Will a higher octane make that much of a difference?

[DOUNVME]

To bring everyone up to date, got my car out two weeks ago to start driving it. I have put 800 miles on it in 5 years and 200 was driving it home when I bought it.

Never had a problem with timing retard, in fact, I had not noticed a bigger number than .3 or so and I have run it at the track and on the street.

I put some gas in it from a Marathon (octane 93, 8 gallons or so total). Was noticing that it did not run like it used to, in the way of performance. Started paying real close attention to retard timing and under 7/8 throttle, it would get as high as 7.

I put some octane booster in it until I could get some race gas. With one bottle of octane booster and 7 gallons or so of gas in the tank, the retard timing came down to like 3-4 and I could tell it was a little more responsive.

Bought 7 gallons of 100 octane on the way home.....WOW! She's back to normal again. Standing on the throttle I get .5 timing retard and most other numbers are dead on. (I have a question about a few, but I am going to do some adjustments tomorrow).

So, my question is: Will gas make that kind of a difference? My thoughts are: Economy is bad, everyone is trying to save and no one is buying 93 octane. The gas sat in that particular tank for a period of time and "deteriorated" therefore not really having a true 93 octane rating once it got into my tank. Does that make sense?

 

[DIAZ 87]

looks like it's time to drop the boost down alittle

 

[DIAZ 87]

So, my question is: Will gas make that kind of a difference

The gas is everything if your not using an alky kit,i normally run 93 octane at 18lb any thing greater than that i use 100 octane and raise the boost up to 22lb ish so i dont get any knock.The best thing to do would be to drive the car normal until your next fillup.Also you might want to do a spring cleaning.

The Grand National / T-Type / Turbo Regal Buick Spring Cleaning Guide

 

[TurboDave]

That much retard on 93??

How much boost and timing you running???

We have good 93 up here, and I'm able to easilly run 20# of boost in 1st and 2nd, 19 in 3rd and 4th.

I keep my timing reasonable though at 21 in the two low gears and 18 in the upper two gears.

I'm sure my front mount plays a big role too.. As a matter of fact I know it helps some.

 

[krom]

old gas=boom

 

[DOUNVME]

looks like it's time to drop the boost down alittle

I am only like 15-16 lbs. of boost

 

[DMan]

800 miles in 5 years... Car has basically been sitting a long time. If it didn't knock before, and it knocks a bit now, you may just need a tuneup. 15-16 psi not too high.

What do youhave for chip, turbo, injectors, timing?

What is scanmaster saying for 02 volts?

 

[bison]

old gas=boom

+1

 

[DOUNVME]

Not sure about chip or timing but injectors are stock and so is turbo. It really didn't just sit idle for 5 years. I would take it down the road occasionally. Just never more than 5-6 miles at a time.

02 volts are above 700, they may reach 800 at times.

 

[jasjamz]

If the car has a stock chip it has too much timing for 15-16 psi on todays 93 octane fuel. You should contact Eric @ TurboTweak for a new chip that will allow you to adjust fuel and timing for your cars setup.

02s between 700-800...that can be bad if it spends too much time in the low 700s

 

[DOUNVME]

02's are only above 700 at WOT. They hover between 450-590 while cruising at 60 mph.

After thinking about it alot, I came to the conclusion that I bought some 93 octane gas that had sat in a tank for a long period of time and lost it's octane rating. When I burn 2-3 more gallons from this tank, I will refill with some 93 at a more popular gas station that frequently sells 93 octane so that I know it is fresh.

I do need a chipped burned for me, but I want to wait until I get a MAF translator so that I can install my LT1 MAF. I also think I need bigger injectors. I do know that I need to find someone local to personally look at my setup and ScanMaster numbers and timeslips to guide me in the right direction.