robyw1

It will do a number on your plugs too. I learned a long time ago that if you need octane then use race gas. When you get serious with boost then your crazy to think a driveway blend is going to get you the numbers you need. For awhile we had decent luck with a Toluene mix but even that gets pricey.

Roby

2112

ROBY

Are you also referring to the Torco?

What about in higher compression/ non supercharged applications?

Toluene? What kind of success? Was cost the only downside? It is hard to get since the meth labs use it too.

Personally I need something portable to get me by when the only thing at the pump is 89 and I need to get home.

Mac;

If Torco spilled, would it melt through the boat?

CigDaze

...and a siphon.

Tierre Verde is where I've been going, it's king of a pain though - and pricy. It would be great if I could take care of fueling at my home port.

Thanks.

robyw1

Just the 104 Octane Boost seem to foul the plugs. When I say foul I mean under high boost it would be flame out time. idle and normal engine operating would be fine. 104 leaves a rust colored residue on the spark plugs that limits performance and shortens plug life. Also I have found that it leaves that same residue on the exhaust valves - not that that hinders performance. Below I have pasted a little info on Toluene.

Toulene
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.

toluene was used extensively in the turbo era in the 1980s by all the Formula 1 teams. The 1.5 liter turbocharged engines ran as much as 5 bars of boost (73 psi) in qualifying and 4 bars (59 psi) in the actual race. Power output exceeded 1500bhp, which translates into 1000bhp/liter, an astronomical figure.

Mindful of the evil reputation of octane boosters in general, toluene is a very safe choice because it is one of the main octane boosters used by oil companies in producing ordinary gasoline of all grades. Thus if toluene is indeed harmful to your engine as feared, your engine would have disintegrated long, long ago since ordinary pump gasoline can contain as much as 50% aromatic hydrocarbons.

Toluene is a pure hydrocarbon (C7H8). i.e. it contains only hydrogen and carbon atoms. It belongs to a particular category of hydrocarbons called aromatic hydrocarbons. Complete combustion of toluene yields CO2 and H2O. This fact ensures that the entire emission control system such as the catalyst and oxygen sensor of your car is unaffected. There are no metallic compounds (lead, magnesium etc), no nitro compounds and no oxygen atoms in toluene. It is made up of exactly the same ingredients as ordinary gasoline. In fact it is one of the main ingredients of gasoline.

Toluene has a RON octane rating of 121 and a MON rating of 107, leading to a (R+M)/2 rating of 114. (R+M)/2 is how ordinary fuels are rated in the US. Note that toluene has a sensitivity rating of 121-107=14. This compares favorably with alcohols which have sensitivities in the 20-30 range. The more sensitive a fuel is the more its performance degrades under load. Toluene's low sensitivity means that it is an excellent fuel for a heavily loaded engine.

Toluene is denser than ordinary gasoline (0.87 g/mL vs. 0.72-0.74) and contains more energy per unit volume. Thus combustion of toluene leads to more energy being liberated and thus more power generated. This is in contrast to oxygenated octane boosters like ethanol or MTBE which contain less energy per unit volume compared to gasoline.

Because toluene is such an effective anti knock fuel it also means that it is more difficult to ignite at low temperatures. Thus too strong a concentration of toluene will lead to poor cold start and running characteristics. I recommend that the concentration of toluene used to not exceed what the engine is capable of utilizing. i.e. Experiment with small increases in concentration until you can no longer detect an improvement.

Manos

Can any one advise please if on a 150 VMAx TRP Yamaha 2-strokes would be OK if I use octane booster plus mix another 1:100 oil in the main fuel tank on top of what the engine gets from its own set up so I give more lubrication?

This is for our racing boat

L9X25

Nick,

I think you need to remove those horrible Prochargers and you would save money on fuel, save money on insurance, save the drives and make refueling much more convenient! Yea ... that's the ticket ... think economy and convenience!

I'll even help you dispose of those terrible things!

Leo

mcollinstn

Manos, what cranking compression you running on those Yammies?
Unless you are running some tight heads, I wouldn't think you'd need additional octane.

And "extra" oil in the gas?? If it were my race motor, the oil injection would have been disconnected a long time ago. One less variable to worry about...

If you are dead set on keeping the injection, then an additional 100:1 mix will be helpful, but you'll need to examine your plugs for a lean condition and possibly rejet.

CigDaze

The wrenches get put into action after the holidays.

L9X25

Nick,

You are certainly more level-headed than I could ever be! Regardless of the realities of life I could never give up the power once I had the oppotunity to experience it.

Leo

37Talon

Don't ever try to substitute gas octane rating with octane booster. I religiously use 92 or 93 octane gas and 1 bottle of VP C5 (which they don't make anymore, but was replaced with VP octane booster) for every 20 gallons of fuel. The C5 bottles contained less and treated 20 gallons. The new octane booster has more in it and they say it treats 25 gallons. The difference is mainly in the concentration. So use the bigger bottle to treat 20 gallons and it is about the same as C5...I swear by it and so do my blower motors with 10 lbs.