ULP in a PULP car?

Pug307

Pug307

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What are the ramifications of driving a car designed to use PULP (95 RON) with ULP (91-92 RON)? Ideally, you'd use PULP, but there are some cases when there's none available.

I was thinking of taking the car for a good drive, and I might not be able to get PULP in some places.

The compression ratio of the 1.6 engine is 11.0, which seems highish.

Cheers,

Justin
 
Hi Justin,

With an 11:1 CR I would suggest that you definitely invest in some bottles of Octane booster if you are going to venture away from the big smoke - from my recent experiences in Tassie, where the best available is 96RON, even my elderly DS23 was complaining about the stuff - but a bottle of octane booster and no more pinging!

I usually only buy the cheap stuff at $10/bottle, and find that one bottle every two tanks is usually enough to get me by, but with such a high CR you might want a bottle every tank. Just make sure it is only octane booster, not lead replacement, which could do nasty things to your cat.

Paul
 
Hi Justin,

it'll run on standard ULP, but you will loose a lot of performance. Being a very new car running those sort of compression ratio, it'll almost certainly have knock sensors. It'll just retard you ignition to the point where there's no pinging (and probably very little power :p ).

Only way to find out it to try it! Worse that can happen is you'll ping your way to the next servo for some Octane Booster tongue

seeya,
Shane L.
 
running lower octane fuel will result in pinging from such high compression to much pinging can do dammage
 
Tony, as mentioned, such a new car should have a knock sensor, which will result in the ECU retarding the ignition until it stops. In fact, at that high a CR I'd say it'd have to have one. Too risky otherwise. You can actually hear it on some newer cars when the driver floors it from a junction - a few tiny 'plinks', the timing is retarded, and no more.

Stuey
 
Option #2,

If you're anywhere a light aircraft field, call in, turn on the charm and get a half a tank of AvGas before heading to the nearest servo.
At around $1.30 a litre it's probably a cheaper option than octane booster.
Did I say that? clown clown :rolleyes: evil

Alan S
 
Won't the lead in the avgas kill the cat. convertor and the O2 sensor?
 
yes it will avgas should only be used in leaded vehicles with not cat the cat will be destroyed with that stuff
 
I'm taking my 505GR to Tassie early next year... I currently run it on 98RON PULP, as on LRP it seemed to run a lot rougher and didn't perform as well, so in Tassie should I go for LRP or ULP with an octane booster?

also, Jason is bringing his 505GTi, I assume that would be ok on the local petrol. :confused:

:) head_ban :)
 
I try to put PULP in my 19. After the trip back from QLD. It started to make those pinging sounds. Since then I have been trying to use only optimax in it but I dont think it has made any difference...
 
What happens if you put Octane Booster when your running PULP 95(RON)
 
Interesting,

the most fuel picky car we ever had was an R25 auto. Fill it up at almost any pertrol station in Ballarat & it run like sh!t, and pinged like crazy. It got to the stage where my mother (that knows nothing about cars) would drive it to Melbourne or Geelong, then comment on how well better it always runs with she fill up there. You'd take it for a drive and sure enough, she wouldn't be pinging (very unusual) and would run much better. Bloody fuel companys thinking they can flog there shit petrol off into the 'country' :mad: :mad:

Be enough to drive your to a_drink Wish we could findout who was sending the crap fuel our way mallet Since the advent of optimax my CX has never run so well. We've since gotten rid of the R25 several years ago though. The dreaded BX16trs auto used to ping like a pig as well clown

seeya,
Shane L.
 
Well I've got 10.8:1 compression, and if I put in ULP it pings like a bastard and it does not go away. I drove it gently for 30 minutes like this and will never do it again.
 
Howdy Petrol Sniffers,

Not really relevant to a 307, but I've just rebuilt the distributor on my R12, and when setting it all back up have reset the timing with an extra 3 degrees of advance (ie. now 3 degrees BTDC static, standard is 0 degrees). I run BP Ultimate (98RON), as the local servo only sells this version of PULP (BP also have Premium at 95RON). Anyway, the old girl goes MUCH better - in fact, it even sounds different, sort of a gruntier sound from the engine. Note there is no pinging at all, even flattening it in second at 1200 rpm.

Worth a try on those older cars, chaps!

Stuey
 
could someone please elaborate on "pinging" for me? Do you mena this happens at Real High RPM's like redline or what?

Sorry for the silly question :p
 
Xsara:
could someone please elaborate on "pinging" for me? Do you mena this happens at Real High RPM's like redline or what?

Sorry for the silly question :p
Click to expand...
Not really a silly question. If you get a half dozen buttons, put them in an aluminium cup & shake 'em, that's basically what "pinging" sounds like. It has been described as a light sounding knock or a rattle. It is usually accompanied by what is described as "running on" which is a sensation in ittself; whn you turn off the ignition swirch, the engine will run on in an erratic fashion and if you take your foot off the clutch, the car will actually run backwards even though you're in first gear eek!
If it is not rectified, it can cause major damage to an engine. It's also known as "pre-ignition."
Hope that explains it to you.

Alan S
 
Ok. So what does one do when pinging is going on in an engine. My R19 timing is permanently set and it says in the haynes book that it cant be adjusted...I was told to just get some cleaner and somehow just clean all the sensors & then the ecu will retard timing or self adjust it to make the car stop. Is this the case?

(People only going by what I was told).. mallet
 
Xsara:
could someone please elaborate on "pinging" for me? Do you mena this happens at Real High RPM's like redline or what?

Sorry for the silly question :p
Click to expand...
Picky bustard that I am, even though I also call it "pinging" it is actually "pinking" which I suppose it would explain pre ignition in that things aren't quite hot enough for what is trying to happen.

My 2cents
 
danielsydney:
Ok. So what does one do when pinging is going on in an engine. My R19 timing is permanently set and it says in the haynes book that it cant be adjusted
Click to expand...
Daniel (and Xsara) , its worth remembering pinging / pinking/ pre-detonation isn't just caused by ignition timing problems. (in fact, often adjusting the timing to get rid of it simply masks a more serious problem) It can also be due to using an excessively lean mixture, engine hot spots, poor fuel, a contaminated fuel tank and other such problems.

Its not something that you experience at "red line". It usually becomes apparent when you are going up a hill in too low a gear (ie 4th when you should be in 3rd etc) .

Cheers

rod

<small>[ 17 June 2002, 11:27 PM: Message edited by: Rod Hagen ]</small>
 
danielsydney:
Ok. So what does one do when pinging is going on in an engine. My R19 timing is permanently set and it says in the haynes book that it cant be adjusted...I was told to just get some cleaner and somehow just clean all the sensors & then the ecu will retard timing or self adjust it to make the car stop. Is this the case?
Click to expand...
Daniel,

I would suggest that you possibly start off by putting a bottle of injector cleaner into the next tankful of petrol you get & see if that makes a difference. Then clean the sensors and if that does nothing, get an Efi specialist to check it out.
We recently bought a BX which pinged (or if your initials are CK - "pinked" head_ban ) its head off when we bought it & subsequently found that the timing was out to blazes but in this case it was adjustable. As Rod says, the time that they will ping(k) is usually when placed under load, (when overtaking is a common one) but if let go for too long & driven too fast, can cause serious damage. I recently saw a Nissan 300 ZX that had a piston melted out of it as if someone had been heating it with an oxy which was put down as "pre-ignition" as the cause eek! :mad:
I should point out in all fairness, that it was competing at a sprint meeting at the time :D

Alan S

<small>[ 18 June 2002, 07:49 AM: Message edited by: Alan S ]</small>
 
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