Ok, here is my question:

Since I am located in California, where there is not 92 octane available anymore, could I use the 101 octane gas and the 91 gas in a mixture to help with my pinging problem?

I tried the 101 alone and WOW what a differance it made, I am not too concerned with cost due to the fact that work pays for all of my fuel, buit I do not want to waste it if there is not going to be any improvements.

What do you think, half and half?
1/4 101 3/4 91?

 

Hi FORDTRK,

Engines love to be tuned for higher octane, but they do have to be tuned specifically for it, or it's a waste in these late-models.

When mixing different octane fuels like that, the results are pretty much linear, I.E., mixing 5 gals. of 100 & 5 gals. of 92 are goint to result in 10 gals. of 96 octane.

In California, there is a more apparent different in fuel quality these days between different brands of premium gasolines, due to most of the pump premiums now being 91 octane. Chevron is doing the best job out there, has a good energy content, and is still supplying as much as 93 octane to the pumps in some cases, even though it says 91 on the yellow sticker. You may get 91, 92, or even 93 octane with Chevron out there, overall, Chevron is about the best pump premium you can get in California these days.

Anything over 94 octane is a waste even with the Superchip, unless we specifically tune for the ultra-high octane. In your case, what I would suggest is to mix your fuel so that you end up with about 94 octane. There's no sense in using any more as it will be a waste and you'll make less power than you would with about 94 octane, and no sense in spending more of your company's money than you'll really see a benefit from.

Good luck!

 

Hey Mike I am glad this was brought up. All stations including Chevron in my town have taked there octane rating down due to something being taken from the gas. The octane level for supreme is 90 now. I have had no pinging problems yet and have run thru two tanks now. I have the standard superchip. Any reason for me to be concerned?

 

What ratio do you think I should use to obtain the 94 octane level? I have access to the Chevron 91 octane and the Trick Racing Fuel 101 octane.

Thanks for the info!

 

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Hi bmsgolf,

90 octane premium is generally (there are a few exceptions) not seen anywhere other than very high altitude, as even California still has 91 octane. We have to deal with whatever it is, of course, that is just very odd to have a premium below 91 octane at "normal" altitude. Sometimes we'll see a "gasahol" blend showing only a 90 octane premium, but that is pretty rare, even they are usually higher octane, though they don't have a good energy content.

You're right, the key to whether you are "OK" or not is whether you get any detonation with the Superchip, and usually you won't. The knock sensor does it's job & signals the ECU to retard timing, and that quells any detonation before the driver can even hear it. So as long as that is the case, you're OK to use the Superchip with that 90 octane, it just won't make quite as much power compared to a good quality 91-94 octane.

Make sure to check that with radio off, and windows down and windows up. A really nice test is radio off, driver's window down, & running alongside a median barrier, or any barrier where the sound from the vehicle bounces right back at you and in the driver's window.

If you happen to track your fuel mileage, it would be interesting to see if mpg drops a bit from this 90 octane.

Good luck!

 

I will keep you updated on that. I haven't noticed a drop in mileage yet, but have been monitoring it. I will try the barrier sound test today.

Thanks for your continued help and support!

 

A word of warning about high octane gasolines....
Although it may not be an issue in California...the rest of us need to verify what we put in the tank when buying high octanes. Most, not all, of the 98+ octane pump gas available has some lead in it...this includes track gas.

Lead and O2 sensors don't mix. Even a few gallons of leaded fuel will ruin the accuracy of your O2s and trash cats.

Just verify that the gas is truly "unleaded".

 

That's a good point, and one that is discussed here with some regularity.

These days more and more people are finding access to ultra-high octane unleaded racing gas, primarily at drag strips, and some other places as well. You're absolutely right, in many places it's easier to find leaded or "low-lead" racing gas as opposed to unleaded, and you should always double-check before pumping.

It seems that how much of it is leaded or unleaded varies with the type of tracks that are in a given area. The drag strips usually tend to have the unleaded racing gas more often, and the round tracks tend to have more leaded, from the feedback that we get from people all across the country, in addition to what we actually see ourselves.