octane booster

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flintstone

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2007 C6 auto

I run 94 octane 70% of the time Never less than 91
My question is regarding octane boost stuff in a can. Is this good,bad,harmful,or just a waste of money
 
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flintstone said:
2007 C6 auto

I run 94 octane 70% of the time Never less than 91
My question is regarding octane boost stuff in a can. Is this good,bad,harmful,or just a waste of money
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According to our local guru: Nasty98 (Manny) it's not good. He suggested getting some Toluol now known as Toluene from the chemists or local hardware and add about a beer bottle full to a full tank (70 liters) to raise octane about 3 points.

I've just read up on the stuff and It's true. Here's the link:

Toluene - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I do know these days one has to be quite prudent about what additives go into the tank for fear of messing up the O2 sensors.
Apparently Toluene won't crap them up.

I plan on doing this myself soon -- just haven't had a chance yet to find a supply.

C.
 
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I just phoned Home Hardware and apparently they have 500ml containers of Toluene.
Didn't get the price but it should be in the $8 to $10 range like their Acetone I've bought from them b4.
G/L

One caution tho: be very careful that you don't spill any of it due to its corrosive nature. It'll strip paint very quickly.
If you do happen to spill, wipe up/off immediately.
Use in a well ventilated area.
 
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I've just read thru all that link and it's very informative.
Read thru it .. it will quell your mind.

It also suggests about a 14:1 mix of gas to toluene to raise your octane about 1.5 points.

I've now bought some and put it in my SHO for now. Will put it in the Vette this coming week and report back.
 
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Riley P said:
We use toluene at work for stripping glue and residue off our product! Great to know it has another use...I wonder if they will notice any going missing?:D

I suggest looking up the MSDS sheet as well.
Click to expand...

Good idea, Riley.....just to be safe.

After reading that story, I get the feeling it's not such a bada$$ chem after all.
-- tho very volatile and dangerous, it just needs respect and care like other hydrocarbons.
It's also readily available at the hardware and paint stores.

Price was a little high tho. I first bought 2 single liters from Home Hardware @ $9.99 each.
Then I went to a paint distributor/retail outlet and found it @ $22.50 for 3.78 liters. (about $6 per liter) -- better but still pricey.

What I'll do now is figure on what adding a gallon to a full tank will cost compared to finding 94 octane somewhere around town.
Cheaper to find 94 tho it's not common around here.:( -- and not at the Petro Canada I usually go to.

More soon.
 
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tony said:
And if you're not racing etc. will you even notice the difference between
91 and 93/94 octane.
Would be my guess that its not $ well spent.
just my opinion !!
Tony. welland
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You may be right Tony, we'll see.

My SHO needs a little octane since I have a 'tune' for it and should be running 94 .... so no wastage there.

I'll see how the 'vette runs with it just to see.
It's more of an experiment with it right now so it may or may not continue.
 
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Torco makes a good octane booster and NOS has a new one out Max Racing) without much fanfare that raises octane a full 6 points. The cheap boosters (almost all the others) raise octane .01 or slightly more which is waste of dough.
No need to run booster though if your car does not need it....it will actually make you go slower. Use some maybe if you don't find premium when filling up.
 
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You guy's should read more about this stuff, i know i wouldnt touch it . It can damage fuel pumps and rubber fuel lines...and if the fuel is not warmed up a bit , it wont be as efficient as its supposed to be...(Toluene is a common solvent, able to dissolve paints, paint thinners, silicone sealants,[9] many chemical reactants, rubber, printing ink, adhesives (glues), lacquers, leather tanners, and disinfectants. It can also be used as a fullerene indicator, and is a raw material for toluene diisocyanate (used in the manufacture of polyurethane foam) and TNT. In addition, it is used as a solvent to create a solution of carbon nanotubes. It is also used as a cement for fine polystyrene kits (by dissolving and then fusing surfaces) as it can be applied very precisely by brush and contains none of the bulk of an adhesive.

Industrial uses of toluene include dealkylation to benzene, and the disproportionation to a mixture of benzene and xylene in the BTX process. When oxidized it yields benzaldehyde and benzoic acid, two important intermediates in chemistry. It is also used as a carbon source for making Multi-Wall Carbon Nanotubes. Toluene can be used to break open red blood cells in order to extract hemoglobin in biochemistry experiments.

Toluene can be used as an octane booster in gasoline fuels used in internal combustion engines. Toluene at 86% by volume fueled all the turbo Formula 1 teams in the 1980s, first pioneered by the Honda team. The remaining 14% was a "filler" of n-heptane, to reduce the octane to meet Formula 1 fuel restrictions. Toluene at 100% can be used as a fuel for both two-stroke and four-stroke engines; however, due to the density of the fuel and other factors, the fuel does not vaporize easily unless preheated to 70 degrees Celsius (Honda accomplished this in their Formula 1 cars by routing the fuel lines through the muffler system to heat the fuel). Toluene also poses similar problems as alcohol fuels, as it eats through standard rubber fuel lines and has no lubricating properties as standard gasoline does, which can break down fuel pumps and cause upper cylinder bore wear.

In Australia, toluene has been found to have been illegally combined with petrol in fuel outlets for sale as standard vehicular fuel. Toluene attracts no fuel excise, while other fuels are taxed at over 40%, so fuel suppliers are able to profit from substituting the cheaper toluene for petrol. This substitution is likely to affect engine performance and result in additional wear and tear. The extent of toluene substitution has not been determined.[10][11]

Toluene has also been used as a coolant for its good heat transfer capabilities in sodium cold traps used in nuclear reactor system loops.

Toluene had also been used in the process of removing the cocaine from coca leaves in the production of Coca-Cola syrup.[12]
)
 
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