Octane booster
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Tourer
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 290
Likes: 0
From: MX/AZ/NV
I always run 89 Octane in all of my bikes, and have never had any problem. the only place I had to run 87 was out west in the higher altitudes, and then you don't need it. If it ani't knockin' yur Rockin'.
Research the Octane question and you will find the real answers.
JMHO
Research the Octane question and you will find the real answers.
JMHO
Only problem is.....if I am a knockin, what can I do if there is no other option but to continue on down the road?
Would driving a 100 miles, in 100 degree heat, pinging like crazy on poor quality and low octane fuel be a cause of alarm for you? Or anyone for that matter...especially right after you laid out $15000 clams for a new HD?
More than likely, you and most others on this forum are within a offramp or intersection away from, adding a high quality, high octane fuel to cure or significantly reduce any constant pinging.
I won't have this luxury.
Road Captain
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 561
Likes: 0
From: Windsor Ont. Can.
Be careful with octane boost, we had many of them tested when we were racing and it was found, ready for this, it doesn't even mix well with gas! kinda sits in globules suspended at the microscopic view. I would carry it with me for sure, who knows whats in those barrels. Teflon
Club Member
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 16,320
Likes: 306
From: Boynton Beach, FloriDuh
You are SURE about that?
I just talked to the guys at my dealership and while I know its common for dealership people to be uninformed, they assured me that the HD octane boost would raise a 3.3 gallon tank of 87 to 90 octane.
It even says it raises the number by three RON....one RON wouldn't be a tenth of a point right?
I'm talking about this product:
http://www.latus-harley-davidson.com...tane-Boost.htm
I just talked to the guys at my dealership and while I know its common for dealership people to be uninformed, they assured me that the HD octane boost would raise a 3.3 gallon tank of 87 to 90 octane.
It even says it raises the number by three RON....one RON wouldn't be a tenth of a point right?
I'm talking about this product:
http://www.latus-harley-davidson.com...tane-Boost.htm
RON is not used in the USA to measure octane. In the US, octane is measured by the R+M/2 method.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 2,095
Likes: 11
From: Central Illinois
We have a product marketed by HD, sold in the US, that says very clearly that it raises octane by "three full numbers" and uses specifically the statement "raises octane three RON" which I know we do not use in the US, but three RON would equate to about three full points by our scale. (Since we use RON + MON averaged together, the assumption is that if it did raise the octane by three RON, it would also raise MON by about three, which would result in about a three point US octane rating boost).
So if you are correct, this product is WILDLY wrong in its marketing (which would not be the first time).
Glad I found out here instead of on the road.
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 7,604
Likes: 38
From: Landrum, SC , elevation 986'
Ok, I'm sure you are correct and yet this is all still very confusing.
We have a product marketed by HD, sold in the US, that says very clearly that it raises octane by "three full numbers" and uses specifically the statement "raises octane three RON" which I know we do not use in the US, but three RON would equate to about three full points by our scale. (Since we use RON + MON averaged together, the assumption is that if it did raise the octane by three RON, it would also raise MON by about three, which would result in about a three point US octane rating boost).
So if you are correct, this product is WILDLY wrong in its marketing (which would not be the first time).
Glad I found out here instead of on the road.
We have a product marketed by HD, sold in the US, that says very clearly that it raises octane by "three full numbers" and uses specifically the statement "raises octane three RON" which I know we do not use in the US, but three RON would equate to about three full points by our scale. (Since we use RON + MON averaged together, the assumption is that if it did raise the octane by three RON, it would also raise MON by about three, which would result in about a three point US octane rating boost).
So if you are correct, this product is WILDLY wrong in its marketing (which would not be the first time).
Glad I found out here instead of on the road.
Club Member
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 16,320
Likes: 306
From: Boynton Beach, FloriDuh
Ok, I'm sure you are correct and yet this is all still very confusing.
We have a product marketed by HD, sold in the US, that says very clearly that it raises octane by "three full numbers" and uses specifically the statement "raises octane three RON" which I know we do not use in the US, but three RON would equate to about three full points by our scale. (Since we use RON + MON averaged together, the assumption is that if it did raise the octane by three RON, it would also raise MON by about three, which would result in about a three point US octane rating boost).
So if you are correct, this product is WILDLY wrong in its marketing (which would not be the first time).
Glad I found out here instead of on the road.
We have a product marketed by HD, sold in the US, that says very clearly that it raises octane by "three full numbers" and uses specifically the statement "raises octane three RON" which I know we do not use in the US, but three RON would equate to about three full points by our scale. (Since we use RON + MON averaged together, the assumption is that if it did raise the octane by three RON, it would also raise MON by about three, which would result in about a three point US octane rating boost).
So if you are correct, this product is WILDLY wrong in its marketing (which would not be the first time).
Glad I found out here instead of on the road.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 2,036
Likes: 8
From: Temecula, CA
It's a game of words.
You will find products that claim "Raises your octane level by 10 points!" This means if you have 87 in your tank and you pour this in you will now have 88 in your tank. 10 octane points = 1 octane number.
What Harley is claiming with that product is that it will raise your octane level by three NUMBERS...or rather 30 points. I've never used it so I don't know how well it works.
I HAVE use NOS octane booster which claims it will raise your octane 60 points, or 6 full octane numbers. Now, I don't know if it will really raise it that much, but I do know this. I have a car I drag race and it runs on 91 octane normally. When I set it up for the track, I'll see 1 or 2 degrees of knock if I run just 91 so I'll put in 107 race gas to get rid of that slight amount of knock.
I went out to race in Pheonix and didn't have access to race gas. While on my way to the track (I drive the car on the street too) I was scanning the computer with my laptop and, sure enough, on full throttle acceleration that 1-2 degrees of knock would show up. For lack of anything better, I stopped by a local auto parts store and picked up this NOS octane booster and put it in the almost empty tank then added about 5 gallons of 91 octane before going to the track. While at the track I scanned my car on each pass and I never saw even a blip of knock the whole night.
So while I don't know if it will raise it 60 points, I do know it DID raise the octane of the fuel enough to get rid of a couple degrees of knock. Might want to give this stuff a try if you're in that kind of situation.
You will find products that claim "Raises your octane level by 10 points!" This means if you have 87 in your tank and you pour this in you will now have 88 in your tank. 10 octane points = 1 octane number.
What Harley is claiming with that product is that it will raise your octane level by three NUMBERS...or rather 30 points. I've never used it so I don't know how well it works.
I HAVE use NOS octane booster which claims it will raise your octane 60 points, or 6 full octane numbers. Now, I don't know if it will really raise it that much, but I do know this. I have a car I drag race and it runs on 91 octane normally. When I set it up for the track, I'll see 1 or 2 degrees of knock if I run just 91 so I'll put in 107 race gas to get rid of that slight amount of knock.
I went out to race in Pheonix and didn't have access to race gas. While on my way to the track (I drive the car on the street too) I was scanning the computer with my laptop and, sure enough, on full throttle acceleration that 1-2 degrees of knock would show up. For lack of anything better, I stopped by a local auto parts store and picked up this NOS octane booster and put it in the almost empty tank then added about 5 gallons of 91 octane before going to the track. While at the track I scanned my car on each pass and I never saw even a blip of knock the whole night.
So while I don't know if it will raise it 60 points, I do know it DID raise the octane of the fuel enough to get rid of a couple degrees of knock. Might want to give this stuff a try if you're in that kind of situation.
Road Master
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 932
Likes: 0
Octane booster = snake oil. Sure, it probably does what they say it does, at least to the degree that they can defend it in court, but that's about it.
Running on 87 octane for a short distance if you have to wont hurt anything. Remember, at the end of the day, these engines aren't substantially different than they were 50 years ago - and they're relatively low compression when it comes right down to it.
Running on 87 octane for a short distance if you have to wont hurt anything. Remember, at the end of the day, these engines aren't substantially different than they were 50 years ago - and they're relatively low compression when it comes right down to it.
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Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 2,036
Likes: 8
From: Temecula, CA
[quote=honorsdaddy;8786202]Octane booster = snake oil. Sure, it probably does what they say it does, at least to the degree that they can defend it in court, but that's about it. [quote]
Well, if it does what it says it does it wouldn't be snake oil. Like I said, I logged physical proof that the NOS stuff actually worked as there was no other variable that could be accounted for the reduction in knock other than the gasoline level. It's not "I heard it go away" it's "I looked at what the sensors in the engine were reporting and before the booster I saw knock while after I didn't" which is the whole point of running higher octane fuel.
Note that these engines are different than they were 50 years ago. Perhaps the compression is the same but with EFI the game changes. Good news is that if the Delphi EFI that Harley uses does what I think it does, it will retard timing if it detects knock. I don't know if it is smart enough to switch over to a "bad fuel table" like other EFI systems when it detects knock over time but I'm pretty sure it can do it on the fly. Anyone know any better?
Well, if it does what it says it does it wouldn't be snake oil. Like I said, I logged physical proof that the NOS stuff actually worked as there was no other variable that could be accounted for the reduction in knock other than the gasoline level. It's not "I heard it go away" it's "I looked at what the sensors in the engine were reporting and before the booster I saw knock while after I didn't" which is the whole point of running higher octane fuel.
Note that these engines are different than they were 50 years ago. Perhaps the compression is the same but with EFI the game changes. Good news is that if the Delphi EFI that Harley uses does what I think it does, it will retard timing if it detects knock. I don't know if it is smart enough to switch over to a "bad fuel table" like other EFI systems when it detects knock over time but I'm pretty sure it can do it on the fly. Anyone know any better?
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 2,095
Likes: 11
From: Central Illinois
It's a game of words.
You will find products that claim "Raises your octane level by 10 points!" This means if you have 87 in your tank and you pour this in you will now have 88 in your tank. 10 octane points = 1 octane number.
What Harley is claiming with that product is that it will raise your octane level by three NUMBERS...or rather 30 points. I've never used it so I don't know how well it works.
I HAVE use NOS octane booster which claims it will raise your octane 60 points, or 6 full octane numbers. Now, I don't know if it will really raise it that much, but I do know this. I have a car I drag race and it runs on 91 octane normally. When I set it up for the track, I'll see 1 or 2 degrees of knock if I run just 91 so I'll put in 107 race gas to get rid of that slight amount of knock.
I went out to race in Pheonix and didn't have access to race gas. While on my way to the track (I drive the car on the street too) I was scanning the computer with my laptop and, sure enough, on full throttle acceleration that 1-2 degrees of knock would show up. For lack of anything better, I stopped by a local auto parts store and picked up this NOS octane booster and put it in the almost empty tank then added about 5 gallons of 91 octane before going to the track. While at the track I scanned my car on each pass and I never saw even a blip of knock the whole night.
So while I don't know if it will raise it 60 points, I do know it DID raise the octane of the fuel enough to get rid of a couple degrees of knock. Might want to give this stuff a try if you're in that kind of situation.
You will find products that claim "Raises your octane level by 10 points!" This means if you have 87 in your tank and you pour this in you will now have 88 in your tank. 10 octane points = 1 octane number.
What Harley is claiming with that product is that it will raise your octane level by three NUMBERS...or rather 30 points. I've never used it so I don't know how well it works.
I HAVE use NOS octane booster which claims it will raise your octane 60 points, or 6 full octane numbers. Now, I don't know if it will really raise it that much, but I do know this. I have a car I drag race and it runs on 91 octane normally. When I set it up for the track, I'll see 1 or 2 degrees of knock if I run just 91 so I'll put in 107 race gas to get rid of that slight amount of knock.
I went out to race in Pheonix and didn't have access to race gas. While on my way to the track (I drive the car on the street too) I was scanning the computer with my laptop and, sure enough, on full throttle acceleration that 1-2 degrees of knock would show up. For lack of anything better, I stopped by a local auto parts store and picked up this NOS octane booster and put it in the almost empty tank then added about 5 gallons of 91 octane before going to the track. While at the track I scanned my car on each pass and I never saw even a blip of knock the whole night.
So while I don't know if it will raise it 60 points, I do know it DID raise the octane of the fuel enough to get rid of a couple degrees of knock. Might want to give this stuff a try if you're in that kind of situation.
I hear what cHarley was saying and I did some research and confirmed that "points" equal one tenth of one Octane integer value...but that is NOT what the SE product is claiming at all.
Last edited by parabellum_9x19; Sep 6, 2011 at 04:20 PM.