Final Verdict: Does 100 octane provide benefits beyond 93?

[Draff1]

Ive watched the threads now for years and searched but there seems to be no consensus on what 100 octane will do for a NA M3. Saw Pencil Geek's dyno chart but many disputed the findings.

Is there any conclusive evidence that using 100 octane provides measurable and consistent performance gains over 93? Forgetting about the CA garbage gas we are forced to use, I know the mapping will show small impovements over the 91.
Thanks all.

[VegasEgg]

Originally Posted by Draff1

Ive watched the threads now for years and searched but there seems to be no consensus on what 100 octane will do for a NA M3. Saw Pencil Geek's dyno chart but many disputed the findings.

Is there any conclusive evidence that using 100 octane provides measurable and consistent performance gains over 93? Forgetting about the CA garbage gas we are forced to use, I know the mapping will show small impovements over the 91.
Thanks all.

IIRC we will only see gains up to 95-96 octane and anything after that will just be a waste of money.

[M3ryder55]

I put about half a tank of 91 on my car and half a tank of 100 oct. and Let me tell you, my S65 was feeling great. Defiantly felt more responsive, more peppy and more alive.

[TMR]

Well i put the Vishnu Proceed and Visnu PWM meth on my car which bumps the octane and cools the intake charge and made a real good deal of power.

[VegasEgg]

Originally Posted by M3ryder55

I put about half a tank of 91 on my car and half a tank of 100 oct. and Let me tell you, my S65 was feeling great. Defiantly felt more responsive, more peppy and more alive.

+1! If anyone think it's all a placebo effect, I suggest for them to drive with the 91/100 oct blend (apx 95-96 oct) for a full tank or two then go back to straight 91 oct! You will def feel the difference and you'll realize how much better your car ran with the 91/100 blend! I warn you though...once you run the blend you won't want to go back to 91! Your car will love you but your wallet will hate you! Lol

[IMG]

Originally Posted by Draft1

Ive watched the threads now for years and searched but there seems to be no consensus on what 100 octane will do for a NA M3. Saw Pencil Geek's dyno chart but many disputed the findings.

Here's what I remember. A few people tried duplicating PG's results and some had success and some didn't. I think it always bugged PG that he couldn't duplicate his own results when he tried again. But there was a difference between the successes and
failures and that might help explain why some had success and others didn't. It also seems to explain why PG couldn't duplicate his own results.

The successes always seemed to come from cars with stock tunes; and the failures always seemed to come on cars with aftermarket tunes. Then if you look at it a little further, the cars that tried and failed (including PG's own) all seemed to have one specific vendor's tune in it, and we now know that one vendor always maxed out his spark advance tables which means the car wouldn't respond to better gas because the timing was already maxed out. Hey, it makes sense if you think about it.

So if you do try it, try it with a stock ECU and see what happens.

[THE TECH]

I love the way pure 100 smells, so I just run that.

[CanAutM3]

Are you guys getting 100 octane at the pump in the US?

When you say 100 octane, is it AKI or RON? I thought that US and Canada use the same AKI standard to display octane at the pump where Europe uses RON. Just curious .

The best we get here in Canada is 94 AKI. To get more than this you need to buy "race fuel" which is very expensive and not readily available.

My M3 definitely runs better on 94 than on 91, the engine even sounds different, more eager and aggressive .

[chuxdelux]

Originally Posted by SehrSchnell

^.... or just fill it up with vegan tears and hippie blood. Works for me.

This is awesome...quote worthy.

[CanAutM3]

Originally Posted by THE TECH

I love the way pure 100 smells, so I just run that.

+1

Cat-less set-up + race fuel smells so sweet

[THE TECH]

Originally Posted by CanAutM3

Are you guys getting 100 octane at the pump in the US?

When you say 100 octane, is it AKI or RON? I thought that US and Canada use the same AKI standard to display octane at the pump where Europe uses RON. Just curious .

The best we get here in Canada is 94 AKI. To get more than this you need to buy "race fuel" which is very expensive and not readily available.

My M3 definitely runs better on 94 than on 91, the engine even sounds different, more eager and aggressive .

You can find it at the pump but it's few and far between.

I'm using VP100: http://www.vpracingfuels.com/page535437.html

[DARK_M3]

Why not just aftermarket tune the car for 91? Seems like you'd save so much money over the long haul than always filling with more expensive and not readily available gas.

[THE TECH]

Originally Posted by DARK_M3

Why not just aftermarket tune the car for 91? Seems like you'd save so much money over the long haul than always filling with more expensive and not readily available gas.

Not sure who you're referencing, but I am using an Evolve tune.

[wuzupfoo]

Someone told me 100 octane helps with temps on track days.. I thought it was BS.. any truth?

[Dave07997S]

Originally Posted by THE TECH

I love the way pure 100 smells, so I just run that.

A whole tank? Will you adopt me? I run a blend and you can still smell it, especially with just 200cpi cats.

Dave

[BPMSport]

Running 100 octane will allow the car to hit it's targeted timing.

It's unlikely that a car on 91 octane will be able to hit the targets set in the ECU.

100 octane + modified tune to suit will be a very noticable difference.

Just filling up with 100 octane will not boost performance immediately, it will get better and better as the car achieves higher timing targets.

[Draff1]

ive been using 100 octane and since i drive so little it lasts me a couple of weeks. i have dinan tune and i do notice a small difference but not to the degree i expected. in hot weather it did seem to make more of a difference. just wondering if 95 would be just as good. anyone in sandiego rancho sante fe has a station with both at the pump, fyi .

[DARK_M3]

Originally Posted by THE TECH

Not sure who you're referencing, but I am using an Evolve tune.

I was just thinking in general

[THE TECH]

Guess I need to order another 54gal drum.

[LarThaL]

Originally Posted by DARK_M3

Why not just aftermarket tune the car for 91? Seems like you'd save so much money over the long haul than always filling with more expensive and not readily available gas.

You can only tune so much for 91 octane without running into detonation limitations. Swichable programs that allow for increased timing advance with higher octane fuels are the way to go. The stock M3 will advance timing based purely on octane burn up to about 95-96 octane. When I was heavy into the Audi tuning scene I had a switchable ECU that gave different programs for 91, 93, 100 104 octane on my stage 3+ Audi S4.

[Sales@Evolve]

Originally Posted by Mike Benvo

Running 100 octane will allow the car to hit it's targeted timing.

It's unlikely that a car on 91 octane will be able to hit the targets set in the ECU.

100 octane + modified tune to suit will be a very noticable difference.

Just filling up with 100 octane will not boost performance immediately, it will get better and better as the car achieves higher timing targets.

Well said.

Just to add to that.

It depends on what the long term knock adaptions are as to how fast the car will adapt to the higher octane.

Here is the stock ignition target table for full throttle:

[Raptor251]

Originally Posted by Draff1

ive been using 100 octane and since i drive so little it lasts me a couple of weeks. i have dinan tune and i do notice a small difference but not to the degree i expected. in hot weather it did seem to make more of a difference. just wondering if 95 would be just as good. anyone in sandiego rancho sante fe has a station with both at the pump, fyi .

I hit this up all the time as its two seconds from my house. There is also a VP station down in Mission Beach that has the 100octane on tap...my favorite mod, especially being catless!!