Bye Bye 95, Boosters Anyone?

[Upcountry]

I've been hoping that my car maker will provide a solution for using gasohol in my '93 vintage car, but at this point I'm not optimistic. I've also given up hope that the powers that be will see the folly of removing 95 octane from all service stations.

On a recent long-distance trip I found it tricky to find 95, had to stop at least twice each time to find a station still selling it. According to a recent article in the Post, the complete switch to gasohol is due to happen by 2007.

Yesterday a friend suggested the possibility of using an octane booster. Those of us with this problem could use it with 91 octane at the pump to bring our octane up to 95.

I'm not crazy about doing that (and wonder how well it will mix in the tank), but it is probably better than selling my car now, pinging away on ‘91, or ruining the fuel system (and maybe gaskets) with gasohol.

Has anyone seen such a thing at gas stations or hyper marts? I wouldn't want to mix it up myself at home!

Thanks,

/ Sadly, there isn’t consumer group in Thailand protesting this issue that I know of.

[Crossy]

I'm in the same boat (we had this discussion about this time last year when the last day for 95 was going to be January 06), now it looks like it is really going to happen.

I've had no new news from BMW, time to stir them up again I think.

Meanwhile I've had gasohol in the beast a couple of times with no apparent ill effects apart from the increase in fuel consumption. A 50-50 mix of 91 and gasohol seems to work quite well and should stave off any potential damage by reducing the alcohol content. Straight 91 does run and the knock sensors take care of any detonation (pinging) but the performance is noticably down

As to octane boosters, I've not seen them here, Malaysia is the nearest place I've seen them on sale (STP).

Additionally, I got no response from STP when I enquired how much I would need to use to get 91 boosted to 95. Read into this what you like.

[khunstuart]

Octane boosters are available try any good parts outlet or tool store I got from a tool shop on sukimvit road Pattaya for my trans am boosts 95 to 105 if you use a whole bottle add it before you fule up and it will mix fine

[Crossy]

Octane boosters are available try any good parts outlet or tool store I got from a tool shop on sukimvit road Pattaya for my trans am boosts 95 to 105 if you use a whole bottle add it before you fule up and it will mix fine

This is good news Stuart, what brand is available?? How much is it??

It is also VITAL to us that it is a non-alcohol based booster.

Any idea what Thai for 'octane booster' is, my attempts at my local outlets meet with blank stares

EDIT: A picture of the bottle would also prove most useful, so we know what we're looking for

Edited June 18, 2006 by Crossy

[Upcountry]

... 95 to 105 if you use a whole bottle add it before you fule up and it will mix fine

Wow. That's 10 octane. So, I guess if you wanted to go from 91 to 95, you'd have to measure out 40% of the bottle?

I hope some enterprising retailer starts selling a booster for our specific needs. Having to empty the tank before adding is trouble enough.

But then, what khunstuart has found is better than nothing, as long as it is alchohol-free.

[Jalla]

Octane boosters are available try any good parts outlet or tool store I got from a tool shop on sukimvit road Pattaya for my trans am boosts 95 to 105 if you use a whole bottle add it before you fule up and it will mix fine

Khunstuart, could you please give some closer location to this shop in Pattaya? Sukhumvit is a long stretch of road.......

I`m also in need for an octane booster since I modified my BMW`s ECU with a hi-performance chip.

[Upcountry]

I picked up a bottle of the 10 octane booster that Big C sells, Nitrox "Hot Shot Power Boost", for 345 baht per 500ml bottle. I can't tell if it is non-alcohol, nor can I find a website for the company. I'm reluctant to open the packaging because I might return it. A Thai label is pasted over the English.

Here's what one website says:

Nitrox Hot Shot completely cleans the entire fuel system, removing carbon gum and dirt build up, freeing injector systems, cleaning carburetors, combustion chambers and cylinder heads. The unique NPX2 additive restores lost power, increasing BHP by upto ... "more info"!

Another URL tells me that its a cleaner that can be used once a year or regularly.

Has anyone used this without trouble in a car that can't use gasohol?

I did the math, at any rate, for my 64 litre tank, and realized that it adds 5.39 baht per litre to the cost of a fill-up. Subtract about 2 baht for 91 vs 95 and that's still much more than 30 bath per litre.

Bah!

I've heard somewhere that it's safe to use gasohol as long as you fill up with 100% benzene ever third or fourth time. Is that true? Maybe it would work out to use gasohol for some fill-ups and use Hot Shot with 91 part of the time. Of course, the tank would have to be pretty empty before each full-up, but that's true for using Hot Shot every time unless I want to guess how much to pour in for each partial fill-up.

Still can't believe that, with all the uncertainty about being able to meet demand for gasohol, that the vested interests are still determined to banish 95.

One last point, brother-in-law thinks I should convert to natural gas. Aside from the big tank that would fill up the trunk/boot (pick your dialect ), I'm uncertain how doable this is for my BMW.

'BM still refuses to sell me parts to make the fuel system compatible with gasohol!

UC

Edited July 29, 2006 by Upcountry

[higgy88]

The Nation

“Ninety-five-octane gasohol seems to be the only choice for cars that currently use 95-octane unleaded petrol,” said Nattawut Charoensukkawattana, Thailand’s leading car racer.

Alcohols for Motor Fuels

Actually gasohol can give higher octane numbers than full petroleum fuels, so that's not the problem. The big problem is that alcohols can be very corrosive to some engine parts, and I don't know if there is anything on the market right now that can help that.

Edited August 1, 2006 by higgy88

[sriracha john]

"Ninety-five-octane gasohol seems to be the only choice for cars that currently use 95-octane unleaded petrol," said Nattawut Charoensukkawattana, Thailand's leading car racer.

I always thought renowned Bangkok taxi driver, Somchai Whiteknuckleride, was Thailand's leading car racer. His driving exploits down the Bang Na highway are legendary...

Edited August 1, 2006 by sriracha john

[Upcountry]

Isn't it interesting that in a country like Thailand, where so many things are conditioned by the huge percentage of low-income people, that the unnecessary cost of upgrading (changing fuel types) or buying new vehicles is being forced by (from what I hear are) vested interests?

This is certainly not a populist move, and seems to fly in the face of likely gasohol supply shortages as well. Just as with the EC, the powers that be insist on blinding themselves to the needs of real people.

And at the same time, we can't reasonably buy hybrid vehicles yet.

[moonoi]

I was at Central Lat Phrao this weekend and found that they sell Octane Boosters, they sell the Nitrox Hot Shot that you already found and also several differant boosters manufactured by Nitrous Oxide Systems (NOS). Seems that they have differant boosters for differant applications. Sorry I forgot to look at the price though.

[Upcountry]

Here's some odd but hopeful news: I posted on some BMW forums, and also asked my brother in the US, who also has an old BM (and has knowledgeable friends who own them). Everyone says I'm worried about nothing! They say that even older BMW's should run fine on gasohol!

Of course, as my Thai BM dealer says, they can't warranty part replacements if I use fuel that is not certified for them. One would think that means they have tested and can confirm what is compatible and what isn't.

But maybe not. Maybe they prefer to classify untested parts and car models as incompatible with gasohol if they simply haven't tested them.

My E36, with an M42 engine, seems sufficiently close to the 95/96 models that one wonders why it wouldn't be compatible. Certainly, any fuel system parts I would replace should be 1995 and gasohol compatible. I'm waiting for my dealer to confirm this now.

You know what they say about one watch versus two and knowing the time. Well, now I really don't know what to believe!

As for additives, I still haven't found anything other than Nitrox. Anyone know if it is non-alcohol? Another thing, I wonder if I could just have the timing adjusted and run on 91. That means a noticeable performance reduction, but having to remember to add an additive to an almost empty tank all the time is a pain. Gasohol itself is a pain, since they suggest only filling up when you plan to use it - letting it sit in your tank will result in evaporation or other problems, I guess.

Edited August 9, 2006 by Upcountry