BajaNomad - 91 octane at BOLA turnoff?

91 octane at BOLA turnoff?

John M - 7-5-2022 at 05:48 PM

Anyone know for certain (as certain can be in Baja)

John

advrider - 7-5-2022 at 06:13 PM

I don't know but I would be surprised if it was. Could you just pack some octane boost just in case?

4x4abc - 7-5-2022 at 06:34 PM

Quote: Originally posted by John M

Anyone know for certain (as certain can be in Baja)

John

what would you need 91 for?

mjs - 7-5-2022 at 07:22 PM

No. Regular only. Never a problem in our bikes but then we don't like pushing.

bajatrailrider - 7-5-2022 at 07:35 PM

My bikes dont run well on Reg have to ride easy so no pinging .

Thanks for the reports

John M - 7-5-2022 at 08:58 PM

I didn't think 91 would be available there.

To answer the question - why? - One of the fellows going is figuring which of his vehicles to drive, one really seems to need the higher octane. Yes. octane booster has been discussed.

The easy option would for me to put 91 in my gas can and carry it for him, just in case, as my truck runs fine on regular.

John M

Alm - 7-5-2022 at 09:20 PM

There is now a gas station at the BOLA turn-off? I wonder what happened to the old guy selling gas from the barrel, sometimes two of them competing on the opposite sides of the highway... I don't think anybody ever asked him about "octane"

David K - 7-6-2022 at 08:38 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Alm

There is now a gas station at the BOLA turn-off? I wonder what happened to the old guy selling gas from the barrel, sometimes two of them competing on the opposite sides of the highway... I don't think anybody ever asked him about "octane"

No, not yet... just one or two vendors selling canned gas out of their pickups.
A sign, announcing a Pemex station to be built, was placed just south of the junction on the east side of the highway. That was in 2017! I think it was from the Los Pinos tomato people (of San Quintín) who own the Cataviña and Gonzaga Bay stations and the Misiónes hotels at San Quintín and Cataviña.

bajatrailrider - 7-6-2022 at 08:57 AM

I have a Honda 250f 2021 stock engine I think it maybe ok with reg. My two Crf 230s at 11.4 comp. not happy with reg. The Wr450s shift them little more rpm. Trick is to know when they ping hold throttle so they dont ping.

pacificobob - 7-6-2022 at 10:46 AM

Most of my motorbikes will ping with low octane fuel.
Years ago I carried octane booster.....until the bottle leaked onto my sleeping bag
After that I just went easier on the throttle and tossed the octane booster.

AKgringo - 7-6-2022 at 11:41 AM

Quote: Originally posted by lencho

Anybody know how octane boosters work? I've always wondered if adding a little diesel would do the same...

Octane boosters make the gasoline less volatile, so that it won't ignite under compression (like a diesel) until the spark plug fires.

My Isuzu V-6 doesn't seem to care what I put in it, but the couple of older Kia Sportages I have like the higher octane. The best fuel economy is with 91 octane, although the difference is offset by the higher cost.

The main benefit of the premium blend is better performance at highway speeds, or pulling a load. My Kia does not ping, or "diesel" after shutting it off, but using regular while doing a lot of city, or off road driving it seems to start throwing emissions codes.

bajatrailrider - 7-6-2022 at 02:11 PM

Quote: Originally posted by pacificobob

Most of my motorbikes will ping with low octane fuel.
Years ago I carried octane booster.....until the bottle leaked onto my sleeping bag
After that I just went easier on the throttle and tossed the octane booster.

: I used to only think to bring octane booster in my backpack. Now its how much advil i can carry. :biggrin:

RFClark - 7-6-2022 at 08:47 PM

Ethanol is a good octane booster needs to be better than 180 proof and only works if you mix it with your gas, not drink it!

BajaNomad - 7-7-2022 at 08:21 PM

Quote: Originally posted by AKgringo

Quote: Originally posted by lencho

Anybody know how octane boosters work? I've always wondered if adding a little diesel would do the same...

Octane boosters make the gasoline less volatile, so that it won't ignite under compression (like a diesel) until the spark plug fires.

Some octane boosters increase volatility (alcohol) and some lessen it (aromatics like Toluene and Xylene). The main goal for an "octane booster" is to prevent engine knock, and the two tests for automotive gasoline only determine the anti-knock ability of that fuel. The two methods are the "research" method (RON) and the "motor" method (MON). The yellow sticker at the pump in the USA is the average of these two, known as the "anti-knock index" (AKI). Next time you're at the pump, look at the yellow sticker... it notes R+M/2.

The most common octane boosters on the market have been (and are likely still) alcohol and aromatic hydrocarbons. Alcohols are usually Methanol (wood alcohol), yet can be Ethanol, Isopropyl Alcohol, and perhaps Tertiary Butyl Alcohol. These are the most common octane boosters in the mass-market stores and are sold in plastic containers. They're relatively inexpensive. btw... Methanol is highly toxic - and if somehow ingested can/will cause blindness.

The most common aromatic hyrdrocarbon used as an octane booster is Toluene. It's usually the cheapest of the high-octane components of automotive gasoline and therefore the most likely one used. The other likely option would be Xylene - as either an isolated isomer, or mixed isomers (there are three Xylene isomers). Xylene has slightly higher octane numbers than Toluene, however it's usually a little more expensive and perhaps even more toxic to handle/breathe, etc. There could be other aromatics being used, however I highly doubt it. Toluene and Xylene are standard components of automotive gasoline at the pump (again, the high-octane components), yet are also sold in stores for paint thinner and solvent. They would destroy a plastic container and need to be in a metal (perhaps specifically steel) container.

I'd imagine that somewhere along the way someone may have been using Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (MTBE) as an octane booster. That stuff is great in gasoline... however it's maybe the most toxic to handle/breathe. For those unaware, MTBE was the preferred oxygenate in street gasoline (at least in California) in the 90's... until they realized the gasoline with MTBE leaking out of the single-wall underground storage tanks was ruining nearby groundwater... and when they figured that out, it was quickly removed from the reformulated gasoline being produced (re-introducing Ethanol as the preferred oxygenate). They were still using MTBE in the Pemex for quite some time after it was removed from the California/USA formulations... and for all I know they're still using it in Mexico, though I'm uncertain at the present time.

And of course there's always Tetraethyl Lead (TEL)... that was used in the early 1900's through what, the late 70's? I don't think you'll find much of that easily available... and it's highly toxic - will absorb right through your skin.

Other than the lead, using small amounts of any of those items noted above will work - but only slightly in increasing the octane. You obviously need to use higher concentrations to increase the octane significantly - and if you were to do that, it would affect drive-ability. It can also affect the specific gravity, the air-fuel mixture, etc - and there is risk of damaging the engine if using these in higher concentrations in a base fuel blended/made with drive-ability in mind.

Automotive gasoline has to meet the ASTM D-4814 standard (in the USA at least?) - which changes through the year for winter and summer blends (winter blends are more volatile to reduce hard starting and drive-ability problems and the summer blends have lower volatility to prevent vapor lock - and thus drive-ability concerns - as well as air quality concerns). The standard prior to D-4814 was D-439 (changed in late 80's I believe).
https://www.astm.org/standards/d4814

btw... if you want to increase the octane substantially without necessarily ruining drive-ability or the engine... one can consider purchasing unleaded racing gasoline, and just blending in a portion of that. I'm going to avoid comments regarding use of any leaded racing gasoline (to stay out of trouble). Certainly if the vehicle has an oxygen sensor and/or catalytic converter... the lead will destroy their ability to function properly.

Quote:

Volatility is a measure of how easily a liquid (or solid) will change into a vapor. For gasoline, it is measured by Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP). The higher the RVP, the more volatile the gasoline. While the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires lower-volatility summer gasoline, aside from any government regulation, gasoline's RVP must be limited to ensure that the fuel does not vaporize in the fuel system. If it does, the engine can stop running.

https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=11031

https://www.epa.gov/gasoline-standards/gasoline-reid-vapor-p...

https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-a-brief-history-...

https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Xylene
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK524853/

Quote: Originally posted by AKgringo

My Isuzu V-6 doesn't seem to care what I put in it, but the couple of older Kia Sportages I have like the higher octane. The best fuel economy is with 91 octane, although the difference is offset by the higher cost.

I have four different vehicles. With three of them (1995 Toyota 2.7L I4; 1987 GM L98 5.7L TPI V8; 2009 Toyota Hybrid 2.4L I4) the increase in mileage with premium makes it cheaper to operate them than using regular (with the added bonus of better gasoline ingredients... like Toluene, etc!). One of them (2000 Lexus 3.0L V6) doesn't get any better mileage with premium than with regular (nor notable performance increase)... and has no knock or ping issues using regular... so it's gets a straight diet of 87.

fyi

YMMV... literally. :biggrin:

[Edited on 7-8-2022 by BajaNomad]

Thank you BajaNomad

AKgringo - 7-7-2022 at 09:00 PM

Your information is far more educational that my hearsay account of how gasoline works!

If I really wanted to get the most highway efficiency out of my little four banger Kias, going back to stock size tires would do more for me than the grade of gas I use. Changing out the wheels every time I want to go offroad is not an option, so I pay the piper for performance.

Ateo - 7-7-2022 at 09:42 PM

Great analysis and comments Doug.

bajatrailrider - 7-8-2022 at 08:37 AM

I hear you AK my mex Nissan turbo diesel after many mods All somg delate open pipe ,free run hubs got to 33mpg. at 65mph real good for a truck . After 7in total lift 33in tires engine tuner down to 25 mpg. Price you pay for off road performance. On top of that when I visit so cal . There crap fuel hurts MPG and power so i bring extra 10 gal from Mex.

pacificobob - 7-8-2022 at 08:55 AM

Quote: Originally posted by bajatrailrider

Quote: Originally posted by pacificobob

: I used to only think to bring octane booster in my backpack. Now its how much advil i can carry. :biggrin:

X2!

David K - 7-8-2022 at 09:33 AM

'Aleve' has been my old age pains miracle pill!

bajatrailrider - 7-8-2022 at 01:25 PM

mtgoat666 - 7-8-2022 at 02:01 PM

Quote: Originally posted by David K

'Aleve' has been my old age pains miracle pill!

Try exercise, stretching and yoga (along with good diet), better than ibuprofen or naproxen.

David K - 7-8-2022 at 02:18 PM

So, those Nomads that use Advil get your blessing?

I rarely need Aleve but when I do yard work, lifting, or chores, I found Aleve (or the generic naproxen equivalent) does better than Motrin or Tylenol. It was a recent discovery after hearing my father-in-law rave about it for years.
I don't smoke dope like you, either.

SFandH - 7-8-2022 at 04:27 PM

All you need to do is use google search to read about the negative side effects of NSAIDs.

THC and CBD are claimed by many to be effective pain relievers.

[Edited on 7-8-2022 by SFandH]

Don Pisto - 7-8-2022 at 05:39 PM

Quote: Originally posted by SFandH

All you need to do is use google search to read about the negative side effects of NSAIDs.

[Edited on 7-8-2022 by SFandH]

I agree, if you want to punish your liver do it the tried and true way......alcohol! :yes:

mtgoat666 - 7-8-2022 at 05:59 PM

Quote: Originally posted by David K

I don't smoke dope

Why not?

Try it, you might like it.

RFClark - 7-8-2022 at 06:47 PM

Goat,

Clinical studies show that THC reduces your sex drive and your IQ! Ibuprofen works great!

DawnPatrol - 7-9-2022 at 07:33 AM

Fellow Nomads. Be careful of too much Ibuprofen, Advil, Naproxen and the like.

All of those stress the Kidney's if done in excess.

Not preaching here as I used to abuse the above from many years of Sports and excessive exercises and yard work.

I lost a Kidney at age 50 (not because of the above- Cancer) but since then have abstained from the stuff and only can use Acetaminophen (darn)

[Edited on 7-9-2022 by DawnPatrol]

PaulW - 7-9-2022 at 07:45 AM

Another run amuck thread.
At least John go a couple of on topic answers

Thread run amok

John M - 7-9-2022 at 08:26 AM

Just as Paul remarked.

So, to return to the original thought of 91 octane,

At Summit Racing this is one of the most preferred boosters

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/klz-kl-628

As with many things, you may be paying for the results you want. $67.00/gallom and you add 1 oz per gallon of gasoline

OCTANE BOOSTER™
• Recommended for gasoline or ethanol
enriched fuels
• Increases pump gasoline octane up to 10 numbers
• Tetraethyl lead substitute for added lubricity
• Stabilizes flame front and controls burn speed
• Cleans injectors, carburetors and
catalytic converters
• 02
and converter safe
• No MTBE
• Absorbs moisture
• Not for use or sale in the state of California

[Edited on 7-9-2022 by John M]

RFClark - 7-9-2022 at 08:40 AM

Back to Octane boosting. (How did we get off on pain killers?) The California refineries add Ethanol and Propane both raise octane. pump gas can be up to 10-15% Ethanol at times. Some of the OTC octane boosters state that they clean injectors and remove water too so they are probably some kind of Alcohol. Just plain water removes carbon deposits that can cause detonation from valves and pistons. New engines with computer controls generally don’t accumulate as many carbon deposits as older engines did.

mtgoat666 - 7-9-2022 at 08:47 AM

Why would you need to adjust octane in a late model vehicle? Modern cars are pretty good at knock sensing and self-adjusting ignition. Just run the recommended fuel, and your vehicle will run fine, the computers in cars will take care of minor variations in fuels by region or season.

If your car is not running well on normal fuel, perhaps you screwed up the car monkeying around under the hood, eh?

RFClark - 7-9-2022 at 09:39 AM

I had a late model car 7 or 8 years ago that required 91 octane gas. It didn’t run well even on 89 octane gas. This thread is about improving whatever the guys selling gas at the BofLA turn-off sell as “gasoline” to run in things requiring higher octane.

Generally, emission computers retard the spark when they sense knock. This controls the knock at the expense of HP! Some late model engines can also adjust valve timing. Low octane gas reduces HP and can damage the engine!

pauldavidmena - 7-9-2022 at 10:06 AM

I had a Toyota FJ Cruiser for a few years. It was fantastic in the snow (I would have never survived the winter of 2014/2015 without it) but it took 91 octane gas and only got about 15 miles per gallon. Fortunately it looked cool, so I was able to sell it at a good enough price to buy a slightly used Toyota RAV4 and still had several thousand dollars left over.