93 octane fuel
09-28-2014, 07:09 PM
#1
Advanced
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 97
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
93 octane fuel
I am not able to find 93 octane (or higher) fuel in Los Angeles, readily available....
I was just wondering what are you folks living in So Cal. using...
Do you think 91 fuel is just fine?
I was just wondering what are you folks living in So Cal. using...
Do you think 91 fuel is just fine?
Last edited by Caprzeland; 09-28-2014 at 08:19 PM.
09-28-2014, 07:33 PM
#2
Banned
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Chicagoland Area
Posts: 26,142
Likes: 0
Received 5,387 Likes
on
2,509 Posts
91 is just fine. If you track, buy some unleaded race gas at track.
09-28-2014, 08:29 PM
#7
Rennlist Member
91 is fine. Or you can drive to fontucky or rosamond and get 100 octane for $9/gallon.
Trending Topics
09-28-2014, 08:55 PM
#8
Race Car
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Fairfax County, Virginia
Posts: 4,014
Received 3,864 Likes
on
1,352 Posts
You would want the 93 on hot summer days when you are pushing the car hard. For normal driving, 91 is going to be fine. In a modern car, you won't damage anything with a lower octane fuel in the tank as the DME unit will simply adjust the timing when the anti-knock sensors detect a ping, and you will simply lose a few HP off the top. Hot days tax the engine more than cool days, too.
09-28-2014, 08:59 PM
#9
Advanced
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 97
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I also saw the 100 octane fuel for 9 bucks...that's the price I used to pay in Europe for normal gas...
09-28-2014, 09:20 PM
#10
Rennlist Member
You would want the 93 on hot summer days when you are pushing the car hard. For normal driving, 91 is going to be fine. In a modern car, you won't damage anything with a lower octane fuel in the tank as the DME unit will simply adjust the timing when the anti-knock sensors detect a ping, and you will simply lose a few HP off the top. Hot days tax the engine more than cool days, too.
09-28-2014, 11:12 PM
#11
Racer
Back before the present Research Octane plus Motor Octane (R+M) divided by 2 stickers on the pumps, the highest octane available at the pumps was the Chevron white pump Supreme or Union 76 Super. They were around 100+ research octane. Todays R+M divided by 2 stickers would have put them both at 96 octane.
09-30-2014, 01:17 PM
#12
Advanced
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 51
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I found a place not too far from me in Fullerton CA based on info from this site:
http://www.davebarton.com/Unleaded_Racing_Fuel_in_SoCal
There is a octane blending calculator out there in the interwebs too. I recall it being about 1 gal of 100 octane per 1/4 tank for a C2 or C2S. The C4's, turbos and GT3's have larger tanks so they might be closer to 1.25 gal per 1/4 tank.
If you find 104 or 110 octane, then the mix will obviously be different if you are shooting for 93. From what I can tell, most of these CA stations carry Sunoco GT100 (100octane) as it is approved for street legal cars and has no dyes in the fuel, unlike the race gas sold at the tracks which has dyes.
The "Butt Dyno" says it makes a difference, but it's probably only worth it if you are tracking the car or ripping to redline all day long. I did notice a difference with my 2003 E46 M3 when belnding, but not so much with the 991 C2S. May be a subtle difference I haven't picked up on yet.
HTML Code:
http://www.davebarton.com/Unleaded_Racing_Fuel_in_SoCal
There is a octane blending calculator out there in the interwebs too. I recall it being about 1 gal of 100 octane per 1/4 tank for a C2 or C2S. The C4's, turbos and GT3's have larger tanks so they might be closer to 1.25 gal per 1/4 tank.
If you find 104 or 110 octane, then the mix will obviously be different if you are shooting for 93. From what I can tell, most of these CA stations carry Sunoco GT100 (100octane) as it is approved for street legal cars and has no dyes in the fuel, unlike the race gas sold at the tracks which has dyes.
The "Butt Dyno" says it makes a difference, but it's probably only worth it if you are tracking the car or ripping to redline all day long. I did notice a difference with my 2003 E46 M3 when belnding, but not so much with the 991 C2S. May be a subtle difference I haven't picked up on yet.
10-01-2014, 12:14 AM
#13
Advanced
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 97
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I found a place not too far from me in Fullerton CA based on info from this site:
http://www.davebarton.com/Unleaded_Racing_Fuel_in_SoCal
There is a octane blending calculator out there in the interwebs too. I recall it being about 1 gal of 100 octane per 1/4 tank for a C2 or C2S. The C4's, turbos and GT3's have larger tanks so they might be closer to 1.25 gal per 1/4 tank.
If you find 104 or 110 octane, then the mix will obviously be different if you are shooting for 93. From what I can tell, most of these CA stations carry Sunoco GT100 (100octane) as it is approved for street legal cars and has no dyes in the fuel, unlike the race gas sold at the tracks which has dyes.
The "Butt Dyno" says it makes a difference, but it's probably only worth it if you are tracking the car or ripping to redline all day long. I did notice a difference with my 2003 E46 M3 when belnding, but not so much with the 991 C2S. May be a subtle difference I haven't picked up on yet.
HTML Code:
http://www.davebarton.com/Unleaded_Racing_Fuel_in_SoCal
There is a octane blending calculator out there in the interwebs too. I recall it being about 1 gal of 100 octane per 1/4 tank for a C2 or C2S. The C4's, turbos and GT3's have larger tanks so they might be closer to 1.25 gal per 1/4 tank.
If you find 104 or 110 octane, then the mix will obviously be different if you are shooting for 93. From what I can tell, most of these CA stations carry Sunoco GT100 (100octane) as it is approved for street legal cars and has no dyes in the fuel, unlike the race gas sold at the tracks which has dyes.
The "Butt Dyno" says it makes a difference, but it's probably only worth it if you are tracking the car or ripping to redline all day long. I did notice a difference with my 2003 E46 M3 when belnding, but not so much with the 991 C2S. May be a subtle difference I haven't picked up on yet.
10-01-2014, 11:35 AM
#15
Race Director
The owners manual I think though cautions against going below 90.
91 is ok but not ideal but the engine will be ok. I've lived in CA now since 2004 with my Boxster and it has had nothing but 91 octane gasoline and is still doing just fine with I might add now over 285K miles on its engine.
Even my Turbo, which I've owned since 2009 and have put around 115K miles on since buying it used in 2009 runs ok with 91.
As others have advised if you are going to the track though dump in some high octane racing gasoline, unleaded of course. Up to you but I would not cut it too fine on the octane. That is to say I would not spend any time trying to blend 91 and 100 to arrived at precisely 93. I'd just dump in enough 100 with whatever amount of 91 was in the tank to get 93+. I'd probably err on the side of caution and end up with over 93 in the tank. An engine's octane requirements goes up with use so the octane in excess of 93 is not for naught.
