of ethenol

[troy.70R/T]

I don't use ethenol It seems to eat my fuel pumps and I get worse gas milage. I do not remember what the exact compression is because I can't remember what the guy that I bought the motor from said the heads heads CC'd at but I thought it was like 10: 5 to 1 I have jacked with the timing and advance so much that I can't say exactly what it is at right now but I know it has the least ping that it has had in a long time. the motor, a 440 was in a newport that I had in High school for awhile it always seemed to have a little ping when it was hot and just starting to put it under a load and At operating temp (not when it is cold). well that was about 115 years ago and I can't really remember it ping ing as much as it does now. The motor was not original to the car I bought it from a drag car. Thanks for the help guys I am not to worried about this car I just got it running so I could have something to play with while i am finishing my Charger. Hope I don't have the same problem there. 

[aifilaw]

depending on the state you live in, you are probably now dealing with 10% ethanol instead of 3% whether you like it or not.

Pull the timing down 2-3 degrees and see what you got.

[suntech]

If you have more ethanol now , richen it up a little. 

Toluene is a nice octane booster 10 % normally cures the problem.

[aifilaw]

Tuolene works quite well in small doses without being mixed with other things, you can find it at your local paint store

[71 RT]

OK, I have found a place that will see some 110 octane (at $7 a gallon).  My question is this, will too high octane hurt anything?  I would like to mix in 5 gallons to see how the stock 440 likes it.  I just want to be sure I will not hurt anything.  My buddy assures me the car will really ake up, and love it.  Just getting a second opinion. 

[aifilaw]

higher octane will require adjusting your timing to make the most of it. lower octane fuel requires a spark much sooner than higher octane which burns hotter and cleaner, but slower. adjust your timing and you will enjoy it... don't, and perhaps your car will slow down.
I would adjust my timing about 5-6 degree's between running by daily driving 20% 100 LL av-gas to 93 octane vs my race mix 80% av-gas 20% 93 octane

[suntech]

higher octane will require adjusting your timing to make the most of it. lower octane fuel requires a spark much sooner than higher octane which burns hotter and cleaner, but slower. adjust your timing and you will enjoy it... don't, and perhaps your car will slow down.
I would adjust my timing about 5-6 degree's between running by daily driving 20% 100 LL av-gas to 93 octane vs my race mix 80% av-gas 20% 93 octane

Hmmmmmm!!! Octane is nothing more than a number to show how much compression it can deal with, without detonation, compared to iso-octane. Does not say anything about burn speed, pressure build up speed and combustion speed.
RON and MON is the two ways of doing the test. ( different loads) Equal to iso-octane, is 100.
Here in Europe we have the RON showed at the pump. In US it is RON + MON, divided by 2.  Our 98 is close to your 92/93.
100LL is made for aeroplanes, that are running on low rpm´s.
Using 100LL , compared to 98 undeaded (MON) you will need to bump up the timing app 3 degrees, to compensate for slow burning of the 100LL !!!
100 LL is not a very good fuel, but it has nice anti knock values.
BTW: this is not something i claim !!!! I have tested it in a dyno, with varialble compression ratio engine!!!!

Using Ethanol / methanol containing fuels, make sure you have gaskets / hoses etc that will hold up.

[aifilaw]

I never ran a dyno on my car with and without running 100LL, but I do know the difference between adjusting my timing 5-6 degree's and running 100LL at an 80% mix in the engine with the best timing setting resulted in a best ET of 12.29, running pure 93 octane here with the best timing setup resulted in a high 12s to low 13s, all other facts remaining the same.
Also note that pure 93 would knock in my engine, I almost consistently had to run 20% av-gas at a minimum, or throw in my special blend of tuolene and tranny fluid

[aifilaw]

I got a question about this, and rather than searching my hard drive for my list, I did a simple web search and found something that looks like its the same

Formula #1 - Toluene
R+M/2.........114
Cost...........$2.50/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 $3/gal at chemical supply houses or paint stores.

Formula #2 - Xylene
R+M/2.........117
Cost...........$2.75/gal

Mixtures with 92 Octane Premium
10%...........94.5 Octane
20%...........97.0 Octane
30%...........99.5 Octane

Notes: Similar to Toluene. 12-16 ounces will only raise octane 2-3 *points*, i.e. from 92 to 92.3. Usually mixed with Toluene and advertised as *race formula*.

Formula #3 - Methyl-tertiary-butyl-ether (MTBE)
R+M/2.........118
Cost...........$3.50/gal

Mixtures with 92 Octane Premium
10%...........94.6 Octane
20%...........97.2 Octane
30%...........99.8 Octane

Notes: Oxygenate. Very common in octane booster products. Has lower BTU content than toluene or xylene, but oxygenate effect makes the gasoline burn better and produce more energy.

Formula #4 - Methanol or Ethanol
R+M/2.........101
Cost...........$0.60 - $1.75/gal

Mixtures with 92 Octane Premium
10%...........94.3 Octane (Methanol)
10%...........94.7 Octane (Ethanol)
20%...........Not Recommended

Notes: Methanol is wood alcohol. Ethanol is grain alcohol and found in Gasohol in 10% ratios. Both alcohols are mildly corrosive and will eat gas tank linings, rubber and aluminum if used in excessive ratios. Main ingredient in "Gas Dryers", combine with water.

Formula #5 - Isopropyl Alcohol and Tertiary Butyl Alcohol
R+M/2.........101
Cost...........$0.60-$1.50/gal

Mixtures with 92 Octane Premium
10%...........94.5 Octane
20%...........Not Recommended
30%...........Not Recommended


Notes: Similar to Methanol/Ethanol. Isopropyl Alcohol is simply rubbing alcohol.

Sample Mixture
To make your own octane booster, it is easiest to make up a large batch, and then bottle it up in "dosage-size" uses.

Below is the basic formula of one of the popular octane booster products. To make eight 16 ounce bottles (128 oz = 1 gal):

100 oz of toluene for octane boost
25 oz of mineral spirits (cleaning agent)
3 oz of transmission fluid (lubricating agent)
This product is advertised as "octane booster with cleaning agent *and* lubricating agent!". Diesel fuel or kerosene can be substituted for mineral spirits and light turbine oil can be substituted for transmission fluid. Color can be added with petroleum dyes.

[suntech]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I got a question about this, and rather than searching my hard drive for my list, I did a simple web search and found something that looks like its the same

Formula #1 - Toluene
R+M/2.........114
Cost...........$2.50/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 $3/gal at chemical supply houses or paint stores.

Formula #2 - Xylene
R+M/2.........117
Cost...........$2.75/gal

Mixtures with 92 Octane Premium
10%...........94.5 Octane
20%...........97.0 Octane
30%...........99.5 Octane

Notes: Similar to Toluene. 12-16 ounces will only raise octane 2-3 *points*, i.e. from 92 to 92.3. Usually mixed with Toluene and advertised as *race formula*.

Formula #3 - Methyl-tertiary-butyl-ether (MTBE)
R+M/2.........118
Cost...........$3.50/gal

Mixtures with 92 Octane Premium
10%...........94.6 Octane
20%...........97.2 Octane
30%...........99.8 Octane

Notes: Oxygenate. Very common in octane booster products. Has lower BTU content than toluene or xylene, but oxygenate effect makes the gasoline burn better and produce more energy.

Formula #4 - Methanol or Ethanol
R+M/2.........101
Cost...........$0.60 - $1.75/gal

Mixtures with 92 Octane Premium
10%...........94.3 Octane (Methanol)
10%...........94.7 Octane (Ethanol)
20%...........Not Recommended

Notes: Methanol is wood alcohol. Ethanol is grain alcohol and found in Gasohol in 10% ratios. Both alcohols are mildly corrosive and will eat gas tank linings, rubber and aluminum if used in excessive ratios. Main ingredient in "Gas Dryers", combine with water.

Formula #5 - Isopropyl Alcohol and Tertiary Butyl Alcohol
R+M/2.........101
Cost...........$0.60-$1.50/gal

Mixtures with 92 Octane Premium
10%...........94.5 Octane
20%...........Not Recommended
30%...........Not Recommended


Notes: Similar to Methanol/Ethanol. Isopropyl Alcohol is simply rubbing alcohol.

Sample Mixture
To make your own octane booster, it is easiest to make up a large batch, and then bottle it up in "dosage-size" uses.

Below is the basic formula of one of the popular octane booster products. To make eight 16 ounce bottles (128 oz = 1 gal):

100 oz of toluene for octane boost
25 oz of mineral spirits (cleaning agent)
3 oz of transmission fluid (lubricating agent)
This product is advertised as "octane booster with cleaning agent *and* lubricating agent!". Diesel fuel or kerosene can be substituted for mineral spirits and light turbine oil can be substituted for transmission fluid. Color can be added with petroleum dyes

Good list /Homework

Oxygenates, like pure MTBE i have not found any gain, plus harder to jet/ set up, with more than 15%.  Bumps up the octane though.

[mikepmcs]

Sweet, thanks for sharing.

v/r
Mike