[dazednconfused75]

Has anyone tried putting Turbo Blue racing fuel in their SVTF? I think it's 110 octane and at 3 bucks a gallon doesn't seem like that much any more.

 

[BlackFSVT]

What is the point? Probably would be unhealthy for it if anything.

 

[Seattle944t]

The 110 octane is probably loaded with LEAD unless it specifically says its unleaded racing fuel. Thus kiss your O2 and Cat goodbye in short order.

 

[dalola]

...keeping in mind, octane is a fuel's rating for RESISTANCE to ignition.

Why would you even consider this for a stock SVTF?
~Dave

 

[dazednconfused75]

I believe it's unleaded. I figured if 93 is good then 110 would be better. It might be fun to dyno it.

 

[deezlins]

the only way i could see it helping would be if the car reckognized it was alot higher octane gas and advanced timing or somethin? If it did help i doubt it would be enough to even warrant doing it. It could help alot if you had some kind of forced induction or somethin though.

 

[lourenco]

I can buy 100 or 104 unlead gas locally. I would try that before leaded gas. My car will require higher octane much sooner than any n/a car.

 

[blueSVT2911]

The car isn't calibrated to run it so the ECU won't take advantage of it.

 

[DaleZX3]

Boy have I heard this one too many times!!!

Octane DOES NOT simply equal more power. The fact is octane is less volatile then the primary content of pump gas, which I believe, is heptane.

The primary reason for high performance cars to use higher-octane gas is to combat detonation. I believe octane is of lower energy content than heptane.

MAXIMUM POWER IS MADE WITH THE LOWEST OCTANE THAT AVOIDS DETENTATION!!! Octane does not simply equal more power. It is a give and take. Take lower volatility of octane to combat the detonation problem of higher compression ratios and force induction and the out come is more power.

We have that trade off with our SVT Focus’s higher compression, so in exchange for using premium gas the higher compression gives extra power. The higher octane is to help save the pistons from the evils of detonation and destruction, not for more power. Think of octane as protection not more power.

Final word, if your car doesn't need the higher octane because of high compression ratio or force induction then you are SIMPLY WASTING YOUR MONEY BUYING HIGHER OCTANE fuel.

Hope that helps clear up the issue.

Dale

 

[SonicBluSVT 02']

^^^^what he said!

 

[dalola]

This whole octane rating method started back at the beginning of the 20th century, for aircraft engines.

The reference fuels are Isooctane and n-heptane, with octane numbers of 100 and 0, respectively. So, a fuel with an (test)octane rating of 92 means that the fuel performs as a mixture of 92 parts Isooctane, and 8 parts n-heptane.

Modern standards also incorporated more procedures, resulting in RON, MON, and PON, but that's a another story!

Bottom line, use the minimum octane required!
~Dave

 

[dazednconfused75]

Thanks for shining some very informative light on a very shady subject. It was just a thought.

 

[SonicBlue2002]

And I always thought my color was nicknamed "turbo blue". After all, Sonic Blue is the fastest!

 

[ASUFocusZX3]

Then in theory if you could use 89 octane and not have detonation at the same timing that is in our cars, you would have a slight increase in power because the fuel would burn hotter. Is that what I am taking from this too.

 

[dalola]

ASU, octane refers to the fuel's resistence to ignition. Thus, the lower the octane, the lower the temp required to ignite it. Power is gained by the precise timing of the ignition, not necessarily the burn temp.

Ford has determined that maximum performance, and absence of detonation, is achieved with a minimum of 91(PON) octane, for a stock SVTF. A lower octane increases your chances of experiencing preignition, while a higher octane will be of little benefit. Ford, like other mfg's, spends countless hours researching and determining parameters for engine performance, and reliability. If you are unsure, following mfg recommendations is always a good idea.
~Dave

 

[SVTBuckeye]

'N thing,
Is this the average number of Research and Motor Octane,Which is what the government mandated on the pumps,or is this someone advertising Octane using the Motor number only? which I believe is the higher of the two.

When is "octane number" not octane number?! when it is not defined.

 

[Nalar]

Then in theory if you could use 89 octane and not have detonation at the same timing that is in our cars, you would have a slight increase in power because the fuel would burn hotter. Is that what I am taking from this too.

This is true, but not necessarily due to the ignition temperature. From my understanding, if the timing isn't optimal with 87 regular, moving to a higher octane rating gas may allow the engine to advance the timing. A friend of mine with a 2001 Protege ES 2.0 had quite a discussion about this on a different board. 87 was recommended for his car, but he switched to 93 (I forget why exactly) and noticed a difference after 50 miles or so. Obviously, it won't make a difference for most engines, and putting 110 in a Focus that's NA and barely tuned would be stupid.