Home made ocatane booster.

[90AWDTalon]

I did some research on DIY octane booster. At my local track the only unleaded fuel they have is Sunoco 100, it costs $5.80 a gallon and when mixed with 92 octane it doesn't make a big difference. I was talking to some one at the track and he said he was using toluene.

I found a recipe that goes as follows for one gallon of booster:
100 oz toluene for octane boost
25 oz mineral spirits (cleaning agent)
3 oz tranny fluid (lubricating agent)

here's the link http://www.vtr.org/maintain/gasoline-octane.html

Anyone have any experience's or idea's about this, good or bad?

 

[out there]

i did some looking on this topic a while back, and i came to the conclusion that it's a waste to put anything other than straight toluene or xylene into the tank. toss 2 gallons of toluene or xylene into the tank when you're at 1/4 or lower oh yeah... 100+ octane fuel, what's knock?
i haven't bothered to try it yet, i don't have the need for octane that high with the stock turbo, maybe next summer after the big turbo and the fmic are done...

 

[Defiant]

Your best answer is found in asking the other racers what they're using. If it's not caught on, particularly at a track, it probably isn't worth doing.

 

[90AWDTalon]

My main concern is if there are any adverse effects to running toulene. And if so can they be minimized if I only use it at the track and as soon as I'm done go to the gas station and fill up to dilute the remaining toulene.

 

[focusedrage]

grain alchol boys, that boosts octane and spirits, good for both you and your car, and can be made easily, but illegaly

 

[90AWDTalon]

I just found the MSDS's for Sunoco racing fuels doing a google search. Toluene is one of the things they put in there race fuels. Its hard to tell the how much, they give a range, but it appears the be the second most of the ingredients. They also use xylene, MTBE, and a couple of others I've found will doing research of DIY race fuel. I think if I can find some where to buy, I'll try it out. 2 parts 92 octane plus 1 part toluene makes 100 octane.

 

[out there]

look around on vfaq, you'll find a link to a page about making octane boost stuff. delve a little further, and you'll discover info about each of the main ingredients. rubbing alcohol is a really cheap octane boost fluid, it's 100 octane... but it eats aluminum, so i don't think anything more than 10% grain alcohol would be a good idea...
kerosene is also 100 or 110 octane... i'll have to look, but i believe it can be safely run without being diluted and not cause any sort of funky problems like leaded fuel does. any thoughts or more accurate info on this? i'll look around and post anything i find that disproves the info i just stated about kerosene

 

[Defiant]

Originally posted by out there

kerosene is also 100 or 110 octane... i'll have to look, but i believe it can be safely run without being diluted and not cause any sort of funky problems like leaded fuel does. any thoughts or more accurate info on this?

Good god. No, no kerosene. Unless you're a jet.

 

[out there]

yeah... i found that out early this morning, it must've been something else used as a different type of fuel that could work... grr... can't remember...

 

[90AWDTalon]

I went to buy toluene today, but no one sells it anymore. They took it off the shelves because it is what all the huffers use to get high. I got 2 gallons of Xylene instead. Its 117 ocatane so I'll get about 1 extra octane compared to toluene, but it looks like toluene is the prefered booster. I was hopping to get to the track tomarrow with about 1/4 tank, it looks like it'll be closer to 1/2 though. So Instead of 100 octane I'll end up with about 98 octane. I also got Marvels Miracle Oil to add lubrication because the xylene will dilute the lubricants in the pump gas.

Durring my research last night I found this interesting fact. Back in the '80's when F1 used 1.5 liter turbo engines, running up to 75psi of boost, and making 1500 horsepower. They used almost pure toluene for there fuel. It was 86% toluene and 14% some filler, I forget what it was, because they weren't allowed to run more than 112 octane and straight toluene is 114 octane.

 

[Enigma_Man]

Toluene and Xylene are added to gasoline as it is, so adding more is perfectly safe, personally I wouldn't add any oils, gasoline doesn't need to lubricate much (all I can think of would be the pump, and possibly the injectors?).

So, get a few gallons of Xylene (they sell it in 5 gallon cans if I remember correctly, and it'd be the better deal) and dump in a couple at a time to a nearly empty tank to run some fun boost

-Jesse

 

[stanfosd]

while toluene and xylene are IMO the best way to boost octane ratings, there are some things you want to remember....

Neither toluene nor xylene contain lubricants. Therefore, it is important to add some when you add these to your gas. Otherwise, it will begin to damage you fuel pump, injectors, and possibly the fuel lines and fittings. Add about 10oz of MMO to the tank to help. This has not caused any negative effects that I have seen.

Also, it is suggested that you do not run over a %30 mix of toluene/xylene (3 parts gasoline to 1 part toluene/xylene). Our engines are designed to run on gasoline, and I do not want to find out if there is a problem with running too much toluene/xylene and where that threshold is. I run 30% mix with no problems.

 

[90AWDTalon]

Originally posted by stanfosd
while toluene and xylene are IMO the best way to boost octane ratings, there are some things you want to remember....

Neither toluene nor xylene contain lubricants. Therefore, it is important to add some when you add these to your gas. Otherwise, it will begin to damage you fuel pump, injectors, and possibly the fuel lines and fittings. Add about 10oz of MMO to the tank to help. This has not caused any negative effects that I have seen.

I already got the mmo, but thanks for the advice.

Originally posted by stanfosd

Also, it is suggested that you do not run over a %30 mix of toluene/xylene (3 parts gasoline to 1 part toluene/xylene). Our engines are designed to run on gasoline, and I do not want to find out if there is a problem with running too much toluene/xylene and where that threshold is. I run 30% mix with no problems.

3 parts gas and 1 part toluene is actually only a 25% mix. 2 parts gas and 1 part toluene is 33% mix. You forgot to add the 1 part toluene to the total. 3 gallons gas + 1 gallon toluene = 4 gallons total, 1 gallon toluene / 4 total gallons = 25% mix.

Thanks for the responses, it makes me all the more confident in doing this. I just need to find a source for toluene, from what I have gotten from my research it is cheaper the xylene. Damn huffer's, how any one can fun getting high with this stuff is beyond me.

 

[stanfosd]

Originally posted by 90AWDTalon
3 parts gas and 1 part toluene is actually only a 25% mix. 2 parts gas and 1 part toluene is 33% mix. You forgot to add the 1 part toluene to the total. 3 gallons gas + 1 gallon toluene = 4 gallons total, 1 gallon toluene / 4 total gallons = 25% mix.

Yes, you are right. That is what I meant. That'll teach me to post anything halfway serious between fixing network and computer problems.