[hellcat.hakim]

I realize this question has been asked a gazillion times, but I need just a little further clarification regarding my situation. I live here in Dubai where we only have access to Super 98 at the pump (equivalent to 93). I recently got my ECM and TCM tuned remotely on my 2016 Charger HC (along with a Ripatuned Incognito lower). My tuner noticed there were some slight fueling issues in my logs which he believed was due to the fuel differences. Therefore, I would like to add a gallon of unleaded race fuel to my tank to help increase the octane level a bit. E99 is readily available here in 5-gal barrels from various vendors. However, I'd like to limit myself to using only one gallon of race fuel per tank of pump gas - as these barrells can get quite expensive over the long term (1 gal E99 + 17 gal 93 = full tank). So my question is - will only one gallon of E99 make any significant differences in fueling? Would it be worth the monthly expense? I'll be adding other mods in the near future (2.95 upper & 1000cc injectors) with tuning, while remaining on pump gas. Considering a possible Flex Fuel tune, however, I'll still be limited to pump gas boost levels. Definitely not a track guy and just needing a little extra octane for improved performance.

 

[baabootoo]

So real world or dyno? You will be wasting a lot of time and money for a few? horsepower on a dyno; maybe.

 

[hellcat.hakim]

This isn't my DD so I'm only looking to bump up my octane for improved performance on weekend drives. Lots of HCs in my area these days and wanting to stay competitive.

 

[Rockster]

Given the fuel tank capacity is, well, for sake of discussion let's call it 18 gallons one gallon of 99 in a tank with 17 gallons of 93 will net you 93.3 octane.

9 gallons of 93 mixed with 1 gallon 99 will net you 93.6 octane.

5 gallons of 93 mixed with 1 gallon of 99 will net you 94 octane.

1 gallon of 93 mixed with 1 gallon of 99 will net you 96 octane.

Based on my experience with my Hellcat with your car and just two gallons of fuel in the tank the engine might start and idle but any acceleration will have the fuel pump sucking air.

Do you have a plan B?

My plan B would be to show up at the weekend drives not in my Hellcat but in a pick up truck carrying 5 gallon cans of 99...

One alternative could be use Boostane. Its web site provides chart of how much of what flavor of Boostane you need to bring various grades of octane up by whole octane numbers to whatever octane level you want. Or can afford.

 

[hellcat.hakim]

Given the fuel tank capacity is, well, for sake of discussion let's call it 18 gallons one gallon of 99 in a tank with 17 gallons of 93 will net you 93.3 octane.

9 gallons of 93 mixed with 1 gallon 99 will net you 93.6 octane.

5 gallons of 93 mixed with 1 gallon of 99 will net you 94 octane.

1 gallon of 93 mixed with 1 gallon of 99 will net you 96 octane.

Based on my experience with my Hellcat with your car and just two gallons of fuel in the tank the engine might start and idle but any acceleration will have the fuel pump sucking air.

Do you have a plan B?

My plan B would be to show up at the weekend drives not in my Hellcat but in a pick up truck carrying 5 gallon cans of 99...

One alternative could be use Boostane. Its web site provides chart of how much of what flavor of Boostane you need to bring various grades of octane up by whole octane numbers to whatever octane level you want. Or can afford.

Thanks for the reply. Yes, these are the exact same numbers that I was able to compute using a standard octane calculator that I found today online:

( [ % Fuel A ] x [ Octane of Fuel A ] ) + ( [ % Fuel B ] x [ Octane of Fuel B ] ) = Octane of Mixture

I probably would've never wrote this post if I was aware of the octane calculator LOL. Either way, I'm finding that the best fuel mixture is a linear 50/50 equal share. Therefore, this probably won't be a sufficient option for me or others considering the same option - seeing that only a gallon or two of E99 makes a very insignifcant difference in terms of uping the octane. And so, I'll probably just stick to keeping my boost levels within the safe pump gas limits for now.

 

[areuriding]

Give boostane a shot, it might be just what you need.

 

[hellcat.hakim]

Give boostane a shot, it might be just what you need.

I'm really on the fence with Boostane. Seems many people aren't very satisfied with it. I actually contacted a Boostane rep directly. He did confirm the orangish residue that can build up on the valves and spark plugs which is normal and won't cause any long-term harm to your vehicle. He also said most of the issues are likely from people adding too much to the tank and not following the mixing instructions outlined on the can. Have you tried it yourself? If so, how were the results.

 

[Rockster]

I'm really on the fence with Boostane. Seems many people aren't very satisfied with it. I actually contacted a Boostane rep directly. He did confirm the orangish residue that can build up on the valves and spark plugs which is normal and won't cause any long-term harm to your vehicle. He also said most of the issues are likely from people adding too much to the tank and not following the mixing instructions outlined on the can. Have you tried it yourself? If so, how were the results.

Just a guess on my part but if you limit the use of Boostane to just the amount of fuel you think you'll need for those weekend drives then after fill up with the best gasoline in your area. My belief is any deposits arising from the use of Boostane will be removed as you drive with no Boostane in the fuel.

'course, you can't have it both ways. Especially if you make more mods for more power. You will find 98 (RON) inadequate and you will have to run something above 98 all the time. Upping 98 using Boostane will I think prove to be expensive and inconvenient. And risky. If you mess up and don't add enough Boostane...

Some owners resort to switching over to a flex fuel "tune" and running (mostly) E85. Depending upon the season this provides anywhere from 51% to 83% ethanol or approx. 100 to 105 octane. Obviously E85 wants to be readily available.

 

[Speedy]

Don't use Boostane or any products like it that contain MMT. That stuff does a number on the valves and exhaust parts and sensors.

 

[hellcat.hakim]

Just a guess on my part but if you limit the use of Boostane to just the amount of fuel you think you'll need for those weekend drives then after fill up with the best gasoline in your area. My belief is any deposits arising from the use of Boostane will be removed as you drive with no Boostane in the fuel.

'course, you can't have it both ways. Especially if you make more mods for more power. You will find 98 (RON) inadequate and you will have to run something above 98 all the time. Upping 98 using Boostane will I think prove to be expensive and inconvenient. And risky. If you mess up and don't add enough Boostane...

Some owners resort to switching over to a flex fuel "tune" and running (mostly) E85. Depending upon the season this provides anywhere from 51% to 83% ethanol or approx. 100 to 105 octane. Obviously E85 wants to be readily available.

Many thanks for the informative feedback. And yes, I'll definitely go with a Flex fuel tune when the time comes. By far the best possible option for my setup. E85 isn't available at the pump over here In Dubai, but plenty of vendors sell the 5gal barrels.

 

[hellcat.hakim]

Don't use Boostane or any products like it that contain MMT. That stuff does a number on the valves and exhaust parts and sensors.

That's exactly what I always worry about with these fuel additives. Best just to spend a bit more up front for a proper E85 setup, and benefit on the back end over the long term. BTW I enjoy watching your YouTube channel. Loads of good learning material, for sure. Keep the content rolling 😎

 

[hellcat.hakim]

Don't use Boostane or any products like it that contain MMT. That stuff does a number on the valves and exhaust parts and sensors.

Merry Christmas to you and yours! Quick question for you while I'm on the topic of Flex fuel. I've talked with multiple tuners regarding a possible 2.85/Incog lower setup (on pump gas) and I was surprised how some were more than willing to offering tuning, while others outright refused - citing it was too much boost for gasoline. So what gives? I've read plenty others here on the forum who run the 2.85/10% on pump gas without issue - including one member who ran it even on his stock injectors up until the colder/denser weather set it. I'm obviously still at a novice level, but just trying to make it make sense. Any feedback you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Rockster]

Many thanks for the informative feedback. And yes, I'll definitely go with a Flex fuel tune when the time comes. By far the best possible option for my setup. E85 isn't available at the pump over here In Dubai, but plenty of vendors sell the 5gal barrels.

Fueling a E85/flex fuel tuned Hellcat with 5 gallon cans of E85 would be like watering a thirsty elephant with an eye dropper...

 

[Sarna March]

Fueling a E85/flex fuel tuned Hellcat with 5 gallon cans of E85 would be like watering a thirsty elephant with an eye dropper...

 

[Speedy]

Merry Christmas to you and yours! Quick question for you while I'm on the topic of Flex fuel. I've talked with multiple tuners regarding a possible 2.85/Incog lower setup (on pump gas) and I was surprised how some were more than willing to offering tuning, while others outright refused - citing it was too much boost for gasoline. So what gives? I've read plenty others here on the forum who run the 2.85/10% on pump gas without issue - including one member who ran it even on his stock injectors up until the colder/denser weather set it. I'm obviously still at a novice level, but just trying to make it make sense. Any feedback you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Hey, Merry Christmas to you as well. The max I'd recommend for 93 octane gasoline on a Hellcat is a 2.72 upper stock lower. On my car that made right at 17psi of boost in good air and with careful tuning it was fine on 93. You have to have a conservative tune though with all the nannies in place etc. I think a 2.85 makes around 14-15psi, I'm not sure how much the incognito adds to that, but keeping it at 17 or below is my recommendation on 93. If you can only get 91 then 2.85 and stock lower is the max I'd recommend.

You'll find people that will take chances with fuel in terms of how much it can handle and cheap out on injectors, pumps, etc. That's not what I recommend. Things are good until they're not.

 

[hellcat.hakim]

Hey, Merry Christmas to you as well. The max I'd recommend for 93 octane gasoline on a Hellcat is a 2.72 upper stock lower. On my car that made right at 17psi of boost in good air and with careful tuning it was fine on 93. You have to have a conservative tune though with all the nannies in place etc. I think a 2.85 makes around 14-15psi, I'm not sure how much the incognito adds to that, but keeping it at 17 or below is my recommendation on 93. If you can only get 91 then 2.85 and stock lower is the max I'd recommend.

You'll find people that will take chances with fuel in terms of how much it can handle and cheap out on injectors, pumps, etc. That's not what I recommend. Things are good until they're not.

Hey, Speedy. Many thanks for the timely response. I'm kind of on the fence regarding my upper pulley option, but you've definitely shared some good points. And I agree, 17psi of boost is probably the most I'll consider on pump gas - and I'll probably even keep it to 16psi just to be safer. The Incognito gave me 2psi of boost as advertised, and it's only about 6% OD. Really nice setup for the street which is what I was looking for. I'm hitting a little over 13psi at sea level here in Dubai. So I'm looking for another 2.5-3psi of boost before I call it quits. I was ECM/TCM tuned when I installed the Incog lower. My options now are the 2.85 or 2.95 upper - just not sure if I'm willing to risk the 2.85. The 2.95 would definitely be the safer option on 93. I've even considered the 3.17 and just call it a day. I'll be getting the FIC 1000s with either combo. But for the same installation price - I'd hate to go with the 3.17 and leave potential power on the table. That's why I've been curious as to why some tuners are willing to take certain risks and not others. But obviously, they've got their reputations to protect which makes sense.