What fuel brand and fuel additives?

[anton28]

Just wondering what fuel additives you guys are running and which fuel brand everyone prefers? Being in California I'm only limmited to 91 octaine. Realy want to run the best brand of gas I can and and any fuel additive to get that octane number up.

 

[Allan]

I don't worry so much about fuel brand.
Premium in my area is also only 91. I add a bottle of 104 Octane Booster to each tank when at the track, cuz I'm running the Roe SCT tune. If I remember right, it's for 94 octane fuel. I don't add it when commuting to the track, and I just don't run the motor hard when on public roads.
Have been doing that about 5 years now.

 

[FrgMstr]

There is some science behind brands of gas and what gets added.

http://www.toptiergas.com/retailers.html

I try to put only gas from Top Tier sellers in my tank.

http://youtu.be/x366kxmgqEw

 

[anton28]

I don't worry so much about fuel brand.
Premium in my area is also only 91. I add a bottle of 104 Octane Booster to each tank when at the track, cuz I'm running the Roe SCT tune. If I remember right, it's for 94 octane fuel. I don't add it when commuting to the track, and I just don't run the motor hard when on public roads.
Have been doing that about 5 years now.

Do you know if its save to run an octane booster on a daily basis?

 

[anton28]

There is some science behind brands of gas and what gets added.

http://www.toptiergas.com/retailers.html


http://youtu.be/x366kxmgqEw

I try to put only gas from Top Tier sellers in my tank.

Great info! Thanks!

 

[Allan]

Do you know if its save to run an octane booster on a daily basis?

I don't think it' the greatest idea. That's why I run straight premium for the commute, or street driving. Almost 30,000 miles of doing this.....no problems so far.

 

[anton28]

I don't think it' the greatest idea. That's why I run straight premium for the commute, or street driving. Almost 30,000 miles of doing this.....no problems so far.

Any particular reason why not?

 

[Allan]

104 booster, and probably some other brands as well, leave a reddish tint and small particulate on the spark plugs. On a few motors I have dis-assembled, (104 used) that stuff is accumulated on the valves, coats the top of the piston and combustion chambers. Doesn't seem to be a problem, but for some reason, makes me a little uncomfortable.
So I drive without it whenever I can to try to 'clean things up'. I only use the 104 to try to protect the motor from the tune I'm running with 91 octane fuel. My 2006 motor has knock sensors, but I don't want to be bouncing off the borderline of detonation all the time WOT at the track. What I'm doing seems to work OK for me. -not recommending it for everyone, just posting an answer to your original question.

 

[anton28]

104 booster, and probably some other brands as well, leave a reddish tint and small particulate on the spark plugs. On a few motors I have dis-assembled, (104 used) that stuff is accumulated on the valves, coats the top of the piston and combustion chambers. Doesn't seem to be a problem, but for some reason, makes me a little uncomfortable.
So I drive without it whenever I can to try to 'clean things up'. I only use the 104 to try to protect the motor from the tune I'm running with 91 octane fuel. My 2006 motor has knock sensors, but I don't want to be bouncing off the borderline of detonation all the time WOT at the track. What I'm doing seems to work OK for me. -not recommending it for everyone, just posting an answer to your original question.

Good info!

 

[Dom426h]

cuz I'm running the Roe SCT tune. If I remember right, it's for 94 octane fuel.

His(and most others) standard package is three tunes 91/93/94 so you have one for each of the common available hi-oct. fuels.

IMO, your better off running the tune for whatever fuel you can get and not worrying about pouring any extra crap in the tank.

Consider this too: On my 97GTS running 93oc there was no benefit in adding timing over the stock tune. We(DC Performance & my dyno guy in DE) added timing until the motor audibly pinged on the dyno then stopped. No increment above stock produced anymore power over the stock timing.

From this experience my advice to others is to leave the timing alone and only use the other parameters of the tune to adjust A/F, throttle response, ect...
Adding fuel in the lower rpms where she was lean and tweaking the rest to get a flatter A/F is what made my motor happy.

Perhaps the creampuff Gen2's and Gen3's are diff? I dont know, but would love to see a dyno output of A/F & power with increasing timing to know for sure before just throwing the tune on and hoping for the best. Or even worse driving in fear of detonation leading you to drive conservatively. Think about how silly that would be...

I just don't run the motor hard when on public roads.

Whether an open backroad is calling, a Vette wants to play on the freeway, or a fan wants me to "get on it" and put on a show, ...I am game



+1 on using TopTier Fuel
Shell & Exxon around here

 

[MoparMap]

I've generally heard that the octane boosters don't do a whole lot either, just more stuff to worry about. Thought I remember reading somewhere that a can of booster will barely raise the octane rating of a full tank by even a point, let alone several. Part of it may have to do with where you are in the country though. 91 is the highest readily available around me (there might be a 93 station here and there if I looked hard enough), but I've hard pretty good luck. I run 87 in my 5.7 Hemi in my Dart and haven't ever heard any pinging (aftermarket fuel injection and igntion, so no knock sensors to save me). Granted I don't push the timing real far, but the stock tune in the MSD box says it's for 91 and it seems to run fine so far. I don't push the envelope too hard at cruise and wide open though. Cruise is set to around 15:1 AFR and WOT is around 12.8-13.

 

[FrgMstr]

The OP needs to just see if it runs without knocking on 91 and go from there....and buy good quality gas with the proper detergents in it. I would rather than that use an "octane booster" all the time just due to the deposits that those are famous for leaving behind. There are some lengthy posts here by Tom ( a smart guy versed in the industry ) and while already versed on a lot of this stuff, he really opened my eyes to gas additives. Look for Tom's post in this thread. http://forums.viperclub.org/threads/625036-OK-Tom-Let-s-Talk-GAS!!?highlight=techron He has some more as well that will be worth looking up.

 

[FrgMstr]

Here is a quote from one of his posts I just looked up..

Years ago the EPA mandated additives in all gasoline sold in the US to keep injectors clean. The reason was emissions - plugged injectors are unequal in volume delivery and the feedback system can only regulate the average. Therefore some cylinders would run rich or lean, contributing to higher emissions.

Gasoline will be slow to oxidize while vehicles sit, since they are not hot. You may experience gasoline decomposition over a long winter in your lawnmower, but more than likely the hard starting is because the more volatile components have evaporated and there isn't sufficient vapor to ignite. Weeks of inactivity should never cause a problem.

For example, the industry standard fuel injector plugging test uses a 2.2L Chrysler turbo. The dyno cycle simulates 15min at 55MPH, then engine off for 45min. The injectors near the turbo cook the fuel. Plugging can occur within a few thousand miles.

Gasoline marketers have unfortunately found ways to minimize this additive "cost" and deposit complaints are again becoming more prevalent, though not what they once were. Recently a new performance criteria approved by the US OEMs called "Top Tier Detergent Gasoline" was established to get back to a way gasoline marketers can differentiate themselves. Now some can say that they have "enough detergent to satisfy the OEMs" rather than just saying they "have some detergent" (which anyone in the US can say, since it's a requirement.) This higher level will certainly keep injectors clean and should also clean them up.

Injectors can be cleaned very well with additives in the tank; there isn't a chemical treatment conducted externally that does better than a good "full fuel system treatment" bottle. The fuel rail or external cleaning merely saves you the trouble of driving while cleaning and you lose the "aha!" feeling of a sudden change because they are cleaned over a few hundred miles.

The only trick is to look for a bottle that says "complete fuel system cleaner" and do NOT bother with fuel injector cleaner. The difference between all these products is the additive treat rate; they all use one of two types (or both) and then only in different amounts. Here's the secret: any detergent at a low dose can clean carburetors... a little more and it cleans injectors, too. More yet and it can clean intake valves also. Add some more and it can clean intake ports and start to clean combustion chambers. It is essentially dose related, not different chemistries. So make sure you get the bottle that implies "complete" or "total" fuel system cleanliness.

As a highly proactive approach, add a bottle to your tank every time you change the oil, but before you change it. The reason is that much of the fuel additive finds it's way into the engine oil and you would be better off not carrying it around in the oil for the entire drain interval.

 

[Dom426h]

I miss Tom...

but, o well, all of his posts are searchable and still relevant.
Good job digging that one up FrgMstr