Octane ?

[dvs94cobra]

What is the highest octane you can use safely without destroying your cats and any other equipment that can be harmed. I'm tired of our 91 octane pump gas (california) and always having to use octane boosters with every tank. Any help would be great.

[dwtalso]

The simple answer is, you can use the highest rated gasoline you can find. Nothing about "octane rating" will impact the cats or anything else directly. All the octane rating refers to is the ability of the fuel to resist detonation.

[PhillyCobra]

It's lead in high octane fuel that can destroy cats. You can still buy leaded racing fuel or avgas. Any non leaded fuel should be fine at any octane. Actually, there is concern that some octane boosters, like Torco, can cause cylinder and plug deposits and adversely effect O2 sensors.

[rheacerdave]

Torco, VP, Sunoco, Cam 2, all make unleaded race fuels. Almost as much as the 110 leaded I have to use in A/Sedan.
If there is a race track near you, they will have it. NASCAR has gone unleaded in most of it's series.
http://www.nascar.com/2006/news/headlines/cup/01/20/nascar.fuel/index.html
This is a site that lists places in CA you can get it. http://personal.linkline.com/dbarton/Unleaded_Racing_Fuel_in_SoCal.html
Huntington Beach Car Wash
18971 Beach Blvd near Garfield Ave., Huntington Beach (714) 847-4924
Hours: 8 AM - 5 PM, 7 days a week.
100 octane VP Racing at the pump.
Pump is padlocked because that pump doesn't have an ATM reader. You'll need to pay inside. 07/29/07

BTW If you look at the Octane "boosters", most raise octane 10ths of an octane.

"Toluene-laden fuels burn slower and make less power on high-revving engines. So much in fact that much of the air/fuel mixture is still burning as the charge exits through the exhaust valve. This is a sure way to destroy your emissions-control equipment and not pass smog. For these reasons, true race fuels don't just use toluene or other active ingredients to boost the octane. Instead they use better-refined hydrocarbon chains that raise octane while retaining optimal combustion characteristics."

Stuff on the cans like "4 points" should read "point 4" as in .4 of an octane and is it something you want.....Take a look.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=2jbcCr2ll3c

[dvs94cobra]

thanks for the info. i really liked the you tube video. and i live right down the street from that gas station and never knew that it had that gas. I'm going to give it a try. The reason i was asking is i get a really bad ping under hard acceleration and boosters seem to help but I've never like using them so hopefully better gas will help. thanks again.

[rheacerdave]

:tmb:
I started my racing with American Motorcyclist Association back in the '70's before I found out about SCCA, and we were looking for advantages. "Octane Boosters" weren't the answer. Plus race gas smells SOOOooo good!
Note you may not, I sure not, need 100 octane. May want to just buy like 5 gallons at a time and add to your tank.
We have to use 110 leaded with 10.5:1 compression engines (REALLY not needed, but thems the rules).

[dvs94cobra]

:tmb:
I started my racing with American Motorcyclist Association back in the '70's before I found out about SCCA, and we were looking for advantages. "Octane Boosters" weren't the answer. Plus race gas smells SOOOooo good!
Note you may not, I sure not, need 100 octane. May want to just buy like 5 gallons at a time and add to your tank.
We have to use 110 leaded with 10.5:1 compression engines (REALLY not needed, but thems the rules).

Ya my motor has 10.5:1 also and was getting really bad pinging. So i figured out the best fill up was to do 8 gallons of 100 then the rest with 91. No more ping. And why do they call it ping, it doesn't sound like a ping, they should call it just "nasty". But thanks again for all the imput.

[MW03Cobra]

I run torco concentrate in the 03 vert. I mix 32oz with 10 gallons of 93* gas and it gives me 98 Octane (unleaded).

The new ride (03 coupe) has the cats removed and I run leaded 112 Sunoco in it with the front 02 sensors in place.

http://www.jbsblownc5.net/html/torco.html

http://www.jbsblownc5.net/html/torco.html#5gal


Is your 94 boosted/sprayed? What is your max timing in the tune?