want alittle more hp without dishing out the cash

[jimmy baird]

here is a trick try going to an atou parts store and buy a octane booster (preferrably
nOs off-road octane booster) it will boost at least like 5-10 octane levels . it helped me get my mp3 up to 132 mph and my car is stock plus i felt a whole lot quicker off the line try it and tell me what you all think

 

[hihoslva]

I guess you may have gotten a bit of a boost from the extra octane, but IMO that's just not good for your engine.

If your stock ignition system doesn't have the necessary spark to ignite all that fuel, you'll get detonation and very accelerated carbon build-up inside the motor.

My P5 recommends 87 octane fuel, and putting in higher octane will probably have a negative effect on performance - the spark and timing are just not meant to be able to burn it all.

I think the MP3 calls for a higher octane gas, but still pump fuel - not over-octaned stuff. Are you sure you got the performance gains you think you did? These things can be very psychological - some actually think an intake or exhaust is giving them 20 horses, when it's just plain not. Not calling you a liar by any means, please don't think that, but the only real way to tell is with some 1/4 mile times, or better yet, dyno results.

Long-term - the stuff's probably a bad idea, even if it "works".

 

[gonzoATX]

true true

 

[jimmy baird]

you maybe right on that but when i used to hit top speeds i would top out at about 120-123 but after the octane booster i hit132 so it obviously had a difference on it but thank you for the advie and on themp3 your right it calls for a higher octane it actually says a super unleaded is reccommended. but i only use the booster when racing it helps.

 

[mazdamp3_18]

i agree you gotta be careful with octane booster. i put that stuff in my first car (Mazda 323) ANd after 3 weeks of it i blew a head gasket. the only additive you should use in my opinion is injector cleaner.

 

[APEXistud]

I gave the octane booster a try too, but I didn't notice anything different. Octane booster isn't bad for the motor. Now if they made octane reducer . Higher octane for a car that's running stock timing, etc won't really do anything as far as I've read and seen. Now for a turbo'd car using octane additive which usually only bumps pumped gas octane up about 4 point at the most would let you run a little higher boost. Using high octane fuel is where you'd see the real gains. Just my .02cents

 

[tritonheat1]

In order to get real performance on a stock car is buy an intake, after intake by intake cam, after that by performance muffler, then after that by headers to work good with the exhaust running to the muffler then after that by clutch set and pulleys and i'm sure your running more than 40 extra Hp. But if you just by an intake i doubt youll get 10hp. But if you have the other mods to go along with the intake and exhaust then it helps more. there's no doubt about that. How come you spend 250+$ to buy an intake cai if it doesn't help when you know that pulleys help to 15+hp and cost between 200-500$.???????????????????

 

[deepcover6]

Actually I second Jimmy on the octane boost theory. I have used it and seen that it does give me a little boost very minimal but enough to notice smooth revin, most definetly! Since I put my intake on ....I have beaten a lot of stock six cylinder cars on the top end Accord, Camry,...heck even a maxima of the line(maxima was automatic and a 98'
Now don't get me wrong, most probably the reason I beat most of these cars is the way I drive, and the guys racing me didn't have the heart to keep up. But all in all, I still have noticed gains with these simple mods, which I didn't feel<<<'keyword' before as a driver. So far what I have found to be true...the only real gains, that will make a difference is a turbo or a supercharger. I tend to lean more on the turbo, supercharger will be a little too much, too quick....as in spining on the line going no where ...Cuz it already spins if I drop the clutch on high rpms. Ok take care all and be well.

 

[hihoslva]

I'm almost positive that the owners' manual for the Pro (I have a 5 - don't know about the MP3) warns against ANY type of fuel additive, including injector cleaner. I believe that it even goes so far as to warn that additives may void your warranty.

I know we are all into modding and extra HP and all that, and the fact is that Mazdas a VERY reliable, and I'm not expecting any major warranty repairs (hope I didn't put a hex on myself for saying it), but it is still nice to know it is there.

I've got 17,000 trouble-free miles on my p5 since June, and I'll probably wait for any major mods (turbo, etc.) until the warranty is done. Intakes and such are nice, and at least they can be removed if there engine trouble - no bulls*** warranty denials from Mazda that way.

The injectors on our cars are supposed to be quite reachable. When it comes time to clean them, I'll take them out and do it myself, or pay a good shop to do it for me - I've always been a little nervous about any fuel additives (I know they are in there at the pump, too, but I have no choice on that).

Just MHO.

 

[Adam3482P]

They Have 100 octane racing fuel at one of tha gas stations here. It is 3.99 a gallon there is no way I am putting that in my MP3

 

[cougfan99]

100 Octane?? That's nuts! It probably burns hotter than diesel fuel, especially under heavy load and high RPMs. I doubt if that can be very good for any stock engine. It also is so volitile that it'll ignite prematurely causing the engine to miss. I wouldn't put it in my tank either.

 

[OpusX]

Originally posted by SanFranMP3:
<STRONG>100 Octane?? That's nuts! It probably burns hotter than diesel fuel, especially under heavy load and high RPMs. I doubt if that can be very good for any stock engine. It also is so volitile that it'll ignite prematurely causing the engine to miss. I wouldn't put it in my tank either.</STRONG>

The whole idea behind having higher octane gas is so that it more stable and does not detonate prematurely. With higher octane gas, you're able to advance the timing (up to a certain degree) on the car because there isn't any knock. The reason why the MP3 uses premium fuel is because the timing is more advanced than the standard protege or the MP5.

 

[mazdaman]

I regularly run 100 octane and have noticed no problems at all. I am sure it increases performance for me and my MP3.

 

[cjstringer]

When you run 100 octane, do you just do a 1/2 and 1/2, or a full tank? Also, I haven't found any mention of synthetic oils in this forum yet. Any Recommendations? I am thinking about swithching my MP3 over to Red Line Synthetic and maybe using water wetter to cool the engine a bit more for summer autocrosses. Any thoughts?

 

[mkdxxx]

I have run racing fuel in my protege, motorcycle and for kicks my lawnmower. It does burn hotter. On the bike, it blued the headers after about 15min. Definately a power increase or at least more responsive. I don't agree that higher octane fuel will hurt the engine. I am talking 89, 90, and 92. This if anything is just cleaner fuel. I know for a fact that the racing fuel did cause alot of sparks out of the engines I've used it on. I attribute this to burning out the carbon deposits based on the increased heat.

 

[jmauld]

Most of the time racing fuel has lead in it. Unless you specifically find high octane unleaded gas, you're going to ruin your catalytic converter.

 

[Polonia2]

I used to have Mitsubishi galant VR-4 which mostly used for Rally. As you can expect, this car running on racing gasoline which consider to have higher a octane than regular gas pump.
When I stop rally, I start to drive my car on the weekend and used pump gas regularly.
After a week, I hear squicking sound coming from the hood (tik, tik , tik) and i can fell that i have lost the boost from the turbo.
A few days after, the car suddently just stop on the road. I try a few times to start the engine but it just wont work.
Finally I call towing truck to tow the car to my freinds speed shop. I spent almost $ 5000 and 2 months to replace the car cylinder head, rallyart high performance cam and one of the pistons (lightweight high compression).
As you know this parts mostly come from japan so its not easy to fix. However, my mechanic recommand me to do "tune-ups" before I move from racing gasoline to regular gas. I dont know what the effect is, but I know that i wont put anymore racing gasoline in car i drive now ('97 lancer evolution IV).
well i hope this help...
and becareful dont blow the engine....