Gasoline - Top Tier for 2024

[Burla]

One of chris fixes best vids was his youtube on octane...

What is the BEST Fuel to Use in Your Car or Truck and WHY

Ever wonder what grade gasoline should you use in your car (what octane)? Are you paying for premium gas when you can just use regular? Are you using regular...

youtu.be

 

[heefageLA]

It's not about a hotter burn. It is about the correct ignition timing for the cylinder pressure. For naturally aspirated (non turbocharged) engines, this is about compression ratio. Higher pressure compression ratio engines need higher octane gas to prevent knocking. Lower pressure compression ration engines do not.

Using a higher octane gas than your compression ration requires to prevent knocking results in deposits from unburned fuel the engine can't ignite.

This is the physics of combustion.

Forgive the ignorance, this is a learning question. Diesel engines use, if im right, low octane fuel with crazy high compression.
Totally different fuels but it contradicts the bold above.
Whats the difference? I know gas = spark plugs, diesel = glow plugs (or used to)

 

[HEMIMANN]

Forgive the ignorance, this is a learning question. Diesel engines use, if im right, low octane fuel with crazy high compression.
Totally different fuels but it contradicts the bold above.
Whats the difference? I know gas = spark plugs, diesel = glow plugs (or used to)

roughly think of cetane (diesel) rating being the opposite of octane (gasoline) rating.

cetane goes up with easier ignition

octane goes up with difficult ignition

The reason these two differing measures of fuel ignitability were invented were to assess which fuel rating to use depending on which environment you were in.

You need diesel fuel with higher cetane in colder weather, or with older engines with low compression, otherwise the engine won't fire.

You need gasoline with higher octane in engines with higher compression, or added turbos and blowers, otherwise the engine will detonate.

 

[HEMIMANN]

One of chris fixes best vids was his youtube on octane...

What is the BEST Fuel to Use in Your Car or Truck and WHY

Ever wonder what grade gasoline should you use in your car (what octane)? Are you paying for premium gas when you can just use regular? Are you using regular...

youtu.be

Have not heard of this tuber, I agree it is complete and excellent for levels of gas engine owners. I did leave the following comment:

I'm retired from a lifetime in the oil and vehicle profession, this is the most complete video I've seen, thank you. A minor nit re: octane ratings - you correctly denote engine knock sensors should not be in knock mode as a routine, then go on later to say using less than recommended octane is fine when "recommended" but not "required". This is not true - the WAY the knock sensors work is by detecting knock repeatedly in order to retard ignition timing - first in short time mode, then in long time mode. This is UNDESIRABLE. It will cause damage over time to cylinder parts. For those wanting maximum engine life (cars are so expensive now), this is important. Owners SHOULD use the recommended and required octane fuel, and only use less than recommended octane fuel on rare occasions where they can not find recommended octane fuel.
One final note - using higher than recommended octane does two things: (1) promotes incomplete combustion because the ignitability of the fuel is higher than the engine can easily combust, (2) leaves unburned hydrocarbon deposits for the same reason.

The conclusion is to always use fuel with the octane rating in your owner's manual with top tier additives to maximum engine life. Period.

Edit - this still does not answer HOW mid-grade octane gas behaves in engines recommending it, like our HEMI's, due to 89 being blended 87 / 91.
Maybe I'll write the "Shell Answer Man" (70's flashback). When I wrote them last year about something, they actually gave me a useful answer.

 

[Burla]

roughly think of cetane (diesel) rating being the opposite of octane (gasoline) rating.

cetane goes up with easier ignition

octane goes up with difficult ignition

The reason these two differing measures of fuel ignitability were invented were to assess which fuel rating to use depending on which environment you were in.

You need diesel fuel with higher cetane in colder weather, or with older engines with low compression, otherwise the engine won't fire.

You need gasoline with higher octane in engines with higher compression, or added turbos and blowers, otherwise the engine will detonate.

Chris fix is a good resource, he isnt like motor city mechanic who works on hemi's all day long, but he is a true internet hands on guy. He was the guy who boroscoped a bunch of fuel treatments, in his tests only sea foam through vac lines did much cleaning. I respect the guy more then project farm but he is of similar ilk. Not saying I dont respect project farm, just that much of his stuff is totally irrelevant. His channels is one of my favorite, maybe top 5, but that's where it would be 5. Search chris fixes youtube channel, it is loaded.

 

[Burla]

dude has 10 million subscribers, lol. Guess that is what he does for a living.

 

[HEMIMANN]

Chris fix is a good resource, he isnt like motor city mechanic who works on hemi's all day long, but he is a true internet hands on guy. He was the guy who boroscoped a bunch of fuel treatments, in his tests only sea foam through vac lines did much cleaning. I respect the guy more then project farm but he is of similar ilk. Not saying I dont respect project farm, just that much of his stuff is totally irrelevant. His channels is one of my favorite, maybe top 5, but that's where it would be 5. Search chris fixes youtube channel, it is loaded.

Sea Foam?

That's just naptha solvent, isopropyl alcohol, and an oil carrier. SDS confirms it.

 

[Burla]

Sea Foam?

That's just naptha solvent, isopropyl alcohol, and an oil carrier. SDS confirms it.

process, through vac lines, makes all the difference watch the vid if you like.

 

[Wild one]

Sea Foam?

That's just naptha solvent, isopropyl alcohol, and an oil carrier. SDS confirms it.

You're old enough,you probably remember the old school spray water in the intake manifold trick,to clean the carbon deposits off the pistons and valves,lol.

 

[HEMIMANN]

process, through vac lines, makes all the difference watch the vid if you like.

Unsure why that'd matter instead of through the injector? How would the injector nozzle stay clean?

 

[HEMIMANN]

You're old enough,you probably remember the old school spray water in the intake manifold trick,to clean the carbon deposits off the pistons and valves,lol.

I'm so old I remember water injection into jet engine generators to lower NOx in the exhaust.
Cummins was trying file a patent for diesels when I left.
They $hitcanned all their new product guys for batteries and fuel cells.

Say, how's THAT transition gone?
Oops! Another EPA cheating fine instead.
Oh, well!

 

[Wild one]

I'm so old I remember water injection into jet engine generators to lower NOx in the exhaust.
Cummins was trying file a patent for diesels when I left.
They $hitcanned all their new product guys for batteries and fuel cells.

Say, how's THAT transition gone?
Oops! Another EPA cheating fine instead.
Oh, well!

Us dinosuars have seen some old time tricks,lol.

 

[Burla]

Unsure why that'd matter instead of through the injector? How would the injector nozzle stay clean?

100% solvent in combustion chamber versus mixed with 25 gallons gas, it is very effective, watch the video. I bet it would clean cats as well.

Does Seafoam Actually Work in a Car? (with Proof)

In this video I test Seafoam in a Honda Civic Si. I use a mini borescope camera to look into the engine and see how dirty the engine is before the fuel treat...

youtu.be

 

[Burla]

Unsure why that'd matter instead of through the injector? How would the injector nozzle stay clean?

and btw it does nothing for the injectors, to answer that part.

 

[Wild one]

Way back when i was a kid in the 70's i knew a local mechanic who used to pull the plugs and spray the old caustic oven cleaner in the cylinders,he'd let it sit till he got all the plugs back in,then he'd take it out and drive the hell out of it for 20 minutes. Kind of makes me wonder if he was onto something,even makes me wonder if doing an oven cleaner spray first,followed up with a seafoam clean,might be something to look into

 

[HEMIMANN]

Way back when i was a kid in the 70's i knew a local mechanic who used to pull the plugs and spray the old caustic oven cleaner in the cylinders,he'd let it sit till he got all the plugs back in,then he'd take it out and drive the hell out of it for 20 minutes. Kind of makes me wonder if he was onto something,even makes me wonder if doing an oven cleaner spray first,followed up with a seafoam clean,might be something to look into

That $hit was so toxic they told you to open up the windows and leave the house. Some kind of caustic lye soda, or some such. Surprising it didn't dissolve the the enamel paint. Maybe it did if you left it too long?

 

[HEMIMANN]

and btw it does nothing for the injectors, to answer that part.

Right - so we use the tank mix stuff to prevent carbon buildup instead of wait until there's a problem and resort to extreme measure to remove extreme buildup, is where I'm going. And hence, PEA in gas.

 

[Burla]

God I miss the 70's

 

[Burla]

Right - so we use the tank mix stuff to prevent carbon buildup instead of wait until there's a problem and resort to extreme measure to remove extreme buildup, is where I'm going. And hence, PEA in gas.

no disagreement here, lol

sea foam are for guys who werent paying attention in ram forum classes here at RFU.

 

[MontanaHandyman]

God I miss the 70's

...and in those days you could pop the hood and actually see the engine!