Topic: Octane Opinions

[Weldo]

So, what's the stock Compression ratio for a 22RE?  Also, if you had an MSD or Jacobs ignition or something with multiple, hotter sparks, could you run a higher octane like 91 or 93 and expect a little more power?

[abnormaltoy]

So, what's the stock Compression ratio for a 22RE?  Also, if you had an MSD or Jacobs ignition or something with multiple, hotter sparks, could you run a higher octane like 91 or 93 and expect a little more power?

Stock is somewhere around 9.2 or 9.3 I think. Here's a link to a post on ORC (hope it's still there) on tweaking the 22re.

http://bbs.off-road.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=offroadtoytruck&Number=658728&Forum=All_Forums&Words=azhiker85715&Match=Username&Searchpage=9&Limit=25&Old=allposts&Main=155252&Search=true#Post658728

Mark

[Plowking]

93 Octane, 22R engine hard milage, does not like 87 octane anymore, no smoke or leaks either.

[Weldo [OP]]

I just got a tank of 87.  I didn't notice any knocking or pinging so far, even under hard acceleration, and heavy load.  Maybe I'll jot down my mileage and see how many miles I get out of a tank, then try the same thing with 89 and 93, like BigMike has done.  It seems as though detnoation won't be an issue, so now I just have to figure out what octane may give me the best mileage and value.

[FATB0Y]

what is the octane of methanol I can get some from work

[blackdiamond]

I have an 85 22R with a Weber Carb.  I only run premium (92) fuel (Shell, Chevron, 76, BP, etc.) because anything else runs rough.  I have tried many different options including midgrade and regular of the good brands and nothing but premium seems to work.  I also tried on tank of premium ARCO and had to go back for octane boost for some additional help, it still ran like crap until I killed the tank.  I have also run premium Safeway (someone above said the same as Chevron?) and it caused my truck to diesel when I shut it off.  It has the same problem on lower grade fuels.  Citgo (7/11) gas was ok but wanted to knock/ping (very mild) while climbing the mounting highway passes.  I don't subscribe to the theory that some knocking/pinging is normal and won't hurt anything, just sounds stupid to me.

  As a side note I drove a friends new Ford F-150 and when I shifted from 4wd to 2wd and tried to go we heard some gear grinding, the manual said that this is normal!  To me this is like admitting that they don't know how to engineer their trucks very well.  This story reminds me of when Ford brought out the 03 supercharged Mustang (sweet car).  They switched from aluminum to cast iron for the block and I read that when they tried to supercharge the aluminum motor the results were so disastrous that the engineers wouldn't talk about it.  This confuses me since both Roush and Saleen supercharge the aluminum motor.  It makes me wonder about Ford quality.  I was born a Chevy man, I drive two Toys now, but I am honestly not trying to bash Ford, I think that all domestics are about the same, but it is a head scratcher for me.

I am thinking that I might try regular fuel next time and check the timing, I have no idea where it is set currently.  I'm sure it has been several years since anyone looked at it.  It might simply be advanced creating the need for premium fuel?

[FATB0Y]

  As a side note I drove a friends new Ford F-150 and when I shifted from 4wd to 2wd and tried to go we heard some gear grinding, the manual said that this is normal! 

Mine don't do that

This story reminds me of when Ford brought out the 03 supercharged Mustang (sweet car).  They switched from aluminum to cast iron for the block and I read that when they tried to supercharge the aluminum motor the results were so disastrous that the engineers wouldn't talk about it.  This confuses me since both Roush and Saleen supercharge the aluminum motor.  It makes me wonder about Ford quality.

They use cast iron for warranty purposes. it holds up better

[Uncle Jesse]

I have an 85 22R with a Weber Carb.  I only run premium (92) fuel

I had an 84 22r with a weber, cam, header and exhaust.  I set the timing at stock and ran mid grade fuel.  On a side note, that thing was a fuel miser when you weren't looking, but as soon as you looked at the gauge it would go down.  Really.  No, my commute went uphill alot, and as soon as I came downhill into town bye bye sweet gas mileage.  It was prety good around town though for the setup.

[Weldo [OP]]

I noticed that with my truck as well.  Going up hill, the fuel gauge reads more than it does on a level surface.  and going downhill it reads less than it does on a levell surface.  I always just chalked it up to the fuel sender, I guess maybe it has some kind of float or something.  Also, when I fill the tank, the fuel gauge seems to stay on F for a good while, but then one day I get in and it only goes up to 3/4.  Kinda like it's sticky or something.

On the Octane note, after driving around with 87 for awhile, the truck seems to "putt" a little more than it used to.  It occurs at lower and midrange RPMs when I keep them constant, ie. not accelerating.  it goes...
RMMMMMM putt MMMMMM putt putt MMMMMMMMMMMMMM putt MMMMMMMMMM putt MM putt....
and so on.  I didn't notice this symptom with the 93 I usually got.  Any ideas if this could indeed be the gas.

[wslytoy]

What octane are you guys running in your trucks?  When you respond, make note of the engine (22r, 22re, etc.)  I've been putting 93 in my 91 22RE.  I figure it makes the engine run cleaner, and maybe a little better.  Higher octanes are supposed to protect against detenation, so I always figured getting 89 or 93 was like cheap insurance.  Opinions?

I put an Alpine supercharger on my ’95 2.7L.  This was before Alpine started making them for TRD.  It uses the M90 blower rather than the M62 like the TRD V6 & 2.7L kits.  I had to do some fabing and tuning after the install.  I did run 100+ octane through it at one point while I was testing.

The bottom line with all performance issues is; “Performance is where you find it.”

My wife’s Subaru OBS has a tremendous increase in power on hi octane IN THE SUMMER.  I also found that it was difficult to start in the winter with premium and we had to go back to the cheap stuff.  I think the improvement in the summer was the ECM advanced the timing on premium fuel.  Unfortunately,  the higher the octane, the less volatile the fuel, which in some cases reduces ping but can also make an engine difficult to start out here in the northwest.

The point being, run the cheap stuff for a while and keep track of fuel mileage and acceleration by timing acceleration runs (i.e. 0-60 in seconds).  Also note the startability!  Then do the same with premium fuel.  I’d recommend doing this for summer and winter.  You will then know what that vehicle will do in these cases...  This is relatively easy and fun to do.  You can also use the same tests for modifications you try.

[hudlenutz]

1991 22RE:  85 octane (23 mpg/ 5 tanks in a row)

I did a similar test to Big Mike's.  I ran several tanks of 85, 87, 89, 91, and 92.  I got my best mileage at 85 octane. 

I'm pretty sure this happens because of the altitude here.

At sea level, (14.7psi) and the yota compression (9.2?) the internal cylindar pressure comes out to ~135 psi.  Here at 7200 feet the atmospheric pressure is more like 11psi, so the cylindar pressure is reduced to 101 psi.  At that pressure, there's absolutely no need to run a ping-resistant fuel.  85 octane costs less and lasts longer (better mpg) than any other gas I can buy.

My advice would be to try everything out for yourself.  See what works best.

[WHITE_TRASH]

My old boss used to brag about one makers premium in his sleds.  Said it was the best fuel ever these days.  I did my own test like Mikey did.  I actually got 6 mpg on premium and 8 on cheapo.  Old school 350s dont need that much octane I supose.  But it ran fawking awesome on 114 avgas. Never did care to check the mileage with that though.

[Prismo]

87 causes my 22re to ping under load, going up hills & towing a trailer. I have been running 89 for a couple years now & have had very little pre-ignition. I am running a header, 2 1/4" exhaust, a mild cam & the AFM has been tweaked 1 click. This engine is also hauling a 4600lb Runner around.

[musclesliver]

NJ only has 87, 89, 93

87 goes in the bike vtx 1800 and 84 PU, the 93 in the s/c Taco