"Octane Boosters" for VQ37 Motor
 

I have a new 2013 370Z with a totally unmodified (so far) VQ37 motor. The "91 Octane" engine performance seems to vary by oil company. Chevron has been OK so far. No pinging, just not enough grunt. In any event, I have tried Lucas "3X Octane Booster", STP Octane Booster and "Super 104". Does anyone have an opinion on getting the most out of the the stock motor via fuel additives or are all of the after market "Octane Boosters" just boosting us with snake oil?

snake oil :twocents:

Octane is measuring a resistance to knock. If you increase this resistance without modifying your spark timing, it is a waste of money. Being able to advance spark timing closer to the MBT timing value is how extra performance is gained.

I wouldn't waste my money on junk.

Premium is whats required, And that the only thing that should go in your tank whenever possible.

Save your money for more gas to drive around in.

Enjoy

I heard sugar works well :twocents:

:iagree:

By the way, those octane boosters that say they raise your octane by like 4 points...
What they mean is from 91 to 91.4, not from 91 to 95
So they're BS, if you want higher octane, go buy Toluene...
But at $20/gallon, the cost effectiveness turns to crap, and to increase your overall octane in a tank by 1 would cost more than $40

Check this video fro "5th Gear"
 

You can buy toluene at Sherwin Williams (114 octane) 5 gallons for $35. Much cheaper if you buy a 55 gallon drum (that's a lot!). You only need a touch over 2 gallons with 16 gallons of 91 octane to bring up total octane to 94. But some say you need to use additional lubricants to protect interior surfaces of the fuel tank and lines.

Oh and toluene is often used to bring up bad oil to 87/89/91 octane levels.

possibly not the best joke to make on a site frequented by many young and maybe inexperienced drivers.

My car uses Splenda

... Toluene is 103 AKI. AKI, is what the US standard is for gas. (What you see on the pump)

So using that info, your calculation is a bit off...
And in CA you can't buy Toluene actually (just saw the OP is in CA)

I used to use Toluene a LOT back in the day, so I've done all the calculations and figures... I HAD an excel sheet too, but I recently deleted it because it's just not worth the cost...



And about the need to add lubricants, you don't need to add any if you use Toluene, but you'd need to use something like Marvel Mystery Oil if you used Xylene

Ohh crap sorry. I was mixing up RON with AKI

Engine are design and tuned for certain spec/octane-value. For a normal OEM spec engine you won't get any difference between 91 or 94 since they are tuned for 91.

If you put 89 or 87, that you will lose hp and fuel-economy, and it give stinky exhaust.

I tried 87, 89, 91 and 94 before, not with the Z but my previous cars.

And I am sticking with 91 since I see no difference on performance and fuel-economy between 91 and 94.


You found yourself the answer :tup:

Now you can save those money and buy yourself a beer <== a liquid that your money well spent on :tup: