Fuel Tips from Kenne Bell (Homebrew Octane Inside)

[Darren5.0L]

In the many pages of my KB install manual there is a fair number of useful tips and tricks, upon seeing Toluene in Home Depot I was reminded of the charts and thought I would share.

Mixing Ratio for Toluene as an Octane Booster:

10% Toluene in Gasoline will add 2 Octane over the Base rating of the Gasoline

20% Toluene in Gasoline will add 4 Octane.

NOS Octane Booster

PN# 12007 Off-Road in Red Bottle added to:
8.5 gallons fuel = +2.5 Octane
17 gallons fuel = +1.5 Octane

PN# 12010 Racing in Silver/Black Bottle added to:
8.5 gallons fuel = +3.6 Octane
17 gallons fuel = +2.2 Octane

More interesting formulas from Jim Bell's Supercharged/Turbocharged Performance Guide to follow.

This data is intended as a guide only. It's the result of thousands of dyno runs and street testing with our company Ford, Mazda, Dodge, GM, Buick and Syclone/Typhoon vehicles.

Changes to A = Result to B

1 psi boost = .5 point CR (effective CR)

1 point CR = 2 psi boost (Cylinder Pressure)

1 point CR = 2% HP

1 psi boost requires 1-1.5 octane (minimum)

1 psi boost = 6.8% HP max (1 / 14.7 = 6.8%)

1 point CR = 3-5 Octane

1 AF Ratio = 2 Octane

1* Timing advance = 1/2 - 3/4 octane point

10*F change in engine collant (160-180*F range) = 1 Octane

20*F Ambient Temp = 1 Octane

1000' altitude = -1 Octane Point

1000' altitude = .5 psi (1" Hg)

6*F temp change = 1% air density

30% humidity = 1 Octane

10*F air charge temperature = 1% HP

20*F charge temp reduction through intercooling = .5 psi additional boost with same octane

[klaw]

Does he have any warning about plug fouling? I thought I read somewhere that toluene and other octane boosters are hard on plugs and valves.

[Darren5.0L]

No warning about plug fouling, I've been running octane booster for a number of years and have never had any problems. I always run the NOS stuff myself, I'd found no real benefit to running STP and other low-end brands. I've heard Super-104 and Torco works as well.

I have read a document however that recommended against mixing above the label ratios and fouling resulted.
www.InstallUniversity.com

That in the back of my mind, I just be certain to dump the octane booster at the pump first and then add a full tank of fuel to mix.

[Sonic Mustang]

Actually Toluene is in gas from the refinery. As I understand it anyway.

[kaisoboy]

Toluene is one of the Aromatics in gasoline. It's octane rating is 124.

Gasoline is a complex mixture of over 500 hydrocarbons that may have between 5 to 12 carbons. Smaller amounts of alkane cyclic and aromatic compounds are present. Virtually no alkenes or alkynes are present in gasoline. Compounds in Gasoline.

Gasoline is most often produced by the fractional distillation of crude oil. The crude oil is separated into fractions according to different boiling points of hydrocarbons of varying chain lengths. This fractional distillation process yields approximately 25% of straight-run gasoline from each barrel of crude oil.

Fuel octane requirements for gasoline engines vary with the compression ratio of the engine. Engine compression ratio is the relative volume of a cylinder from the bottom most position of the piston's stroke to the top most position of the piston's stroke. The higher an engine's compression ratio, the greater the amount of heat generated in the cylinder during the compression stroke.

If fuel octane is too low for a given compression ratio, the fuel prematurely and spontaneously ignites too early and the fuel charge EXPLODES rather than BURNS resulting in incomplete combustion. The net effect is a loss in power, possible engine damage, and an audible "knock" or "ping", referred to as detonation.

The octane number of gasoline is a measure of its resistance to knock. The octane number is determined by comparing the characteristics of a gasoline to isooctane (2,2,4-trimethylpentane) and heptane. Isooctane is assigned an octane number of 100. It is a highly branched compound that burns smoothly, with little knock. On the other hand, heptane, a straight chain, unbranched molecule is given an octane rating of zero because of its bad knocking properties.

Straight-run gasoline (directly from the refinery distillation column) has an octane number of about 70. In other words, straight-run gasoline has the same knocking properties as a mixture of 70% isooctane and 30% heptane. Many of these compounds are straight chain alkanes. Cracking, isomerization, and other refining processes can be used to increase the octane rating of gasoline to about 90. Anti-knock agents may be added to further increase the octane rating.

Octane rating versus type of compound:

Octane ratings decrease with increasing carbon chain length.
Octane ratings increase with carbon chain branching.
Octane ratings increase in aromatics with same number of carbons.

What octane gasoline should you purchase?

For most automobiles, use the lowest grade of 87 octane, unless they specifically say to use a higher octane gasoline. Using higher octane grades does not provide any extra power or extra mileage.

If you would like to learn more folow this link: Gasoline

[collinjay71]

In this book I bought about turbocharging it said that the old indy cars ran on toluene produced about 75 pounds of boost in 90 ci motors that made 1500hp. I wonder if toluene would have a detrimental effect on oxygen sensors?

[YoungBuck]

On the topic of Octane Boosters, here is a good review of them.

Octane Booster Reviews

[Darren5.0L]

Great find youngbuck, that is a keeper.

[YoungBuck]

I was looking over on ModFords whilst at work...I know LOL

Found this thread to be an interesting read.

Stoich Points of Race Gas - ModularFords.com

-Jason

[Mustang farmer]

"Fuel octane requirements for gasoline engines vary with the compression ratio of the engine. Engine compression ratio is the relative volume of a cylinder from the bottom most position of the piston's stroke to the top most position of the piston's stroke. The higher an engine's compression ratio, the greater the amount of heat generated in the cylinder during the compression stroke."

this is called engine displacement, not compression ratio.

[FMstang]

Wow the mod site is gettin crazy
When I was a pup stoich was nessasary for the 3 way cat to work 14.7 The a/f is always correcting to that by how much oxy the O2 sensors see.
Ethanol is a oxygenated feul so your O2's are faked out and you don't realize a fuel saving .
As I understand it the alcohol is limitted to 10%blend because it etches stainless steal .
As I have acsess to API hydrometers I'm going to start checking the Density of the 3 grades of Shell and Esso we can get on Hwy. 43 Valleyview AB Will post shortly

gathering samples for testing

[1black]

A couple of good reads............... tried the torco accelator this year. Was trying to make race day hurt a little less. Seemed to work fairly well but for those thinking of trying it, it left a brown residue on the plugs. Made it very hard to read them and am not sure about eventual fouling. Will be going back to race fuel next season.