BK480

Are Octane boosters ok to use in 7"s?

RX-8

iTrader: (6)

I've used it with no ill effects. Well my gas milage was increased!!!

f2racer

iTrader: (1)

I could be wrong, but higher octane equates to higher combustion temperature which should equate to higher operating temperatures for your entire engine right? This may not be a good thing for a third gen. I've been running Redline fuel injection cleaner in my 94 Mustang GT for about 2 years. I was getting between 12-16 miles per gallon before using the stuff on regular unleaded gas. After just one treatment, the mileage jumped up to 16-20 mpg! I now run 1 bottle of the stuff every other oil change (7-8k miles, I use synthetic oil and it's pretty clean even after 4k). I still use regular unleaded as well.

On my RXs, after one treatment, mileage also increased (although less dramatically) from 12-14 mpg to 12-18 depending on how hard I drive. And throttle response seemed much better as well.

So I'm gonna start the same routine with my RX as with my 302. And at $5 every 6k, it way cheaper than octane booster.

spooledUP7

Yes, you are mistaken. Higher Octane reduces the ability of fuel to ignite. It is a combustions inhibitor. The advantage of using higher-octane fuel, or boosters is that you are then able to run higher levels of compression, whether it is forced, or N/A. This is because the higher octane raises the temperature of ignition, thus lessening the chance of detonation. Make sense? It is a good thing for turbo charged engines that are at high risk of detonation. It is a bad thing for you N/A guys that are running stock stuff since you will lose power.

Tad

so octane boosters actually work as advertised?

like, they actually boost your octane?

around here i think the octane levels of premium gas
has been dropped down to 91 everywhere.

i'm wondering if using some boosters might help bring
it back up.
Thanks

Pressurized

Yeah....I say it would be a good thing for the Rx7....because since it inhibits ignition, the fuel remains in the combustion chamber longer which in turn allows it to evaporate....which is a very important internal cooling system.....

ejmack1

i heard they really dont work that well, only add tenths to the actuall octane level

martini

it all depends on which one you get. The better ones can add 3 points. Some probably won't help much at all.

it probably isn't worth adding to every tank you put in your car. Unless you really need it.

efiniracing

The better ones are expensive as hell too! I hope they work, I've been using them for years.

suganuma

list some of the "good ones" so we all know what to shop for

rxrotary2_7

i would recomend not using fi cleaner. i have read and have been told for years now that that is VERY BAD for a rotary.
not much else to say about octane as everyone has covered it well. the higher the octane...the slower it burns. like 89octane just goes poppoppoppop....like its nothing, but higer takes longer to burn off. poping noise was not that great sorry, it did sound good before i typed it. LOL anyway...here is a website on homemade octane boosters. it shows you the points raised by amounts used.
enjoy. i am interested in xylene. http://www.vtr.org/maintain/gasoline-octane.html

efiniracing

Anybody on the forum have any personal experience w/ these mixtures?

Toadman

All I know is that in California octane rating on premium fuel is going to drop from 92 to 91 due to phasing out of MTBE, a supposed severe marine and ground water pollutant. And the California Air Resources Board comes out and says, "it only affects about 9% of all vehicles that require premium." Oil companies are expected to bump the price of premium this fall to "ready" us for the pricey reformulated but lower octane fuel this winter. A-holes want to blow our engines, and the upcoming RX-8!! Time to stock up on octane booster at Costco.

badass7

I went to the track with 108+ (black plastic bottle..racing formula) and felt a noticeable difference!! It costed about $7 at Wal-Mart. Try it out.

FD Racer

I messed around with some octane boosters for a while:

NOS - Street formula ($5)
NOS - Racing formula ($10)
Turbo 108 - 32oz. ($6)


They were the only ones i trusted using. Even then, i didnt feel right adding that stuff all the time....especially the NOS stuff, it had all those cleaners and lubricators which i didnt want to get any sort of carbon build-up from.

I now blend by gas at the 76 gas station. 5 gallons - 100 octane and 10 gallons - 91 octane. Thats 94 octane.

The 5 gallons of 100 octane cost $24, and 5 gallons of 91 cost about $10.

I spend $14 more to get a full tank of 94 octane gas.

al900rr

I used to use octane booster but found that it was a waste of money. I bought some from my local R&S Strauss for like &8.99 a bottle. I don't remember the name off hand but it came in a long bottle with finger grooves. Claimed to have boosted octane to 108. What most people don't know is that if you're running premium octane fuel already, the octane booster has very little effect. It'll boost it to one more octane but that's about it. Unless you're running really shitty gas I won't waste money on octane boosters. Just get race gas.

riffraff

i donot know if this helps or not, but i have a friend with a mustang that normally runs 100 octane in his car. when he cannot find any, he uses the octane boost, which bosts it up to around 97 or so.. and the difference is definatly noticable, both between the 100 and 91 with boost to 97, and between the 91 and the 91 with boost.....

f2racer

iTrader: (1)

Where have you read that fi cleaner is bad for rotaries? There are only a couple of fi cleaners worth getting. Chevron Techron and Redline SI-1 are the only ones that I know of that have "recommendations" from major car manufacturers (Toyota, BMW, M-B all recommend these products). I've run these without problems. They seem to increase gas mileage a bit and make throttle response significantly better. I don't use them "regularly" as BMW requires, rather on a bi-anually basis which has seemed to work magic in my boinger and pretty well on my rotary. I do change the oil pretty frequently on my RX though, so any issued due to residue in the oil is probably not a factor for me.

MILD7

A weird thing happened when I used octane boost with racing gas. Was going to Street legals in Pomona (when it was still open). I noticed the car to be slower and less responsive. But I don't blame it specifically on the octaneboost/racing gas mixture. I think I'm running extremely rich (excessive backfire) probably due to a bad O2 sensor. My theory is that since my engine is seeing so much fuel already, adding an inhibitor such as octanebooster/racing gas made it that much more difficult for the rich mixture to ignite. By the way, plugs and wires were new. I'm probably way off here, but just something that crossed my mind.

RonKMiller

[QUOTE]Originally posted by f2racer
[B]

Where have you read that fi cleaner is bad for rotaries? There are only a couple of fi cleaners worth getting. Chevron Techron and Redline SI-1 are the only ones that I know of that have "recommendations" from major car manufacturers (Toyota, BMW, M-B all recommend these products). I've run these without problems. They seem to increase gas mileage a bit and make throttle response significantly better. I don't use them "regularly" as BMW requires, rather on a bi-anually basis which has seemed to work magic in my boinger and pretty well on my rotary. I do change the oil pretty frequently on my RX though, so any issued due to residue in the oil is probably not a factor for me.

f2racer is right on - it's nice to know there is intelligent life on this forum - twice a year is more than adequate to keep the fi's clean, and change the oil after treatment. Modern gasoline has plenty of detergent to keep things humming along in between. Buy branded high octane gasoline, or at least know where it's coming from. Gasoline is gasoline is gasoline - PERIOD. Octane boost is a waste of money, and I am constantly amused at how many dumb *** kids fall for all the marketing hype involving this stuff, and yes, I mean ALL of you ******* geniuses under 40. (flame suit armed for nuclear war)
Let's see now - it costs about - oh - $400.00 per gallon - MUST BE GOOD STUFF!
I have used Techron 2X a year in all my personal and company vehicles for the past 15 years and have NEVER had a fi related problem - it sometimes even cures "mystery" stumbles and misses. Grow up guys, and quit wasting your hard earned money on all of this other bullshit! Unless you are racing and running ultra high compression, any increase in performance by using octane booster is in your friggin' head! If you want more performance try some new spark plugs instead.

rxrotary2_7

[QUOTE]Originally posted by RonKMiller
[B]my point exactly. i am under 40 so i must be a FUC*&^g IDIOT as stated by ron. hey ron, on your 40th b-day, after you get to the top of the hill, is there a book of wisdom waiting there? i know that i do not know everything, and i know something that i "think" i know may or could be wrong. maybe b/c i have reached over 24 i know that i am able to be wrong, but i dont remember when i picked up that manual.
gasoline has enough detergents in it to keep things clean. you dont need to add anything to help the fi's b/c the injector are being cleaned out every time you start your car and drive. just as you stated and most everyone knows who has any idea of the properties of gasoline. additives are not recomended in the rotary. i know the mazduh dealer is stupid, but they do know something. ask them, they will most likely tell you the same. i am going to try to find that info of additives being harmful to the rotor housings. it does leave a coating on the housings. or so i was told by someone who was over 40, so it must have been true b/c 40+ people know everything.
i agree that it is all in people's head about the performance gains. the octane (not a booster, i am talking about an actual octane level)will only help against detonation.
when i was younger i added some stuff called "fuel on" to guarentee you to pass emissions, i will say that i did pass emissions, but the performance after the first tank suffered unbelievably. the motor failed very soon after. when it was ripped down by someone to rebuild, they asked me, "did you use any additives?" somehow they knew that i did. dont ask me how cause i do not know.
also i have had a 86 rx7 in my family since it was new, when i got rid of it, it had 260k on odometer w/ original motor and fuel injectors and never once had a stumbling problem or anything of the sort. maybe that was a fluke. maybe i will learn something from the all knowing 40+ year olds. (yes ALL of you geniuses) i will try the spark plugs idea... will they give me at least 10rwhp? or will they just help burn fuel more efficiently? please fill me in anyone who is over 40, all you young idiots like myself please dont reply.
I AM STUPID, I AM INFERIOR TO EVERYONE OVER 40, I AM A TOTAL TOOL, I AM RETARTED, I SHOULD HAVE BEEN BORN A MONGLOID UNTIL I HIT THE AGE OF 40, I WISH I WERE 40, O GOD I WISH I WERE 40 SO ALL THE WOMAN AROUND MY AGE LOOKED LIKE TIRED OLD HOUSE WIFES, I WISH I WERE 40 SO I CAN BE "THE OLD GUY" IN THE BAR/ CLUB. I WISH I KNEW SOME/ ALL THE SONGS ON THE OLDIES STATION..THEN MAYBE I WOULD KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT ANYTHING. I WISH I WERE 40 SO I COULD GET MY MID-LIFE CRISIS OVER W/, I WISH I WERE 40 SO MY WIFE COULD JUST GET CLOSER TO GOING THE THE CHANGE OF LIFE, I WISH I WERE 40 SO I COULD GET PRESCRIBED VIAGRA EASIER. I WISH MY HAIR WOULD START FALLING OUT ALREADY, I WISH I THREW MY BACK OUT EASIER, I WISH I COULD KEEP TYPING B/C I HAVE PLENT MORE,I WISH, I WISH, I WISH. DAMN ONLY 15 MORE YEARS! WOOOHOOO!!!
DAMN I WISH I WERE 40 TODAY because i have so many questions.

PS i can admit that i may be wrong about it being harmful to rotary engines, but hey, i can admit it at 25, just know know b/c i am not 40.

spooledUP7

Tears in my eyes.
LMAO

RonKMiller

Ok, I'm sorry. You're right. I'm an ******* - an OLD *******! (Oh, did I forget to add that all you young wippersnappers have no sense of humor as well!)

rxrotary2_7

apology accepted if that is what that is. and dont even tell me that you were being sarcastic. casue it sure didnt type out that way. maybe i just hit to close to home. anyway. sorry ron, i was drunk at the time and didnt mean to lash out. we are all enthusiest(spelling????...remeber i am only 25 and i was drinking again today LOL!!) no matter our age and can all learn from one another. that is what the forum is all about. but seriously....sorry for being so harsh..

RonKMiller

Hey, no sweat....... Have you ever considered a career as a writer? That was pretty good!