Re: [Chrysler300] Higher Octane fuel

[Rich Barber <barber@xxxxxxxxx>]

Dan has provided some great insights into engine control and left coast 
fuel.  Modern engine controls that can adjust timing and air-fuel ratio 
based on the first ping enable getting the maximum amount of energy out 
of whatever kind of fuel is in the tank.  A highly skilled technician 
can obviously do some real good work with pretty crude control systems 
based on RPM and vacuum.  I'm not that well versed on aftermarket 
devices, but it seems likely and legal that one could make the engine 
control system from an '05 "HEMI" work on an older one.

I'm glad my 1955 C300 is not so fussy on fuel.  The other 90% of the 
country might be interested to know current unleaded regular (87 octane) 
price in the Bay area is $1.819 to $1.929/G.  High price and good 
combustion quality do not necessarily go hand-in-hand, especially in 
CA.  The good news we seem to have plenty of it.

Happy New Year to all from

Rich Barber
Brentwood, CA
1955 CCC

dan300f@xxxxxxx wrote:

>Hi all:
>
>Out here on the left coast, the highest octane "pump" gas available is 91.  
>In 1996 when I first restored my 300F the available octane was 92.  But with 
>all the meddling by the environmentalists, etc., it is now down to 91 and I 
>believe the gas is far inferior than even back that near in the past.
>
>In 1996, John Characky rebuilt my engine and we put late model 440 heads (452 
>unleaded) on it.  With those, I set the timing at 12 degrees BTDC.  As the 
>years passed by, I gradually had to back off on my timing and as recently as 
>last October, I set the timing at 5 degrees BTDC.  Well, I had purchased a spare 
>distributor at Spring Fling and decided to install a Pertronix unit AND, have 
>the distributor recurved.  I told the technician, who has a well known speed 
>shop here in the San Fernando Valley,  that I wanted a  lot of zip off the line 
>but no pinging using 91 octane gas.  He said he could do it.
>
>When I got the distributor back, the initial vacuum was 7 degrees, mechanical 
>advance of 10 degrees and he advised me to set the timing at 14 - 16 degrees 
>BTDC.  I set the timing at 15 degrees giving me a total of 35 degrees of 
>advance and took the car for a test drive.  
>
>I punched it from a dead stop and I have never experienced anything quite 
>like the acceleration the F now has.  It literally jolted me back in the seat.  
>It burned rubber and took off like a jack rabbit.  I tested it on some steep 
>hills and I could not get it to ping.  The tech had told me that I would 
>experience this kind of acceleration but what he did to the distributor would have no 
>effect on road or higher speeds.
>
>The reason for me relating this is that perhaps those of you who are looking 
>for higher octane gas need look no further than a good distributor technician. 
> I am well satisfied.
>
>Happy New Year everyone!!!!!!!  See you in either Mesa, AZ or Lake Tahoe next 
>year.
>
>Dan Reitz
>Northridge, CA
>
>
>
>  
>




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