Notices
ScoobyNet General General Subaru Discussion
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:

Looks good value as an octane booster

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 20 May 2010, 11:24 AM
  #1  
IN THE STICKS
Scooby Regular
Thread Starter
 
IN THE STICKS's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: I'm still around in deepest Essex, now with a Fiesta ST-2
Posts: 3,024
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default Looks good value as an octane booster

I was looking at this the other day http://www.opieoils.co.uk/p-60223-mi...treatment.aspx

Millers Petrol power Ecomax , it's an 'octane booster and detergent package adding 2 octane numbers to unleaded fuel.' For under £13 for enough to treat 10 tanks it looks very good value compared to other octane boosters , and certainly works out cheaper to use this than pay the premium my local garage charges for super unleaded over 95 RON . I checked with Millers Customer service and they confirm it will increase the RON by 2 points . Any thoughts on this product

Dave
Old 20 May 2010, 11:30 AM
  #2  
scooby L
Scooby Regular
 
scooby L's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: CHIPP'N HAM
Posts: 3,931
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

Looks good... very good

looking for the catch....

Quick question, by adding this to super unleaded (and raising the RON to 99-101), would my STI return any more torque/power? or just reduce the chances of DET within the current ignition advance parameters

Last edited by scooby L; 20 May 2010 at 11:32 AM.
Old 20 May 2010, 11:42 AM
  #3  
IN THE STICKS
Scooby Regular
Thread Starter
 
IN THE STICKS's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: I'm still around in deepest Essex, now with a Fiesta ST-2
Posts: 3,024
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by scooby L
Looks good... very good

looking for the catch....
Yeah me too
Old 20 May 2010, 12:07 PM
  #4  
0ctane
Scooby Regular
iTrader: (1)
 
0ctane's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: South Africa
Posts: 99
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

You have to be careful... "2 points" is ambiguous, but often when an octane booster is very cheap, 2 points is 0.2 octane, not 2 octane.
Old 20 May 2010, 02:16 PM
  #5  
harvey
Former Sponsor
iTrader: (48)
 
harvey's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Darlington
Posts: 10,419
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Default

As above, 2 points is2?10 of 1 RON ie very little.
Old 20 May 2010, 03:51 PM
  #6  
JohnD
Scooby Regular
iTrader: (5)
 
JohnD's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Havering, Essex
Posts: 6,252
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Default

Ecomax's main purpose is as an injector cleaner. The 'booster' part is probably there to ensure the RON of the fuel is not lowered!
I've been using it for a while and as with these things, you don't actually 'feel' any difference.

JohnD
Old 20 May 2010, 04:07 PM
  #7  
dan83590
Scooby Regular
 
dan83590's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 3,214
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

Has nobody ever done a before and after rolling road with octane booster then?

Do you remember when Fifth Gear did the RR over high octane fuel. This prooved that high octane fuel was useless in NA vehicles but the opposite in a turbo charged vehicle (they used an impreza).

The same test should be done with these octane boosters. It's my bet that they'll be BS..
Old 20 May 2010, 04:33 PM
  #8  
Flib
Scooby Regular
iTrader: (2)
 
Flib's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Gillingham, Kent
Posts: 311
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

Fifth gear did do a test on fuel additives...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jbcCr2ll3c&feature=fvsr
Old 20 May 2010, 04:39 PM
  #9  
Peanuts
Scooby Regular
iTrader: (15)
 
Peanuts's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Portsmouth
Posts: 8,606
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

methanol ftw
Old 20 May 2010, 04:39 PM
  #10  
dan83590
Scooby Regular
 
dan83590's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 3,214
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

Shame they only talk about BHP. But i'll take a punt here and say that they are still BS..
Old 20 May 2010, 04:53 PM
  #11  
IN THE STICKS
Scooby Regular
Thread Starter
 
IN THE STICKS's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: I'm still around in deepest Essex, now with a Fiesta ST-2
Posts: 3,024
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

Thanks guys , but I did check with Millers customer service who replied '
YES IT WILL GIVE YOU 2 OCAINS PUTTING 97 T0 99'

which I found a bit hard to believe , even more confused now
Old 20 May 2010, 05:08 PM
  #12  
JohnD
Scooby Regular
iTrader: (5)
 
JohnD's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Havering, Essex
Posts: 6,252
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Default

Originally Posted by IN THE STICKS
Thanks guys , but I did check with Millers customer service who replied '
YES IT WILL GIVE YOU 2 OCAINS PUTTING 97 T0 99'

which I found a bit hard to believe , even more confused now
Yes, I've just looked at the bottle and it says 2 octane NUMBERS! NOT points.
It is a little hard to believe with a mix ratio of 1000:1

JohnD

Last edited by JohnD; 20 May 2010 at 05:10 PM.
Old 20 May 2010, 06:10 PM
  #13  
0ctane
Scooby Regular
iTrader: (1)
 
0ctane's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: South Africa
Posts: 99
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

Octane boosters do work, and how much they work is pretty much dependent on what you pay for them. In the end you get what you pay for, so if you're going to get 10 tanks for £13, it's not going to be nearly as effective as an octane booster that treats 1 tank for the same money. I'm also willing to wager that you will get 2 RON using the whole bottle, not 1/10th of a bottle.

Old 20 May 2010, 06:38 PM
  #14  
GC8
Scooby Regular
 
GC8's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Sheffield; Rome of the North
Posts: 17,582
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

NF is usually the answer to your question. Millers do make one decent product, but it makes NF look cheap.
Old 20 May 2010, 06:40 PM
  #15  
0ctane
Scooby Regular
iTrader: (1)
 
0ctane's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: South Africa
Posts: 99
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thumbs up

You can never go wrong with NF !
Old 20 May 2010, 07:00 PM
  #16  
Peanuts
Scooby Regular
iTrader: (15)
 
Peanuts's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Portsmouth
Posts: 8,606
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

NF stinks to high heaven and you have the awkward measuring at the pump scenario.
Mind you, I used to put my methanol into lemonade bottles and got some funny old looks ditching 2L of Schweppes into the tank before filling up
Old 20 May 2010, 07:10 PM
  #17  
0ctane
Scooby Regular
iTrader: (1)
 
0ctane's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: South Africa
Posts: 99
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by Peanuts
NF stinks to high heaven
You're not supposed to sniff the bottle
I can't say I've ever noticed the smell when simply pouring it into the tank.
Old 20 May 2010, 08:43 PM
  #18  
T5NYW
Scooby Regular
iTrader: (4)
 
T5NYW's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: MY99UK-MY02STi-MY99Type R-MY06 T20-MY11 340R-MY05 TYPE25
Posts: 11,468
Received 22 Likes on 19 Posts
Talking

Originally Posted by Peanuts
NF stinks to high heaven and you have the awkward measuring at the pump scenario.
Measure !!!!!! I'v always use a whole tin per tank

Although my car is mapped to 98 ron I have always use Optimax and NF just as a precaution when giving it some stick

Tony
Old 21 May 2010, 10:10 AM
  #19  
NEILB1
Scooby Regular
iTrader: (9)
 
NEILB1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: WIGAN
Posts: 1,367
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

i was alway told to put normal unleasded in my uk02 wrx. SHOULD I be putting something different in it,

The car is standard by the way
Old 21 May 2010, 10:21 AM
  #20  
harvey
Former Sponsor
iTrader: (48)
 
harvey's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Darlington
Posts: 10,419
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Default

Exactly as GC8 says.
Octane, I think you are slightly biased.

The Fifth Gear Test was flawed and alright for filling 20 minutes light television but it actually served little purpose.

If you want to conduct an octane booster test it is relatively simple if you have a mappable ECU. You do not need a rolling road. Simply run the car on the petrol you intend to stick to and advance the ignition to optimum and without DET.
Now add octane booster at a specific percentage/ratio (which you must stick to. Increasing slightly is OK, reducing is a big NONO) and refil with the same fuel to full. Subaru tanks are generally 62 litres to full. Now see how much ignition advance you can run. With NF and Miller's CVL you will add several degrees. Ignition advance = torque = power.
Unfortinately the Miller which is around £7 a bottle needs a full bottle to treat 20litres. This works out very expensive.
The NF is 300 ml per bottle. 1ml per litre has a noticable effect and 2 mls adds nearly 2 RON. 3mls per litre is the maximum I ever run but the effect on power after appropriate mapping is VERY noticable. After 3ml/litre the fuel must become saturated.
Many people run 1ml/litre happily and if the car is mapped at 1ml/litre and you then add 1.5ml/litre for regular use you have added a safety margin.
NF at 300 mls per bottle, I sell at £12.50 a bottle so do the maths for yourself.

For the Fifth Gear test to have been useful the test cars would have to have been remapped on petrol, rolling roaded, run with petrol plus octane booster and remapped again and the RR results then compared.
Adding octane booster that works to a car without remapping will add safety but if the ECU is already at maximum advance it cannot advance any more without a remap and therefore power output will remain the same.
Old 21 May 2010, 10:30 AM
  #21  
harvey
Former Sponsor
iTrader: (48)
 
harvey's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Darlington
Posts: 10,419
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Default

Neil, with my knowledge of these engines I would be inclined to run your WRX UK on super or better still Shell V-Power or Tesco 99.
If performance is of interest to you just a remaap on your car will make a noticable difference.
Old 21 May 2010, 10:48 AM
  #22  
T5NYW
Scooby Regular
iTrader: (4)
 
T5NYW's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: MY99UK-MY02STi-MY99Type R-MY06 T20-MY11 340R-MY05 TYPE25
Posts: 11,468
Received 22 Likes on 19 Posts
Thumbs up

Originally Posted by harvey
.
Unfortinately the Miller which is around £7 a bottle needs a full bottle to treat 20litres. This works out very expensive.
The NF is 300 ml per bottle. 1ml per litre has a noticable effect and 2 mls adds nearly 2 RON. 3mls per litre is the maximum I ever run but the effect on power after appropriate mapping is VERY noticable. After 3ml/litre the fuel must become saturated.
I have only ever use the 500ml Tin, from powerstation, thought it was NF butnot good at memory game!!!!
Originally Posted by harvey
Adding octane booster that works to a car without remapping will add safety but if the ECU is already at maximum advance it cannot advance any more without a remap and therefore power output will remain the same.
I totally agree

Tony

Ps.
That's what I meant to say but I can understand yours

Last edited by T5NYW; 21 May 2010 at 10:53 AM.
Old 21 May 2010, 10:58 AM
  #23  
JohnD
Scooby Regular
iTrader: (5)
 
JohnD's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Havering, Essex
Posts: 6,252
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Default

Harvey, while you're here - Does NF (which I've never used but keep meaning to give a try) have a shelf life? I have used Millers Octane Plus, in the past, just as a safety margin when I know I'm going to 'press on a bit' I am now aware that this has a shelf life and I've got a few bottles which are now quite old! The problem with these things is how long ago was it bottled, before you get to use it?

JohnD
Old 21 May 2010, 11:01 AM
  #24  
0ctane
Scooby Regular
iTrader: (1)
 
0ctane's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: South Africa
Posts: 99
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

NF has a shelf life of 10 years. Just give it a shake before you use it to make sure it hasn't settled.
Old 21 May 2010, 05:49 PM
  #25  
harvey
Former Sponsor
iTrader: (48)
 
harvey's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Darlington
Posts: 10,419
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Default

I have not found it deteriorate over time and I guess Octane knows far more about these things than me. I think the main advice is to shake it well before you use it and keep the box out of sunlight/ultra violet light. I would guess the same advice applies to the Millers Octane Plus but I stopped using that several years ago when I first became aware of NF and at that time and probably now it was a demonstrably superior product.
Old 22 May 2010, 01:34 AM
  #26  
RobJenks
Scooby Regular
 
RobJenks's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 1999
Posts: 1,475
Received 12 Likes on 10 Posts
Default

Toulene is the way to go - Its a paint thinner . I think its called an aromatic in the petroleum industry.It all ready is added to our fuels to increase the octane rating.
Toulene RON 121


L of Tolulene=(Desired RON-Pump RON)/(121-Pump RON)*Tank capacity

For example:

want 100 RON end result
using 96 RON pump fuel

(100-96)/(121-96)=16%

16%* 65L tank = 10.4L of Tolulene.


Simple !
Old 22 May 2010, 07:40 AM
  #27  
NEILB1
Scooby Regular
iTrader: (9)
 
NEILB1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: WIGAN
Posts: 1,367
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Wink

Originally Posted by harvey
Neil, with my knowledge of these engines I would be inclined to run your WRX UK on super or better still Shell V-Power or Tesco 99.
If performance is of interest to you just a remaap on your car will make a noticable difference.

thanks for that, What will a remap do with regards to bhp, Only got a back box on and looking to getting a centre section this week, Other than that, Thats it for the time being
Old 22 May 2010, 08:08 AM
  #28  
harvey
Former Sponsor
iTrader: (48)
 
harvey's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Darlington
Posts: 10,419
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Default

Toluene acts as a knock inhibitor but it is not oxygenated.
For power you also need something likemethanol.
For a long time I ran a particular WRX on an 8.5% toluene and 8.5% methanol mix and power was easy to get. It was possible to advance the ignition beyond the maximum power point and encounter no DET.
The car must be mapped for the fuel mix you choose and you have to stick with that or you could cause damage.
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Mattybr5@MB Developments
Full Cars Breaking For Spares
33
29 August 2017 07:18 PM
Mattybr5@MB Developments
Full Cars Breaking For Spares
20
22 October 2015 06:12 AM
oilman
Trader Announcements
15
01 October 2015 11:55 AM
alcazar
Non Scooby Related
14
17 September 2015 04:24 AM
blackandz
General Technical
0
12 September 2015 07:01 PM



Quick Reply: Looks good value as an octane booster



All times are GMT +1. The time now is 07:22 PM.