custommarine

Phragle has clearly explained octane !

I'll shed a little light on how to get the correct amount of octane (Breakfast) for your engine.

I’ve watched other post on the subject of octane boosters and thought compelled to share my experience with Boostane.

Boostane does have proprietary formulas to keep their product suspended unlike its competition. They also have it tested by an independent company using a knock engine to prove the octane on each batch. This company audits the major gasoline company's in house laboratories and verifies their results. It is real and reliable. You can also add higher octane race gas and raise your octane, we did that for years, but its a lot of work and hard to move the quantities of race gas you need for the size tanks in the boats we run.

Boostane has a “mix ratio” app, available through the apple app store for your phone, which lets you plug in the gallons to treat, the starting octane, and the desired octane. It gives you the amount of Boostane to add to get the desired octane. It is very user friendly. (Disregard the Horsepower calculator, insert any number) We have been using and selling Boostane since they started the company. We have had great results. We have tuned engines on the dyno with Boostane and seen the improvements in the dyno results. On cars with smart ICU's, like the Nissan GTR, that compensate for better octane, you can watch the power increase by pouring it in the tank and making a few passes on the dyno to let it adjust. It is difficult sometimes to explain Boostane to a customer. You know it’s working perfectly when nothing happens (IE: your engine doesn't blow up). I saw on an earlier post on this thread which is correct. You only need enough octane to put your particular engine in the safe zone. Octane in itself doesn't add power. Put 116 octane race gas in your Prius and it will make less power than on 87 because it burns slower. But be able to turn up the boost, change the tune, raise the compression, among other things and you will substantially increase your horsepower. You will need the octane to support it and keep you in the safe range.

For us personally, in the Hi performance boats we deal with, it allows us to use 90 octane Rec fuel (90 octane with NO alcohol) and add Boostane for the desired octane for that particular boat. Our clients use their boats a couple times a year for the most part and we don't have to pump out and throw away all the gasoline every time they come, because it’s been sitting for months. We don't get the deterioration in the fuel systems and have to deal with fuel system issues due to the alcohol in the fuel.

In the USA fuel is not much of a problem. Good octane is available at the pump and you can buy race gas, although it’s harder to get and difficult to store. Boostane is more of a product for the hi-performance and enthusiast crowd in the US. Only a small amount of cars and boats require higher octane than you can buy at the corner gas station. I say this because what I am observing is the incredible growth of Boostane in other countries where gas with good octane numbers is not available. They are sending container loads to China where owners of exotic sports cars can't get enough octane to run a stock Ferrari or Lamborghini. The tuner car market there is also a high volume buyer. They also sell a lot to the Middle East. The Exotic car market in Dubai is a big consumer. It’s hard to believe that the countries that produce the oil, or are affiliated with them, don't have decent octane gasoline to keep their hi-performance toys running.

There are a lot of octane boosters on the market. Most don’t make a measurable difference in octane. If it comes in a plastic bottle, forget it. I don’t know of any other octane booster company that does the knock engine testing and has the technology to keep it suspended in the gasoline. I’ve witnessed its effect and have been using it myself and for my clients.
Boostane has won two awards at the SEMA show. In 2014 for innovators of a new automotive product and another award this year for their success with their product in other countries.

A few other things to know, Yes, it will discolor light colored plastics and could damage you paint (todays gas will also stain a rub rail and damage your paint if left on it as well). Take steps to protect from that happening. Boostane has also changed some chemical properties and has been rated as “Flammable” but not “Combustible” so shipping and storage is safer and easier to handle. It can be shipped by UPS and Fed Ex. We have been sending our yacht clients product for all their supercharged jet skis and tenders with 400hp Verado’s when they are in remote areas and can’t get good fuel. It has made it possible to have the higher power engines on the tenders and toys when they travel to all areas of the world. The yachts can carry a good supply of boostane onboard with its volatility similar to that of diesel fuel. To meet classification and insurance rules a majority of large yachts can carry a very limited supply of gasoline onboard.

Happy Holidays,
Peter Pavkovich
Custom Marine Sales
Ft Lauderdale, FL

Gary P

Peter - VERY interesting. Thanks for all of that info.

I drag race cars locally, and I use VP fuel, C-12 (112 octane) for our race cars. We also have a small airport that sells AV fuel, but have not experimented with that. There are a few gas stations selling non-ethanol gas with 91 octane. I usually buy the 91 non-ethanol gas for our pit bikes, golf cart, lawnmowers, snowblowers and other yard equipment with small gas engines. I buy it not really for the octane, but just to get "pure" gas.

We always try to use non-ethanol fuel in the boats, even in my sons small center console fishing boat with a 150 O/B, but it is not always available. We will use additives to help with any water that may get sucked up by the ethanol.

phragle

iTrader: (3)

Personally I would not use AVGAS. I have no defacto scientific evidence, Just the thought that it contains anti icing agents and is formulated to run a moderate hp motor at a moderate steady state rpm in thinner air. Boat motors get whaled on, loaded and unload big time as you bounce along. Plane engines just drone along except on take off.

Gary P

I checked at the airport. What they sell is just one grade, 100 octane low-lead AV gas. I think I'll pass on that.

mike tkach

iTrader: (3)

almost all of the high octane racing gas started life as 100 octane LL fuel,exact fuel the planes use.

14 apache

iTrader: (1)

I just copy and pasted this from yellow bullet. Originally from doghouse


Here is a little fact for all of you to think on. I hauled Avgas and Jet fuel for 25 years. During those years on numerous occasions would load 8500 gallons of Avgas in Richmond Va. (This was sold at airports as BP 100LL) and transport to Newark Del to the VP racing dist. After I would back into the off/on load rack, Ron (their terminal Manager) would come out and turn the pumps on to off load my truck. VP would then add Their proprietary additive to the Avgas to up the rating to 110 and change the color from Blue to the Purple color of VP fuel. Ron explained that they added more additive for higher octane fuels and other fuels were shipped direct to them from Texas.


Basically if you are running 110, you can run 100LL. It's not that much difference. If you are running a more exotic fuel, then no you can't substitute Avgas.

Love the comment about Avgas being formulated for high altitude. Planes that burn gas don't/can't fly at high altitude. They are not pressurized, and they don't have heat. They don't fly much higher then you can drive your car in the mountains. Don't confuse them with turbo props that burn jet fuel, which can and do fly at much higher altitudes.

Most small airports love to sell you avgas, it's more money in their pocket and it helps turn over their inventory. Most will not allow you to pump directly into a street car because of the road tax issue, but when it put into a 5 gallon can, what you do with it is your business.

phragle

iTrader: (3)

A couple things I do know for fact....

My dad landed a cessna in a field a few years back because his carb iced up... And I have mountain biked at 4500 feet before...it doesnt take a whole lot of altitude to make a big difference.

Base stocks are just that... a lot of gas is the same gas (base stock) what changes is the additives. The additives are usually loaded in when the fuel is pumped into the tanker at the tank farm dependent on where it is being delivered to..

mrmalo32

My boat was running fine, Hard and fast for a full tank of gas 240 gallons.

I fill up on the water with 91 and Lucas octane booster exactly as per instructions full tanks.

I get going and cruising at 120 and smoked both intercoolers at the same time filling both motors with sea water.

Not a big fan of Booster.

New intercoolers and new 93 gas all ok.

I will row home before i use booster again

buck35

The one detail I remember from flying with my cousin was a fuel test for water from ports under the wings .
Planes like boats sit for long periods between use, so condensation in tanks is an issue.

14 apache

iTrader: (1)

Just watched a thing on planes last night think it was a dc10 or a 777 forgot.
But they had a problem with the fuel heaters and one plane crashed and almost a second one. They form ice in fuel lines -20c and plug up the heater. And starve motors for fuel.