what type of fuel you guys run on? Options

[pr_caralho]

Like it says 87, 91 or more? whats better for performance or gas milage?

[BonzaiCelica]

The highest we have in Cali is 91 octane = 95 ron.

93 octane = 98 Ron
94 octane = 100 Ron
High Compression Dual/Single VVT-i Beams and 3SGTE motors require 100 ron, I believe you can run 98 ron on a 3sgte or 3sge at its full potential in stock form. So an alternative is toluene.

Now, toluene is a natural byproduct of manufacturing gasoline from crude oil, so adding It to your gas tank wont have any adverse effects.

As of 1/1/2017 Toluene is $125 for a 5 gallon at Walmart! YIKES

“Q: Will toluene damage my engine or fuel system?

A: A 5 or 10% increase in the aromatic content of gas will most likely be well within the refining specifications of gasoline defined by ASTM D4814, which specify an aromatic content of between 20% and 45%. What this means is that if the 92 octane gas that you started off with had an aromatic content of say 30% and you increased it by 10% to 40% you would still be left with a mix that meets the industry definition of gasoline. So the above question would amount to: "Will gasoline damage my engine or other parts of my car?"

Even in the unlikely event that the 92 octane gas has an aromatic content of 45% the resulting mix would still be within the bounds of gasoline sold in other countries.”


“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 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, 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. The higher heating value of toluene also means that the exhaust gases contain more kinetic energy, which in turn means that there is more energy to drive turbocharger vanes. In practical terms this is experienced as a faster onset of turbo boost.

Chevron's 100 octane aviation fuel shows that toluene comprises up to 14% alone and is the predominant aromatic hydrocarbon.

Sunoco 260 GTX has 35-45% Toluene and 50-60% Alkylate and that has a octane rating of “98” (R+M)/2. That’s a race fuel

I also found that 260GT with ethanol has 30-40% Toluene and 80-85% Alkalyte. The Toluene rating dropped 5% because the Ethanol added was 5%, so less Toluene was needed. That is a street legal octane rating of “100” (R+M)/2. And that’s a street legal fuel.

Alkylate(can't be bought) is a high-octane, branched hydrocarbon mostly made of isooctane and isopentane. Isooctane has a octane rating of 100 (R+M)/2

Toluene(sold as Toluol) occurs naturally at low levels in crude oil, but is separated into pure form after the processing of crude oil.

The toluene content is controlled by OSHA, but the alkylate content is controlled by Sunoco, so they can add as much as they please, but can’t add as much toluene. Because toluene is a byproduct of alkylation, and is readily available, we can add that to our gas and save money while getting a higher octane rating.

(whatever octane you normally use)*(gallons of it) + (114)*(gallons of it) / Tank capacity = New octane rating

Integra have 13.2 gallon tank. A GSR with 12:1 CR and TODA VTEC killer cams, ITB’s,etc. And your tuner said you need 100 octane. Now, you can go buy it for $8.50-10 bucks a gallon or make it using 9.2 gallons of 93 octane and 4 gal of toluene.

Using the formula: (93*9)+(114*4.2)/13.2 = 99.68 (R+M)/2

13 gallons of 100 octane is $104 @ $8/gal
13 gallons of 100 octane is $130 @ $10/gal
9 gallons of 93 octane @ $3/gal is $27
4 gallons of toluene at $15/gal is $60
Total is $87
$87 or $104/$130? Which is better for you to get the “same” octane rating?

By “same” I mean this:

“You don't know for sure if you are really getting what is being advertised. You should find out if the fuel inspectors verify the actual octane of the racing gasoline in addition to ordinary gasoline. If you paid $3/gallon and only got 94 or 95 octane instead of 100 octane you may conclude erroneously that your car does not benefit from octane boosting.

You don't know what octane boosters are used in racing gasoline. Worst case scenario is buying leaded racing gasoline without knowing it. Unleaded racing gasoline may still contain damaging octane boosters like MMT or methanol. A very high alcohol content will lead to fuel line erosion, accelerated fuel pump wear, very poor fuel economy and possibly lower performance, as alcohols have a less impressive MON rating than aromatics.

It takes smaller quantities of toluene to achieve the same octane boost comparing 100 octane racing gas.

Racing gas tend to have higher markups being of interest to the performance minded enthusiast and is very likely to be more expensive to buy and use long term than toluene (paint thiner).


This post has been edited by BonzaiCelica: Mar 14, 2017 - 7:35 PM