best octane booster?
 

is there any really good octane booster like maybe the 104 brand? or would i be better off mixing cam2 racing fuel with premium.

read the bottles close. they mention they will raise them up to 4 points some will be 2 points . they don't mention each point is =.10 so if you add the amount they tell you into the given amount of fuel it can only turn 87 octane into 87.4.

okies trying to get rid of pinging with high compression wiht out just running straight racing fuel hehe. i tried prestone octane booster with no luck. has anyone ever tried mixing the racing fuel wtih the premium pump gas?

Put in a different cam to reduce your dynamic compression. I assume you have tried backing off on your timing. What type of engine is this and what are the specs and application?

pretty much everything about the engine is posted in my gallery, dont want to retype it cause its allot hehe:)

You can mix fuels to get the octane you want.
Here in CA we have 100 octane racing unleaded at a few stations. It's like $9 /gallon.

I've mixed it with premium unleaded to raise the octane on occasion.

If you have cats make sure you are using unleaded racing fuel.

I checked your gallery...:( -Rework your fuel system to run E85 or Ethanol exclusively. Unfortunately even then you will have problems. You probably need 110-120+ octane fuel (R+M)/2. You could always put the engine in a trailer queen show truck. Otherwise trash the engine and write it up to experimentation and build another one with proper components and specs. The engine as built is almost useless, a classic example of "bigger is better" syndrome. -Sorry.

well think i may try mixing race fuel with premium and if that doesnt work tear it down and drop the compression some hehe:)

octane booster
 

Anthony351W, the stuff sold as octane booster isn't all that effective. Yes, it sometimes works, but the increase you get for the money you spend is not even close to cost effective. You could consider mixing in a gallon of xylene or toulene with 10 gallons of premium and see what happens. The octane you need isn't going to be available from a small bottle. Is racing no lead available in your area ? That would be great, but it is usually scary exspensive. You could change cams or heads or pistons, but that might be more work than you want to do right now. The E85 suggestion is probably just what your truck needs. E85 has an r+m/2 of 109, and has triple the latent heat of vapourization of gasoline. It would be very happy in a 12 to 1 engine. You need to jet the carb a bit bigger and maybe change the ignition timing. I would go 25% bigger (flow area ) and then lean down from your new starting point. one range warmer plugs and a very hot thermostat would help too. Where in Ala are you ? Is this engine a daily driver ? DinosaurFan @ work, lunchin'

yeah this is my daily driver 1980 ford f 150 4 x4. not good on gas thats for sure:P not that i expected it to be lol

That engine was built entirely wrong. Best to dump it and build another for available fuels.

whats actualy wrong about it besides the fact it needs high octane? because it actualy runs great:)

It really is NOT running anywhere close to great. The compression is way to high for the fuel available today. With the high compression it has to be de-tuned with retarded timing to even run which makes it far less efficient than an engine with the proper compression ratio. The cam is also too large for efficient operation. The manifold is wrong for street operation. The carb is too large for street operation in a heavy vehicle. This combination would be OK for high RPM operation doing weekend racing in a mud pit somewhere or in a Mustang built for the dragstrip but it is all wrong for efficient operation in a heavy truck on the street. As I said b4 it is a classic example of "Bigger is Better" syndrome or something like Desktop Dyno misuse/misapplication.

I had an old FE 390 back in the late 60's with 12.5:1 and some similar specs pushing 500HP and it took 115-130 octane fuel, either Phillips Flight Fuel which was a 115 octane super premium or 130 octane Aviation fuel. Back then it did run great and was a screamer that revved like an Indy car but it only got 4-8 MPG. I would not even think of operating it today.

Xylene has an octane rating of 118, and you can have up to 1/3 or so in a mix. You could make 100 octane out of the 92, or 112 out of the E85.

Careful.... usually anything 110 and higher is lead based.