"Runs on Pump Gas"

[Damn True]

You hear the phrase a lot. But Im wondering just what exactly some peoples definition of "pump gas" is?

I know 97 is still available in parts of the country and in many parts of the country the gas is of significantly higher quality (no MTBE no ethanol etc).

So when a company uses the "pump gas" tag-line are they talking about the good stuff, or the rot-gut that we get at the pump here in CA?

[rocketman]

well,to me pump gas means you ca role in to qt and get 91 and it run.my 710 going in my pro streeter is a pump gas monster.haven't dyno'ed it yet,but should make around 1000 hp.

pump gas motor is usaully a 10 or 11 comp motor and make power on pg.all engine builders will build pg style.

[Damn True]

91 in MO and 91 in CA are two very different things.

[ProStreet R/T]

I base pump gas on what I can drive to the corner and get, and not that one place that carries 100 octane. Build a driver that you can take anywhere, no meth injection, no need for 5 gal of octane booster in surplus.

[ProdigyCustoms]

91 in MO and 91 in CA are two very different things.

I am a little fuel ignorant. Why is this? For us here in the southeast, its 93 avaiable. Hot Rods Pump Gas Drags run 91 4% oxygnated (sp) fuel.

[critter]

I do know they blend fuels differently based on the region. California has some of the strictest environmental laws so theirs is the worst. I'm not an engineer so I won't attempt to explain what I don't understand.

[Damn True]

I am a little fuel ignorant. Why is this? For us here in the southeast, its 93 avaiable. Hot Rods Pump Gas Drags run 91 4% oxygnated (sp) fuel.



They put gobs of crap in the fuel out here, especially in the summer months. MTBE is the biggest component, but there are also greater detergent percentages in CA than other states.

[WS6]

thats true but i do believe that 91 octane is 91 octane no matter where you are.

reguardless the engine will simply have to be tuned for the fuel it is going to run. if you can get your hands on better fuel while in another part of the country youll just be leaving power on the table. if it happens to be the other way around that would have to be taken into account. this goes back to my believe that 91 is 91 through out the country though.

two things to keep in mind. ive never heard of anyone in Cali or another part of the country, possibly, the NE not be able to run 11:1 compression with an aluminum headed engine while sipping 91 octane. also a friend that has an H2 that i put a magnuson on went to Iowa and mistakenly put E85 in the tank. he reported no problems just a 1 MPG loss in fuel enconomy. so he went back to stock MPG considering the magnuson actually allowed him to gain 1MPG. oh and that truck must run on premium with the blower on there.

[Matt@RFR]

I don't know all the technical jargon, but octane rating tells you how much anti-detonation the fuel has. I'm not saying that well, but hopefully you get the idea.

One would think that 91 octane would resist the same amount of detonation no matter where you buy it, and no matter what additives are in the gas. I have no idea if that's how it works though.

[ProdigyCustoms]

I don't know all the technical jargon, but octane rating tells you how much anti-detonation the fuel has. I'm not saying that well, but hopefully you get the idea.

One would think that 91 octane would resist the same amount of detonation no matter where you buy it, and no matter what additives are in the gas. I have no idea if that's how it works though.

That's kinda what I thought too. I am sending entry again for Hot Rod Pump Gas Drags (Last year they did not pick us, we are removing the wheelie bars and wing and trying again), and was trying to figure out how to get ahold of some of the fuel they use for testing. I am wondering if the added ozygen helps or hurts detonation

[Matt@RFR]

Ya got me. I wish I knew! I really think 91 is 91 is 91, but when you throw in all the other junk that they do, who knows.

[Kenova]

also a friend that has an H2 that i put a magnuson on went to Iowa and mistakenly put E85 in the tank. he reported no problems just a 1 MPG loss in fuel enconomy. so he went back to stock MPG considering the magnuson actually allowed him to gain 1MPG. oh and that truck must run on premium with the blower on there.
Doesn't E85 carry a higher octane rating, or does that vary from one region to another?
Ken

[WS6]

i dont know actually. im in GA and no where near any E85. i just know not all cars are capable of running E85.

Frank i helped a local circle track guy down here do some dyno testing with his Honda accord.(that car would beat the crap out of everyone else and he was the only Honda out there amoung all the pintos and other cars). anyway he tried oxginated fuel on the Honda. after some jetting changes he was showing good gains. granted we are talking 8-12hp but on a honda making 150 at the wheels that was good. i cant remember if he richened or leaned the carb though.

[Damn True]

Doesn't E85 carry a higher octane rating, or does that vary from one region to another?
Ken



Higher octane, but a lower BTU potential by volume.

[SStrokerAce]

thats true but i do believe that 91 octane is 91 octane no matter where you are.


You ever see the R+M/ 2 in the octane rating of the fuel?

Well different states also have different blends of each of those to get the average octane rating, one component is better for part throttle detonation resistance and the other is better for WOT.

This is why the first two years of the Engine Masters had no detonation problems and the last few years have. That 92 Octane 76 gas was bad ass, better than the 94 octane pump fuel we had around here, the 91 Shell they use now is crap.

Bret

[WS6]

i see. so it's the R and M that matter more than the actual octane rating. do you know which one is which as far as part throttle versus WOT? this is news to me. thanks Bret.

[gwbutch]

Here is some info on octane. First of all a 91 octane is a 91 octane, but that does not mean the gasoline will have the same characteristics. A 91 R+M/2 can be made in about 5 million different ways. A 91 R+M/2 will be different from one refinery to another, and a single refinery will rarely ever manufacter the same 91 R+M/2. The octane is typically measured with one of these guys:
http://www.waukeshaengine.com/internet/businessunits/waukesha/pages/applications/products/fueltesting/f1f2.cfm?r=973&numPageID=378
using the ASTM procedures.
Here is a pretty good write up on octane:
http://www.refiningonline.com/EngelhardKB/crep/TCR4_29.htm

[Damn True]

So the question is, when looking at a crate motor, or a given build list how do I determine if said motor or setup will actually run as advertised on the cat urine they try to pass off as Gasoline here in CA?