Octane Boost.....
 

My new boat requires 93 octane. The last set of engines I had in a boat that required it, the engine builder ref'd me to a specific brand of octane boost (can't remember name and haven't called him yet) to add in a pinch if I couldn't find 93 and needed to get home.

2 QUESTIONS:

1) What brands of octane boost do you guys have experience with?

2) Feedback ---- Good and Bad, is greatly appreciated.

In advance, Thanks....

Joe

Re: Octane Boost.....
 

merc says the 600 (and 700,850,1075) only require 91 ocatane....

Re: Octane Boost.....
 

Ok..... We only have 89 and 93. A ton marina's only carry 89. So, I still have a problem. Thanks for the quick reply.

Joe

Re: Octane Boost.....
 

i have heard good things about Torco's octane boost...

Re: Octane Boost.....
 

Stay away from stuff like "101" I had it tested and it done nothing. I've also heard Torco is good

Re: Octane Boost.....
 

torco will slightly raise the octane. There have been several threads on the ineffectiveness of "boosters" try a search. Tolulene will add more points per gallon than anything else in its price range.

Re: Octane Boost.....
 

what about Klotz?

Re: Octane Boost.....
 

JOE HER IS SOME GOOD READING
http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/s...t=OCTANE+BOOST

Re: Octane Boost.....
 

heard good things about that as well. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Rare Breed had mentioned that he had used it as recommended by Eickert on occasion.

Re: Octane Boost.....
 

http://www.torco.com/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=163

The Unleaded concentrate when blended with a 93-octane super unleaded makes up to a 107-octane race fuel for many of today's race cars, streetcars, motorcycles, watercraft, ATV's, and many other motor sport applications!

Great for two and fou cycle engines.

Accelerator works as well as any performance unleaded fuel within the limits of compression and RPM's per application.

Re: Octane Boost.....
 

but what's the mix ratio?

For example, if I'm not correct, you would have to add 10 gallons of toluene (which is 110 octane) to 90 gallons of 89 in order to make an average of 91 octane fuel...

Re: Octane Boost.....
 

I would try Torko leaded, it's good stuff and I would stay far away from Toluene as a single fuel additive.

I don't profess to be a chemist, however you cant buy pure Toluene,it's strictly regulated .

The hardware store grade Toluene is full of distillation by products .

Just adding Toluene may be a decent additive if all you want to do is protect your engine from detonation.

But you will also suffer sloppy throttle response and your engine will run poorly especially in the higher rpm range.

Re: Octane Boost.....
 

Always fill up with 93 octane when possible. That way if you have to you can add up to the same amount you have in the tank in 89 octane.

Re: Octane Boost.....
 

Re: Octane Boost.....
 

Overall Torco is probably the the best stuff. It is not an octane booster, its a fuel concentrate. I've good success with Kemco oil's Supreme 130. http://www.kemcooil.com/categories.php

I contacted Torco also and below are examples of recommended ratios.

Amount of Accelerator Starting Product End Product
1 qt 5 gal of 93 106
1 qt 10 gal of 93 104
1 qt 15 gal of 93 100
1 qt 20 gal of 93 98



Amount of Accelerator Starting Product End Product
1 qt 5 gal of 91 104
1 qt 10 gal of 91 102
1 qt 15 gal of 91 98
1 qt 20 gal of 91 96

Re: Octane Boost.....
 

Lead Supreme 130 is among the best. About $12.00 qt. One qt per 53 gals fuel will raise octane 2 points.It's pure Tetraethyl Lead (Tel),handle with care !Some other octane boosters are just additives,this is real lead !

Re: Octane Boost.....
 

My best friend has Known Evan Knoll since before Torco Fuels and his empire came to be what it is.

Anyways we just had this conversation last week since he is into the Drag racing world and gets all his fuel for free as part of his sponsorship.

In talking with Evan, there octane aditive ( is Not ) a booster it is the actual additive they use in there fuels. They make 22 different grades of fuel.

Anyways he said if you used there 100 octane fuel with the aditive it would bring the 100 uo to 107 octane.

so if you added it to the 93 then I would think that would bring you up to 100.

All in all, I think you can be very confident working with Torco fuels.


Could Luck
Cougarman

Re: Octane Boost.....
 

Thanks, guys.... I appreciate the feedback.

Re: Octane Boost.....
 

A less expensive way to go when you're dealing with a few hundred gallon of boat fuel is find a source for Aviation Gasoline. Start with the 100 low lead (in fact in some places, thats all there is). Ran AV gas for years in both turbo motors and hi compression NA. The only addative I used was Marvel Mystery Oil to lube the guides. On tear down everything was always in excellent condition...

Re: Octane Boost.....
 

I actually thought about starting w/ high octane fuel and topping off after burning 1/2 - 2/3's tank, still staying above 91/93. I'm just looking for a less difficult/turn-key option (and am not really excited about trailering it around town to fill-up).

Good thinking, though... Thank you!

Re: Octane Boost.....
 

Aviation octane is rated differently than auto fuel. 100LL av fuel is about 105 auto octane rating,It does need the oil mix for lube.Another good point is you can leave it in your tanks forever and it won't spoil.Can't have fuel in airplanes gumming up !

Re: Octane Boost.....
 

Joe, I see you are from Houston. There has to be a lot of small airports near you. In some cases, the small airports don't gouge their customers with large mark-ups on AV gas. When we had huge prices on gas a while back, there were occasions where the tank farm at the airport was cheaper than supreme on the streets. And as someone above pointed out, it has excellent shelf life, it is very dry fuel...

Re: Octane Boost.....
 

The gas docks on the water in puget sound only carry regular and diesel. I was worried about needing fuel on a long run and was looking at octane boosters. I asked my local performance shop about octane boosters and he said he would give me some timing stops so I could back off the timing on the water to run regular. Seems like a good plan if it works. I have twin 2.5 outboards running 135-140 psi at cranking speed.

I was checking the ingredients of the octane boosters in the auto parts store. Seems a lot of them are just some kind of petrolium distallate, probably kerosine or diesel. All the cheap boosters do is keep the motor from pinging, won't give you any more horsepower.

Re: Octane Boost.....
 

Torco, purchase it by the 5 gallon can. A quart for every 25 gallon.

Re: Octane Boost.....
 

ok..first I am not nor do I claim to be a blown boat motor expert, but I built and raced seriously modified 2 strokes in the desert for over 15 years. I have a motor that made 15 hp stock and makes over 50 reliably now. anyways in reguards to fuel...any off the shelf octane bust is garbage. you might go from 89 to 89.9maybe 90 and inconststantly at best. you got a boatload of money tied up, dont risk it trying to save a couple bucks on fuel. the only reliable way to make significant increases in octane is to mix fuel. sure its a hassle but, much less hassle then rebuilding a motor. with what gas costs at the fuel dock, race gas really isnt that much more expensive. especially when bought in bulk (min. 55 gallon barrels) if you buying a couple hundred gallons you might even be able to get it tanker delivered to the dock and pump it in..so you can spend 3.50 a gallon at the gas dock then pour in walmart mega duty race gas concentrate 104 octane boost and pray or spend $4.50 a gallon for some decent 110 octane trick, vp, etc fuel and mix 50/50..when mixing 50/50 find the middle number than subtract 2..not an exact science but will give you a comfortably safe number. fuel has a lot of science to it...octane alone isnt the magic bulltet everyone thinks it is, theres specific gravity of the fuel, resistance to detenation, flame rate, burn temp etc..with out a major science lesson..lets just say that adding race fuel to pump gas will make your engine much happier than dumping a bunch of paint thinner in it (toulene) of some snake oil off the shelf octane booster. yes offshore and off road are apples and oranges but I didnt get 3 world endurance records by skimping and cutting corners, you make a commitment to big power, you make a commitment to good fuel and added maint.

Re: Octane Boost.....
 

and av gas??? EEEEKKKKKKK!!!!!! av gas is formulated with all sorts of stuff including anti icers, and formulated for motors that run an consistant moderate rpm level with thin air at a steady load..when was the last time your boat ran like that?? and for the above mentioned race gas, dont get it at the track or a service station, if you will be buying quantity and on a regular basis go straight to the distributor/ oil company you will save a buck or two a gallon.

Re: Octane Boost.....
 

Joe, Maybe You Could Check With The Sunoco Plant In Pasadena About Buying In Bulk.

Re: Octane Boost.....
 

LOL! :eek:

Re: Octane Boost.....
 

I don't know anything about AV gas... I will do some looking. Wonder what Mercury says.... Needless to say, I will want to stay in warranty.

Re: Octane Boost.....
 

I know the Galveston Yacht Basin only does mid-grade fuel.... 89, I believe. I usually fill-up at 3 Amigos before heading out... Which is not an issue.

I'm mainly concerned about running elsewhere (ie: Florida), and not having to run 110/114 at all; rather bringing along a couple gallons of additive in case I get myself into a pinch needing fuel and stopping some place that only has 89. I'd only put in enough fuel to make it to the next place that sells 91/93 (and add Torco etc...).

Thanks for your thoughts. I don't think I'll ever have engines that require anything but pump gas... too much work/hassle!

Joe

Re: Octane Boost.....
 

I'm no expert but if you had to put 89 in, just keep the motor out of boost. If the engine isn't making boost then detonation is much less likely to occur. If I'm way off then say so but I don't think I would do the octane boost on merc engines. Just take it easy when you're in a bind.

Re: Octane Boost.....
 

That's actually what my mechanics told me on my last 500 EFI's that we turned up. However, the engine builder nearly threw a rod when my mechanic said that!

Bottom line, I tend to agree with you... it's just a good insurance policy (if you get the right stuff), and let's me run a bit harder if necessary (ie: If I get caught in rough water and need to run the outside to get back before dark etc....).

Re: Octane Boost.....
 

I have had great results with Torco.

Re: Octane Boost.....
 

phrangle, as a matter of fact I raced marathons for years on AV gas. My foot was on the floor for miles, 12 lbs boost, 5500 rpm + + +. As I said, only additive was Marvel Mystery Oil and my motors always torn down with little wear. I can't swear it was the fuel, hopefully it was my engine man. But a lot of us on the left coast run AV gas, the next step up is 110 race gas at 1 1/2 times the cost. As someone above pointed out, the best insurance for high dollar motors is good fuel. You don't want to spend $50K per motor and use crap for gas. And when was the last time you heard of a small plane falling out of the sky because it had bad fuel.

What ratio were you mixing the Marvel Mystery oil?

http://stason.org/TULARC/vehicles/ga...omparable.html

Aviation gasolines were all highly leaded and graded using two
numbers, with common grades being 80/87, 100/130, and 115/145
[109,110]. The first number is the Aviation rating ( aka Lean Mixture
rating ), and the second number is the Supercharge rating ( aka Rich
Mixture rating ). In the 1970s a new grade, 100LL ( low lead =
0.53mlTEL/L instead of 1.06mlTEL/L) was introduced to replace the
80/87 and 100/130. Soon after the introduction, there was a spate of
plug fouling, and high cylinder head temperatures resulting in cracked
cylinder heads [110]. The old 80/87 grade was reintroduced on a
limited scale. The Aviation Rating is determined using the automotive
Motor Octane test procedure, and then converted to an Aviation Number
using a table in the method. Aviation Numbers below 100 are Octane
numbers, while numbers above 100 are Performance numbers. There is
usually only 1 - 2 Octane units different to the Motor value up to
100, but Performance numbers varies significantly above that eg 110
MON = 128 Performance number.

The second Avgas number is the Rich Mixture method Performance Number
( PN - they are not commonly called octane numbers when they are above
100 ), and is determined on a supercharged version of the CFR engine
which has a fixed compression ratio. The method determines the
dependence of the highest permissible power ( in terms of indicated
mean effective pressure ) on mixture strength and boost for a specific
light knocking setting. The Performance Number indicates the maximum
knock-free power obtainable from a fuel compared to iso-octane =
100. Thus, a PN = 150 indicates that an engine designed to utilise the
fuel can obtain 150% of the knock-limited power of iso-octane at the
same mixture ratio. This is an arbitrary scale based on iso-octane +
varying amounts of TEL, derived from a survey of engines performed
decades ago. Aviation gasoline PNs are rated using variations of
mixture strength to obtain the maximum knock-limited power in a
supercharged engine. This can be extended to provide mixture response
curves which define the maximum boost ( rich - about 11:1
stoichiometry ) and minimum boost ( weak about 16:1 stoichiometry )
before knock [110].

The 115/145 grade is being phased out, but even the 100LL has more octane
than any automotive gasoline.

Lucas oil octane booster.you can get it at most autozone stores.about 8.00 a bottle.

Where do you buy Torco?

800-678-6726

Gotta ask Joe - why not have it delivered to you? I used to have fuel delivered daily for heavy equipment. They will sell you 93 or maybe 91.

Something I never see anybody talk about when it comes to boat fuel - does anybody run "off-road fuel"??? Off-road fuel has a red dye in it so it can be recognized. It is highly illegal to run it in road cars or trucks, but it is not taxed like road-fuel you get at the pump. Used to save me 40 cents per gallon! I ran it in my f350 also. It seemed to actually run better on it (again, illegal :evilb: ). What do you guys say??