What octane fuel

No advantage, in engines with low compression ratio like these the only reason you may run higher octane is some brands do not mix ethanol in those grades.
 
Stock class clones are very low compression. It is a total waste of time and money to run anything higher than 87 octane, the misnomer that "race gas" is better in anything needs to stop. Please educate yourself on what high octane does and why it is totally unnecessary in anything but a high compression/ high RPM race engine.

I just helped a new dad last weekend, said his kids new engine seemed "down" and just not making good power. First thing I asked him was what fuel and was it fresh? He stated he was running VP C-12 race fuel from his late model in it... I explained the whole octane thing and he dumped it and put fresh 87 non-ethanol in and the kid went out and half-tracked the field.
 
There is more energy in 87octane than in 93octane but not more knock/pre-ignition resistance.
At the low compression most karts run, high-octane is not needed.
 
Can't really blame people for the confusion, with snake oil salesmen and companies advertising Octane boost on TV Radio and in print, promising " Boost your power with octane boost." Just pour in a can and instantly Boost your octane. Unless you are an engine guru , most people just don't have any idea of what octane is, or what it does. Just that on TV they say it will give you more power. Racing fuel is another one. People just naturally assume that racing fuel is faster. Because racing engines use it.
But Bumpy is exactly correct the lower the octane the higher potential energy in the fuel.
 
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This goes against all the testing doesnt it? If it doesnt give an advantage then why have the rule and why spend money on testing gas at the track? Im not saying higher octane works, i dont know. But i do see a lot of smart tech guys testing for it. I cant see them testing for nothing.
 
This goes against all the testing doesnt it? If it doesnt give an advantage then why have the rule and why spend money on testing gas at the track? Im not saying higher octane works, i dont know. But i do see a lot of smart tech guys testing for it. I cant see them testing for nothing.

They aren't testing for octane bud.... they are testing for additives like Propylene Oxide, Benzene, NitroMethane etc. Additives that oxygenate fuel and make it burn with a bigger boom! Octane SLOWS down the burn, total opposite of what you want.
 
They aren't testing for octane bud.... they are testing for additives like Propylene Oxide, Benzene, NitroMethane etc. Additives that oxygenate fuel and make it burn with a bigger boom! Octane SLOWS down the burn, total opposite of what you want.
I would agree but i still see the rule books or event flyers saying 87 octane only and from certain gas stations only. im learning here just like everyone else, no sarcasm intended.
 
I would agree but i still see the rule books or event flyers saying 87 octane only and from certain gas stations only. im learning here just like everyone else, no sarcasm intended.
The reason that the fuel and station are specified is so they can get a base reading to calibrate from. You should always flush the pump and hose by running a few dollars worth into your vehicle before filling your gas can. Most pumps serve various grades through a single hose and there is a lot of blending before it hits your tank. Octane is not an additive it is a measurement, many various additives are used to affect the octane level of fuel, ethanol is one, age and evaporation is another. Get your fuel at the designated station, in the time period specified, store it carefully, they should even specify which pump. If you follow those directions then you can appeal the decisions against you as fuel testers can be inaccurate and quite often used wrong.
 
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I get my fuel on the way to the track and not at the specified place and have it checked to be sure.
No problems ever from several different places.
 
This goes against all the testing doesnt it? If it doesnt give an advantage then why have the rule and why spend money on testing gas at the track? Im not saying higher octane works, i dont know. But i do see a lot of smart tech guys testing for it. I cant see them testing for nothing.
I and another big name kart shop did testing on an additive that was mixed with non ethonol gas. We both found the same results. Lo206 was boosted by just shy of 1/4 h.p. with no change in timing or jetting. Unrestricted clone a blue plate clone was bumped up also with out changes. So, yes there is a reason to test for fuel
 
Guy's have got caught up failing because they got fuel 87 but the person ahead of them pumped 93 and what was in the hose got them failed, we always pump 4 gallon off before filling our can.
 
What happens when you take 1 gallon of 87 octane 10% ethanol blended fuel and mix in about a quart of distilled water? I will make it simple for you... It removes all the ethanol and will leave the remaining gas at a lower octane... food for thought...
 
just use the 87 octane skip all the high octane crap and add what the fuel really needs extra oxygen. I’ll let you find out how to do that.....
 
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