UNBROKEN

iTrader: (1)

I have no scientific data but I regularly use the Royal Purple because it’s easiest to find and I grab Boostane when my local speed shop has it in stock. The RP is don’t think I notice any difference...it gives me peace of mind if I know I’ll be playing hard though. The Boostane...sure seems like I feel a difference. It’ll be interesting to see your results with all of them.

BadCon

Here is my proof of concept. this post is also going to help me figure out how I will present the future data.
Here are some screen shots from two data logs using the same tune revision as recorded on the same stretch of road on the same day but about 21hrs apart, with the only difference being Boostane Premium in the tank. Both logs were recorded during a simulated 1/4th pass, and my Dragy device recorded the times. Please note, this was on an old tune revision with about 1000 less RPM then I'm running now, so these results may not compare to the upcoming results I'll be gathering over the next few months. The Boostane run was a bad run with a bad launch, and it exhibited odd shift behavior...so the times really are not a fair comparison, this is mainly about spark.

93 Octane only: As recorded by Dragy - 11.80s @ 114.51mph. 60ft - 1.79s. DA (Density Altitude) 1901ft.
Max timing during the pull was 20.5 degrees, minimum timing was 14 degrees, and max positive KR (knock) was 2.

Knock




1/2 tank 93 Octane + 16oz Boostane Premium: As recorded by Dragy - 11.76s @ 116.91mph. 60ft - 1.87s. DA 2361ft.
Max timing during pull was 22.5 degrees, minimum timing was 15 degrees, and max positive KR (knock) was 0.
Spark


Knock



Comparison photo.
The base photograph is the 93 octane only pull, but zoomed in to show the acceleration through 3rd gear. The red line represents the peak timing as extrapolated from the Boostane log through the same area of acceleration (3rd gear), and the yellow line is the lowest boostane timing from the same area.
Boostane peak timing through 3rd gear: 21.75 degrees
Boostane minimum timing through 3rd gear: 19.5 degrees
93 octane peak timing though 3rd gear: 19.5 degrees
93 octane minimum timing through 3rd gear: 15.75 degrees



I could not tell you exactly how much 1 degree of timing is worth on my truck, but being supercharged I'd estimate 1 degree = 15-20hp. So what we see here is a $19.99 bottle of Boostane premium added upwards of 30hp in places throughout the pull. We also see just how responsive this PBD tune is to Octane, even in street trim. Reviewing these logs for this post, I actually discovered my street tune will give as much as 22.5 degrees of timing with good fuel. I'll be creating a new data logging file just for this octane study, and will be including spark source as another poster suggested to get a better idea of what is going on. I'm open to suggestions as to how to present all future data...I'd like to find a way to overlay the data logs, but I'm not sure SCT's live link can do that.

rojizostang

Perhaps I don't need to pay the extra for Boostane Professional then if Premium nets these results? Can anyone confirm that Boostane Professional stays in suspension where others don't? Perhaps if it stays in suspension then the extra cost of the Boostane Professional is warranted...I know that's not really the purpose of this thread, but it seems like it's an important consideration....all other things being more or less equal

BadCon

That is a complicated question, and there are many variables. I think the most important question is how much octane your truck actually needs, and once you know that, any fuel/octane booster that meets the target octane will work. Boostane professional has a higher overall octane capability then Boostane Premium, and actually dilutes better per ounce making it cheaper overall for those that measure and dose to a desired octane. However if you are just dumping in a whole can and racing, then Boostane professional might be totally overkill if a lesser octane booster would meet the need.

On Matt's tune, my max spark was 16 degrees regardless of fuel, and as long as I had the octane to control knock, I got 16 degrees. This PBD tune appears to have no limit to the maximum spark, and as long as the knock sensors are happy it'll keep adding spark. I'm sure there is an actual spark limit, and I believe it to be 22.5 degrees based on the logs I posted for my street tune, but I state that to highlight how octane can really benefit this tune. Conveniently this tunes hunger for Octane really made a good test bed to answer lingering questions I've always had about off the shelf octane boosters. I know the racing products work, but do the $5 bottles at Walmart do anything?

I'll be testing the racing products too, but that'll be a little while as I want to get the OTC stuff out of the way.

rojizostang

Hmmm...I don't think he limited the spark to16 degrees when i datalogged, IIRC...but then again I asked for a track only tune lol

But as you say, I'm not tuned for a specific octane, I'm using it solely as a deterrent to having a detonation issue at the track.

BadCon

Tonight I completed testing for Royal Purple Max Boost, however I ran into an issue and discovered my tunes spark profile has changed drastically since my last revision. I did not catch it as this was the "final" tune, with the only supposed changes being an RPM increase, so I never bothered to log it. Regardless, there appears to be a hard spark advance limit of 18.5 degrees at WOT, which is going to make testing slightly different for the OTC products. My race tune has not changed, so that testing will not be impacted. The 18.5 degree limit on pump gas is understandable and reasonable, and makes a whole lot more sense then the crazy spark numbers I was seeing before, especially given the drastic increase in RPM I requested. I would of liked a heads up however, but since when does a tuner actually tell you what they are doing lol. If I so desire, I could roll back to my prior revision, but I do not think that is necessary as the results will still be easy to see as 18.5 degrees is still pretty aggressive on 93 octane.

All pulls were completed in 3rd gear, from approximately 2500rpm to 7000rpm, which equals about 40mph to 110mph on my truck. It was about 80 degrees tonight, and just starting to drizzle. The 93 octane pulls were done while driving into town, about a 25 mile round trip. The gas in the tank was fresh from yesterday, and the weather was mild as it was close to midnight.

93 Octane base pulls. Please note, these will now serve as my 93 octane only reference for all future tests, unless the weather drastically changes. All three pulls are in the order they were created.
Spark:
Pull #1


Pull #2


Pull #3


Knock:
Pull #1

Pull #2


Pull #3

BadCon

Royal Purple Max Boost:
Here is the data for Royal Purple Max Boost. This product claims to treat up to 25 gallons, so I added 1 bottle to a full tank (23 gallons) of 93 octane. Adequate time was allowed for mixing (drove around town for 20 minutes), then I returned home on the same stretch of road I had just completed the above listed base 93 octane logs. Weather was identical, and the logs were recorded in the same way, aside from only 2 pulls being done then a 1/4th mile simulated pass. I'd go into detail on the results but its not necessary, this product clearly had a positive impact on knock and spark, as knock was greatly reduced and spark is much more stable, hitting the 18.5 degree maximum for almost the entire pull. This is the most expensive OTC product being tested at around $13 a can, and it is the only one to state the expected octane increase as well as the active ingredient (mmt). I kinda wish I had more then 18.5 degrees of spark to play with now, and I may retest this product using my race tune, which has more available timing, to really get a feel for its effectiveness. But this is a solid bet if anyone needs more octane in a pinch, and it is available at any auto parts store.
Results = PASS, product decreased knock and increased spark and improved performance.

Spark:



Knock:




And here is knock and spark for the 1/4th mile pass:

rojizostang

i'm not sure i can interpret the graphs.....what's your evaluation of the max boost?

BadCon

Max Boost worked, and reduced knock and increased spark over the majority of the pull. From approximately 3000rpm to 7000rpm, there was no spark reduction on either of the Max Boost 3rd gear pulls, while all three of the 93 octane 3rd gear pulls showed substantial knock activity and spark reduction over the same RPM range. I've isolated two logs below, the first is Royal Purple Max Boost, and the second is 93 octane only. I've added a red line to the 93 octane graph, that line represents the same area from the Royal Purple log, and shows how spark is rock solid at 18.5 degrees (max) for the majority of the pull. On the 93 log, those dips represent about two degrees of timing or more, which is upwards of 30hp being lost.



Here is the 93 octane pull...I've added the red line which represents the RP spark data from the above picture.

TriSum

In for info, thanks for taking the time to do all of this.