High Octane Fuel

[EMZ R33]

Hi all,

Just recently ive decided to take advantage of the 98 octane 10% ethanol blend of fuel and can't say that ive had too much success. Just wondering if anyone else out there is in favour or against this type of fuel. I have noticed that although my car (R33) runs smoother and the fuel is currently seller for alot cheaper (1.30 per leter in adelaide) my car stalled as i was rounding a corner and if scared the crap out of me.....the stearing got really heavy (power assisted stearing failed) and i had to really struggle to keep the car on the straight and narrow. No damage done, but just wondering if anyone out there has had simular occurances since running an ethanol blend of fuel.

I went the the following web site when looking into ethanol fuel and as the article states under the "Will Ethanol damage my vehicle or affect its performance?, and i quote "If very Ethanol rich fuel is used this may cause an engine to stall. Which may be what has happened with my incident.

Website = http://www.raa.net/page.asp?TerID=146

Anyways just wondering if anyone else has had a situation like this. Also which brand of high octane fuel are people using out there, eg shell, caltex, mobile etc.

Kind Regards Evan

[Mr Italy!]

Crickey, thats pretty bad.

But i dont plan on using ethanol fuel anyways. Not for me.

[PTR33]

I have run 2 full tanks of "Boost 98" (50+ litre fills so old fuel dilutution will be about 97%) and I will not be using it any more.

This is in a 89 VR4 Galant so Skyline experience may be different...

The car does not start as well cold and if the engine is hot and you try starting after about 10-30 minutes it takes several seconds of cranking and when it does fire it will not idle, just dies. You have to give the engine a rev to about 2000rpm for it to settle to a stable idle.

Economy is noticably poorer too. 400km before filing up and I get 450km on Ultimate or Optimax.

My final word?

Leave the ethanol in beer where it belongs, not in your fuel!

[latino_90]

Used that Optimax Extreme 100 Octane with 5% ethanol a few times after the 3rd tankful, it caused my car to jerk while driving and the check engine light to come on for some reason.

Went back to BP Ultimate, never saw these problems again.

[EMZ R33]

Thanks for the info guys....i think its a matter of "what you pay for is what you get".....

Ethanol may be cheaper and better for the environment ( as has been stated in the opening post link) but it doesnt, as far as i can gather, make the car run smoother or more economically.

All the best guys and girls,

Regards Evan

[Sydneykid]

For some months we have been running 5 X Skylines (1 X R32GTST, 2 X R33GTST’s, 2 X R32GTR’s) and 1 X Stagea on Optimax Extreme 100 ron and can only report good things. More power, better response, less knock, cleaner plugs in all cases and similar fuel economy in most cases. Slight improvements in economy have occurred occasionally, but never any worse economy. They have varying amounts of modifications, from a simple boost up, intercooler, SAFC tune for 165 rwkw in the Stagea to a full on 450 rwkw in the R32GTST.

Thus far I have only tuned one of them specifically to run on 100 ron, the R32GTST. Plus one of the R33GTST’s now satisfactorily runs the default Power FC ignition mapping, which it wouldn’t do before due to noticeable knock.

cheers

[PTR33]

Ran the VR4 down until the fuel light came on and filled up with Ultimate so there could only be abour 1/2 a litre of ethanol left in there...

Starting problem fixed...

From now on I drink the ethanol courtesy of the Bundy Bear and my car gets straight petrol.

[D-limo]

I heard Brazil is running 85% f**king ethonol.... Can't be too bad?

[PTR33]

fine if your engine is designed for it, look at how many race cars run Methanol... but more is worse in a "petrol" engine

[Guest Mashrock]

umm tuning?

[D-limo]

Yeah would tuning allow a turbo import to run say 40-50% ethonol with simular power to what you started with?

[IBOO57]

Ethanol is an Oxygenator so ideally you need to tune your car to get the full benfits of it.

As it burns it creates oxygen (good thing) thus allowing you to add more fuel to create more power. Generally your AF Ratio will will be leaner by about 1 whole point.

ie if your AF ratio is 12.5:1 on normal 98 and you then run E98 your AF Ratio will lean out to about 13.5:1 so you need to enrichen it to make up for the oxygen created during the combustion process. E98 when tuned correctly will also allow about 3 or 4 degrees of further advanced timing so it is definately a good thing in performance engines but will produce the results when tuned on it.

Street Commodores made an extra 30 KW at the wheels on a Tuned Clubsport by using ethanol based premium. The car was already making 230KW at the wheels using LS1 edit software and breathing mods then run on E98 and retuned the Fuel mixtures and ignition advance for a healthy gain.

I delivered 200 liters of E85 (85%ethanol 15% PULP) to a business in Sydney the other day to convert there drag car to run on it. Currently runs 8s on Methanol.....

[SS#eater]

ummm just a thought since when has your steering going heavy had anything to do with the blend of fuel your running...check your power steering fluid for a start...

[Ghostrider]

Does everyone know what ETHANOL really is???????

Us old timers have been using ethanol as a fuel improver for years, a Shell garage that used to be on the corner of King Georges Rd & Princes Hwy at Blakehurst used to pump it out of the ground at the bowser, and a BP service station on corner of Terry St & King Georges Rd used to pump it as well.

Sydneykid should remember these 2 places.

The difference is, in our younger days they called it different names, Shell was Methyl Benzine, BP was Benzol, Ampol was Toluol, but bottom line is, it's all the same stuff as the new wonder drug for cars, ETHANOL.

If your car is tuned to run on it, it can only be better in every way. The problem I guess with most of our EFI cars today, without some tricking up, the factory ECU's can't recognise the difference and hence the problems.

As a youngen, I used to get in Sydney a super (leaded for the juveniles) grade fuel that was often 105 ron octane. It was marketed by Boral under the name FLEETWING 100 and it really is a pity we can't get anything like it these days, unless buying specialised performance fuels.

Cheers, D

[Kinks]

^^ erm, not the same thing. Ethanol is C2H6O and Methyl Benzene (Toluene) is C7H8.

Toluene increases octane but has no oxygen component. It's also a denser hydrocarbon than Ethanol.

Brazil certainly is running on 85% Ethanol, and good on them. It's more sustainable than pumping dino juice out of the ground.