Octane booster...jet fuel?

[denise]

  I was gonna buy some octane booster at the grocery store when I noticed a big paper tag on the bottle that said "MADE WITH JET FUEL".

  Jet fuel nothing but kerosene.  Can I just put a little bit of kerosene in my gas instead of paying $6.99 for a tiny bottle of it?

-denise

[John #22631]

Denise,
Jet fuel is nothing but highly refined and filtered kerosene. In a lot of instances it will contain an additive called "Prist" which is an anti-icing agent for use in the fuel to prevent "Icing or Gelling of the fuel at high altitudes.
Jet fuel is combustible, not flammable, and anything under a 20 to 1 compression ratio will not cause this product to burn completely.
Me? I wouldnt waste my money. Whatever your going to put it in should run fine on premium pump gas. If the vehicle is pre 75 then adding a lead substitute is good for the valve seats as a cushion, but all these additives do is put money in the pockets of the marketers.

Im not advocating any particular brand of gasoline, but run the tank down to the bottom and fill it with Amoco Premium. After that tank is about 3/4 gone I think you will notice a difference in how the car runs,idles, and performs.

BTW that comes from from a person who has worked in the petroleum business for 26 years and works for Gulf and Exxon.
Man, am I a traitor!!!

[Fred Garfield 22310]

As far as I know, the reasons for boosting octane are to pull more power out of high compression engines and to avoid damage to engine components from pre-ignition. Is your engine losing power and knocking?

[Bruce Reynolds # 18992]

You are right Fred,

The Octane Booster is to allow these pre-pollution engines, and those with higher than normal compression to run without pre-igniting, or "Pinking" as it is known in the industry.

Continued pre-ignition can damage a motor, as it is the result of the ignition timing of an engine being too far advanced and the fuel is "combusting too fast, and therefore is trying to force the piston backwards, but the crankshaft momentum is continuing forward.   Eventually, the piston could be destroyed, or the big end bearings could start to collapse.

Actually, the Octane Booster, and Lead, cause the fuel to not burn up as fast, and therefore, create more power as it continues burning, and expanding on the firing stroke, pushing the piston down.

Racing fuel is very slow burning, and therefore those engines require even greater Ignition advance.   My Dragster required 40 degrees at 3,000 rpm, and I was running 12.5 to 1 compression.   That sort of advance on a street engine would result in a destroyed motor, if it could be started that is.

Bruce,
The Tassie Devil(le),
60 CDV

[denise 20352]

  Well, it isnt knocking and pinging yet because its still on the stand and hasnt been installed, but Im afraid that I wont be able to give it optimal spark advance without pinging.  I had a 70 Toronado that had 10.5:1 compression, and it preferred to run on Avgas.  I had to set the timing back a little to run premium unleaded.

  Im still not sure what the compression ratio is going to turn out to be.  Summit says that the pistons should give me 10.2:1, but when I calculated it by comparing the difference in volume between the two pistons, and assuming 8.2:1 before, I came out with 10.8:1.  Thats higher than most new cars, and the newer cars are equipped with knock sensors that retard the timing.

-denise

[denise 20352]

  Another concern that I have is pitting in the valves and seats.  My valves are still sealing, but there are some pits.  Is there an additive, safe for catalytic convertors, that can control that?

thanks

-d

[Fred Garfield 22310]

Okay, ratio unknown, power curve unknown. Sounds like youre just going to have to experiment when the engine is in the car, tinkering with timing, mixture and booster titration until youve optimized performance.

Hard to know which booster is going to be right for whatever engine youve got. In my case, it was a no-brainer. A 1959 stock 390 calls for TEL -- 0.75 ounces of TEL per gallon of 92 octane supreme yields 100 octane, 2 points above GMs recommended minimum.

[Geoff Newcombe #4719]

Fred,
Where do you get TEL (tetraethyl lead)?   Illegal to sell it here as far as I know.  I sometimes throw in 5 gallons of av-gas when I fill my 60 Cads tank.

[Fred Garfield 22310]

I order it 6 gallons at a time from this mom-and-pop in Indiana --

http://www.maxlead2000.com/ TARGET=_blank>http://www.maxlead2000.com/

They send it in quart form -- in a "plain brown wrapper."

[Fred Garfield 22310]

BTW, heres a handy little toolbox I just came across --

http://www.csgnetwork.com/automotiveconverters.html TARGET=_blank>http://www.csgnetwork.com/automotiveconverters.html

[Bruce Reynolds # 18992]

Thanks for that Fred.

I have added it to my Computer "tool box"

Bruce,
The Tassie Devil(le),
60 CDV

[John #22631]

Fred,
Not only are these tables very useful, but highly educational as well. I spent quite a while reading the information given here. Thanks,
John