Octane Boost

[Mattman]

Dude
I am happy you can run 87 in yours. I wish i could too, it would certainly save alot in gas money, But unless I use higher octane I bog knock stutter, It's an ugly ride. I would gather you are right about the engines, Other than 16 valves I don't know of much more of a difference. Geez if someone can tell me to do something different so I can run 87 I am all ears.

 

[gsBert]

octane and there are 2 standards here, RON, and ROZ, basically measures a fuel's ignition pressure/temperature.

here is the reason for high octane fuel: high compression or turbocharged engines (high compression is over 10:1) increase the temperature of the intake charge (because of the compression) to the point where the mixture ignites before the spark happens. this is BAD and is perceived as pinging.
the solution is to add stuff to the fuel to make it LESS combustible.

your high performance but still relatively low compression engine cannot burn all the fuel youre pumping into it under the best circumstances, so why make it worse by using high octane?

if your gs pings with 87 octane (probably caused by using super), you need to decarbonise your engine, just run some water mist through it at the carbs intake for a while, or fix the timing.

there are 2 ways to store a bike for the winter:
- empty the tank and the carbs
- fill it all up but put stabilizer in the fuel first

i prefer the stabilizer as the empty carbs tend to dry out all the seals and i have to buy a new set of o-rngs in the spring.

as you noticed your bike ran better after you flushed the high octane out. that's simple enuff to figure out, it became able to burn all the fuel and therefore extract all its power.

 

[Anonymous]

...Other than 16 valves I don't know of much more of a difference.

No difference there. The '81 has 16 valves, too.

 

[Mattman]

Thanks for the fact, I did not know that. still If I run 87 I bog and stall.

 

[earlfor]

Factory spec for my 85 1150 is 89 octane. I run the same in my 83 1100. No problems with either bike.

Earl

OK my 2 cents. I run high octane with some boost when i can. as well as CAM 2 I put the cheap stuff in, and let me tell ya. low octane in a 83 1100e does not run well. I do agree with dumping and starting over to much of a good thing is never good.

 

[Anonymous]

Hmmm. Manual for my 82 1100E says any fuel with octane above 85. If I run premium, it runs no differently, but the plugs always indicate too high an octane rating (reddish color). Same when I run 89, too.

 

[Hoomgar]

The 1982 KZ550 I just sold wanted 93 or 94. Any less and it would ping. Engine wear most likely.

The 78 GS1000 I am riding right now burns 87 octane all day long with no complaints.

Both engines are stock. Everyone's situation is unique. If your engine has issues, sometimes running a higher octane can calm it down and I have even seen it improve fuel economy on those engines. But if your engine runs like it should on the low octane fuels then that is what you should burn in it.

 

[joeadams]

Seriously... can anyone else back this up?

The article said its because when gas sits it loses its octane rating, and by boosting it you revive it up to, and a bit past what its suppose to be, and that extra octane helps remove built up gunk in your gas. (because apparently when gas sits for a long time it glumps up.)

Octane is not a chemical that will clean out your gas....this is where the problems always start in octane discussions.

Solo2 is right on the money in his explanation. Octane is a rating (done chemically and very complex) of a fuels resistance to detonation. It's ability to be squeezed into a tight place rapidly and not explode. This is why diesel fuel has a very high octane rating...like 180 or 200 or something really high like that. Racing gas with a high octane can be squeezed to a higher compression ratio, like 14:1. Diesels run like 40:1...and passenger cars 9:1.

Not to be a jerk but I'm fairly sure that Diesel fuel has a much lower octane number than common gasoline. I don't have the book in front of me but I think it is generally about 50 octane. If it were super high octane, race gas wouldn't be expensive at all, you could mix your own.

 

[lecroy]

Not to be a jerk but I'm fairly sure that Diesel fuel has a much lower octane number than common gasoline. I don't have the book in front of me but I think it is generally about 50 octane.

Your just stating the facts... Diesel does have a LOT lower octane number than gasoline. The whole point of the diesel is to autoignite the fuel. The timing is set by start of injection. Of course the HCCI gasoline engines run in a similar manner.

 

[Guest]

For diesel they use a different rating system, it is centane. It is a value of 40 or more. Also octane is a hydrocarbon chain consisting of 8 (oct) carbon atoms chained together.

For more information check out this link:
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question90.htm

 

[Acme]

Octane booster

Octane booster

Just use a quart of Xylene with a full tank of gas. Xylene is 117 octane, so a quart of Xylene would be 94.4 octane with 4 gallons of gas.
Xylene is already in gas, so you won't hurt anything.
You can buy Xylene at and hardware store ....Plus, it cleans inside your motor....

Below are the specs on gasoline...

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=


Material Safety Data Sheet SECTION 1 PRODUCT AND COMPANY IDENTIFICATION

CHEVRON and TEXACO PREMIUM UNLEADED GASOLINES
Product Use: FuelProduct Number(s): CPS201019 [See Section 16 for Additional Product Numbers]
Synonyms: Calco Premium Gasoline, Chevron Premium Unleaded Gasoline, Chevron Supreme Unleaded Gasoline, Texaco Power Premium Unleaded Gasoline
Company Identification
Chevron Products Company
Marketing, MSDS Coordinator
6001 Bollinger Canyon Road
San Ramon, CA 94583
United States of America

Transportation Emergency Response
CHEMTREC: (800) 424-9300 or (703) 527-3887
Health EmergencyChevronTexaco Emergency Information Center: Located in the USA. International collect calls accepted. (800) 231-0623 or (510) 231-0623
Product Information
Technical Information: (510) 242-5357

SPECIAL NOTES: This MSDS applies to: all motor gasoline.
SECTION 2 COMPOSITION/ INFORMATION ON INGREDIENTS


COMPONENTS CAS NUMBER AMOUNT Gasoline 86290-81-5 100 %volume
Benzene 71-43-2 0.1 - 4.9 %volume
Toluene (methylbenzene) 108-88-3 1 - 17 %volume
Ethyl benzene 100-41-4 0.1 - 3 %volume
Xylene (contains o-, m-, & p- xylene isomers in varying amounts) 1330-20-7 1 - 15 %volume
Butane 106-97-8 1 - 12 %volume
Heptane 142-82-5 1 - 4 %volume
Hexane 110-54-3 1 - 5 %volume
Cyclohexane 110-82-7 1 - 3 %volume
Methylcyclohexane 108-87-2 1 - 2 %volume
Pentane, 2,2,4-trimethyl- (Isooctane) 540-84-1 1 - 13 %volume
Naphthalene 91-20-3 0.1 - 2 %volume
Ethanol 64-17-5 0 - 10 %volume
Methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) 1634-04-4 0 - 15 %volume
Tertiary amyl methyl ether (TAME) 994-05-8 0 - 17 %volume
Ethyl tert-butyl ether (ETBE) 637-92-3 0 - 18 %volume


Motor gasoline is considered a mixture by EPA under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The refinery streams used to blend motor gasoline are all on the TSCA Chemical Substances Inventory. The appropriate CAS number for refinery blended motor gasoline is 86290-81-5. The product specifications of motor gasoline sold in your area will depend on applicable Federal and State regulations.



SECTION 3 HAZARDS IDENTIFICATION




====

 

[Poot]

besides, its always good to store your tank full, so you dont get condensation and rust.

 

[UncleMike]

Re: Octane booster

Re: Octane booster

Just use a quart of Xylene with a full tank of gas. Xylene is 117 octane, so a quart of Xylene would be 94.4 octane with 4 gallons of gas.
Xylene is already in gas, so you won't hurt anything.
You can buy Xylene at and hardware store ....Plus, it cleans inside your motor....

Who is this? It seems all her posts are about adding Xylene to your tank.

 

[Acme]

Re: Octane booster

Re: Octane booster

Just use a quart of Xylene with a full tank of gas. Xylene is 117 octane, so a quart of Xylene would be 94.4 octane with 4 gallons of gas.
Xylene is already in gas, so you won't hurt anything.
You can buy Xylene at and hardware store ....Plus, it cleans inside your motor....

Who is this? It seems all her posts are about adding Xylene to your tank.

I saw where someone mentioned Octane Booster was crap and didn't raise octane as advertised, 93 to 93.4 rating. So I posted this info.
Our club members use it in our Turbo Buicks, Grand Nationals, T-Types and Turbo Trans Am's, Syclone's ....etc. We run a lot of boost on the street, since racing gas isn't available everywhere, Xylene helps us keep our boost high without denonation. I have other tips also , I won't post them anymore

 

[UncleMike]

No, feel free. Just wondering considering that eight of your nine posts previous to this last one were basically the same.

Just thought you might be a rep for Xylene!