Octane Booster Fuel Additive

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1) If I buy a 1 gallon can of toluene or xylene how many gallons of pumped gas should I mix it with and how much marvel mystery oil should I add?

2) By doing so it there anyway this can damage my engine?

Thanks
 
Tetraethyl Lead (TEL) is the only true, safe octane booster. That's why the old "high test" gas used to be called "ethyl." The OTS (104+, STP, whatever) are snake oils. The tolulene homebrew stuff, despite raising octane, is less combustion efficient, and in answer to #2 YES, it will open the door to engine damage, if you are not careful.

Google octane boosters and do some research. This is not the best place to get good answers for that type question.
 
Obviously my experience with 2.2 Bar Intake pressures and a 400hp Inline 4 cyliner with upto 80% Toluene 20% gasoline is being descredited....:angry4: .....I would not waste my time typing this, if the experience was negative/speculative.

The main thing to take into account when using any mixture of Toluene is Ambient Tempature. The stuff is so cold, the ambient temps MUST be above 65* F to atomize and combust properly.

Back in the 80's, 1000+hp turbocharged IRL cars ran as much as 85% toluene with ZERO problems.....if you do some research, you can even find where they talked about how they had Fuel Drum heaters to keep the track-side fuel at or above 65* F.

For one gallon of Toluene, I would make sure you have at least 4 gallons of Premium in the tank for a 20% mixture...and try it out...it will not HURT anything.

**skip the marvel mystery oil for low % mixtures.
 
This is a direct quote from a chemical engineer employed in the racing fuel industry:

“Adding more toluene,” Tim Wusz told us, “will increase the octane numbers of the gasoline, but when you get above 45 or 50%, throttle response is poor and the flame speed is reduced to where increasing amounts of fuel are still burning as combustion gases are forced out the exhaust valve. Once that happens, power is lost, not gained.”
 
Ace said:
Tetraethyl Lead (TEL) is the only true, safe octane booster. That's why the old "high test" gas used to be called "ethyl." The OTS (104+, STP, whatever) are snake oils. The tolulene homebrew stuff, despite raising octane, is less combustion efficient, and in answer to #2 YES, it will open the door to engine damage, if you are not careful.

Google octane boosters and do some research. This is not the best place to get good answers for that type question.
Click to expand...


Where do I get Tetraethyl Lead (TEL) and what is the mix rate?

Thanks
 
Ace said:
Tetraethyl Lead (TEL) is the only true, safe octane booster. That's why the old "high test" gas used to be called "ethyl." The OTS (104+, STP, whatever) are snake oils. The tolulene homebrew stuff, despite raising octane, is less combustion efficient, and in answer to #2 YES, it will open the door to engine damage, if you are not careful.

Google octane boosters and do some research. This is not the best place to get good answers for that type question.
Click to expand...

But if you use TEL, can you use them on unleaded with hardened valve seats?
 
You're always better off dumping in a gallon or two of race gas per tank. Lots of stations have it. The sticker shock will take your breath away, though. Didn't think that anyone still ran motors that won't run on pump gas anymore. Definitely the way to go.
 
ramcharger said:
This is a direct quote from a chemical engineer employed in the racing fuel industry:

“Adding more toluene,” Tim Wusz told us, “will increase the octane numbers of the gasoline, but when you get above 45 or 50%, throttle response is poor and the flame speed is reduced to where increasing amounts of fuel are still burning as combustion gases are forced out the exhaust valve. Once that happens, power is lost, not gained.”
Click to expand...

Where do I get Tetraethyl Lead (TEL) and what is the mix rate?

Thanks
 
Where do I get Tetraethyl Lead (TEL) and what is the mix rate?

Thanks
 
As far as I know, it's illegal and impossible for a layman to get. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.
 
It may or may not be illegal, depending on what you're using it in.

Did you Google "octane boosters" like I suggested?

If you did, and did a little reading, you'd find this in one of the results:

http://www.kemcooil.com/product_info.php?pId=130

Another portion in a different article reads in part:

"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."

So I'd have to yes, your experience is being discredited, at least in the context of running the stuff in a daily driver, or any engine you do not expect to have to re-work the heads on a regular basis.
 
Well....most people's daily drivers do not produce 100hp per cylinder and live above 2x Atmospheric Pressure do they? I am not stupid.

My point was, toluene is safe for any engine in reasonable mixture ratios.

The reason a person might want to do this Home Brew race fuel is, Joe's Hot Rod shop is not open 24/7, but more like M-F 9-5pm.

If you have a 12:1 CR Small Block and want to increase your octane and hence detonation threshold for some street duty on a Sunday, WHY NOT get a 5 gallon jug of Toluene and mix up some Detonation Deterred Fuel?

For RACE duty I strictly recommend VP C10 or Motorsport 101.

My input in this thread is complete...:bootysha:
 
KSP, what do do with your car? Looks like a street/strip driver to me.
 
Ace said:
KSP, what do do with your car? Looks like a street/strip driver to me.
Click to expand...

Yes, You are correct. Mostly street and show and of course doing major burn outs! What I am trying to do/find out is how I can make/mix my own Octane Booster Fuel Additive that actualy works over crap one can buy off the shelf and to offset the price at the pump by buying reg pumped gas an adding this Octane Booster Fuel Additive...
 
I'll let this speak for itself
Found it with a few keystrokes:

Homebrew Gasoline Octane Boosters

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Editor's note: I would NOT suggest that a person use the following fuel mixtures without considering the detrimental effects on your engine, vital engine components (O2 sensor, etc), and other potential damage. That said, the information is interesting.
Original published in:

GS-Xtra
1213 Gornto Road
Valdosta, GA 31602
(912) 244-0577

Editor: Richard Lasetter, president Gran Sport Club of America (GSCA)

Formula #1 - Toluene
R+M/2.........114
Cost...........$2.50/gal
Mixtures with 92 Octane Premium
10%...........94.2 Octane
20%...........96.4 Octane
30%...........98.6 Octane
Notes: Common ingredient in Octane Boosters in a can. 12-16 ounces will only raise octane 2-3 *points*, i.e. from 92 to 92.3. Often costs $3-5 for 12-16 ounces, when it can be purchased for less than $3/gal at chemical supply houses or paint stores.

Formula #2 - Xylene
R+M/2.........117
Cost...........$2.75/gal
Mixtures with 92 Octane Premium
10%...........94.5 Octane
20%...........97.0 Octane
30%...........99.5 Octane
Notes: Similar to Toluene. 12-16 ounces will only raise octane 2-3 *points*, i.e. from 92 to 92.3. Usually mixed with Toluene and advertised as *race formula*.

Formula #3 - Methyl-tertiary-butyl-ether (MTBE)
R+M/2.........118
Cost...........$3.50/gal
Mixtures with 92 Octane Premium
10%...........94.6 Octane
20%...........97.2 Octane
30%...........99.8 Octane
Notes: Oxygenate. Very common in octane booster products. Has lower BTU content than toluene or xylene, but oxygenate effect makes the gasoline burn better and produce more energy.

Formula #4 - Methanol or Ethanol
R+M/2.........101
Cost...........$0.60 - $1.75/gal
Mixtures with 92 Octane Premium
10%...........94.3 Octane (Methanol)
10%...........94.7 Octane (Ethanol)
20%...........Not Recommended
Notes: Methanol is wood alcohol. Ethanol is grain alcohol and found in Gasohol in 10% ratios. Both alcohols are mildly corrosive and will eat gas tank linings, rubber and aluminum if used in excessive ratios. Main ingredient in "Gas Dryers", combine with water.

Formula #5 - Isopropyl Alcohol and Tertiary Butyl Alcohol
R+M/2.........101
Cost...........$0.60-$1.50/gal
Mixtures with 92 Octane Premium
10%...........94.5 Octane
20%...........Not Recommended
30%...........Not Recommended

Notes: Similar to Methanol/Ethanol. Isopropyl Alcohol is simply rubbing alcohol.

Sample Mixture
To make your own octane booster, it is easiest to make up a large batch, and then bottle it up in "dosage-size" uses.
Below is the basic formula of one of the popular octane booster products. To make eight 16 ounce bottles (128 oz = 1 gal):

100 oz of toluene for octane boost
25 oz of mineral spirits (cleaning agent)
3 oz of transmission fluid (lubricating agent)
This product is advertised as "octane booster with cleaning agent *and* lubricating agent!". Diesel fuel or kerosene can be substituted for mineral spirits and light turbine oil can be substituted for transmission fluid. Color can be added with petroleum dyes.
 
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