Myths about octane booster.

[FishtailnZ]

Besides being horribly expensive (your prices are even crazier than ours!), they can hurt performance, not help it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jbcCr2ll3c

 

[miro]

But man does it make the engine sound angry.

Try using 4 bottles in one tank ... almost a diesel sound.

One of those things from a former life !

 

[big x]

I posted this on another thread which explains why..

"Octane boosters only have use in racing situations where maximum rpm is in use for prolonged periods. Octane is not a measure of the fuels energy content but it's compression knock resistance. Any modern road engine with electronic fuel injection will run happily on 95 RON with a slight spark retardation and changes to fuel air ratios .Premium fuels are as the name suggests a better product because they contain more carbon bonds hence more energy in addition to a higher octane rating and cleaning package additives.Using Shell V-max in a modern turbo or high performance BMW V8 typically gives a + 4% performance gain at sea level."

I am surprised though that there was a 5% power loss given the booster quantity added is to small to affect dilution of the petrol ?
I suspect their test is flawed, for example why didn't they also test 99 octane pump fuel and how was the engine on the bench actually running. Were all the knock sensors connected to the ECU for example.

adam

 

[Zedd]

Mothballs work better.

 

[FishtailnZ]

Mothballs work better.

And fuzzy dice!

 

[FishtailnZ]

I posted this on another thread which explains why..

I am surprised though that there was a 5% power loss given the booster quantity added is to small to affect dilution of the petrol ?
I suspect their test is flawed, for example why didn't they also test 99 octane pump fuel and how was the engine on the bench running. Where all the knock sensors connected to the ECU etc.

adam

Had a little chat with a petroleum engineer friend today who gave a possible answer for the power loss. He explained that the greater a gasoline's octane rating, the lower it's burn rate and the higher it's resistance to ignition and hence it's ability to reduce knock/ping. So in an engine not specifically designed/modded/tuned to take advantage of a higher octane number, then it serves no benefit (as you already explained Adam ) and can actually hurt performance. He went on to say the best octane for an engine, power-wise, is one which is right on the edge of pinging but without crossing that line.