REVIEW: Race-Gas concentrate for tuning!!

[jeff]

Hey folks!

I posted some of this in my build thread but since most won't see it there I thought I'd start a separate thread to share this info. I am absolutely in love with this product and really wanted to share my thoughts. Until accidentally discovering it a few weeks ago I had no idea that this option existed. Here's hoping to spread some good info and raise awareness.

So, after a recent X47 install I found myself (Vdyno, haven't dyno'd yet) at around 275-280hp. Spend some time digging and you'll see that most X47s on 93 are bringing that number. I can make Vdyno read closer to 300hp if I log on a slight downhill slope but hey that's not real honest. In any case the car feels great at the 280ish mark but wouldn't it be nice to get a bit closer to 300? Of course.

So, WMI is an option and so is e30, but for reasons detailed below that's not happening for me. How sad until I discovered this amazing product called Race-Gas. I'm hyphenating it because that's how their URL reads and it distinguishes the concentrate from actual "race gas" which is high octane gasoline used often at dragstrips and such. The product in review, Race-Gas concentrate, is added to a tank of gas to achieve the desired octane. There is a handy mixing chart on each can and on their website. Then, having higher octane allows you to tune the car to perform better for that octane of fuel. Genius!

CLICK HERE for their website.

*****
Now - some reasoning on power beyond X47 (aside from different turbo)....three basic options for me as I see it are (1) methanol injection tune (2) e30 tune (3) race-gas concentrate tune.

METHANOL INJECTION would bring the most power (from what I've read) and keep the engine cleaner. For me there's about a $1000 start-up cost to do it right for the kit I want (kit, meth, hard charge pipes, misc.). Plus there's the install, plus the hassle of having a meth tank in the car, and not being able to use my trunk storage as freely. So meth is out for me.

ETHANOL 30 blend would be my choice but it is not an option with no stations anywhere near me. However I'm OK with that because the downsides of ethanol are (a) lower MPG (b) hassle of mixing (c) potential unavailability of ethanol on a trip.

RACE GAS according to my tuner yields near identical results as e30. The disadvantage is the cost, as e30 is relatively free but this product is +$30/tank. But the advantages are (a) super easy to mix (b) no installation needed. 2 years of racegas will cost about the same as a full meth kit. And, on trips where I'll be mostly driving on the highway, I can run my regular 93 tune and skip the race-gas for a few tanks, and save some money.

After extensive study, I've learned that the only drawback of this product (they ran it full time in a bunch of cars for 3 years) is that spark plugs might need to be changed more often. That and orange smoke on the tailpipes.

In any case, after talking with my tuner about it (Adam, who got +40hp on his RS just by adding this product and tuning for it), who highly recommended it, and then calling the good folks at Race Gas, who answered all my questions, I ordered a few bottles and started the tuning process.

*****
And......

Having just finished revisions for my race-gas concentrate tune, here are a few observations:

1. MPG first 200 miles is identical to 93 octane.
2. vDyno below says I'm up 14hp and 10ft/lbs. The car definitely feels like it's up 14hp. Remember it's only vDyno which I've proven to be very unreliable. But, it's a baseline. Look at the space between the curves, it's impressive to say the least! In some areas there's as much a gain from RG as there was from stock turbo to X47!!!
3. My tuner Tune+ says that the RG concentrate yields results comparable to an e30 tune.
4. Cost really isn't outrageous...I did the math, it would be about $500/year for me to keep this in my tank full time. That's $42 a month. I can think of less worthy things I spent that amount on each month.
5. My mix here equates to about 98.5 octane and I will say in addition to the power bump, which is really obvious throughout the entire rev range especially over 5,000rpms, the car runs noticeably smoother. It smoothed out my boost too as you can see below.
6. Boost is NOT increased at all as we're keeping me at the Pumaspeed-recommended 25.4 for the X47.
7. I'm learning to read logs more and more...my RG tune has 4 degrees more timing than my 93 tune at 4,500-6,000rpms. That is pretty beastly. No negative corrections.

Humidity in GA here is near 100% when I'm logging. I am pretty sure, from past experience doing datalogs, that when the air is less humid and cooler I'll be making more power. I wouldn't be surprised if the +14/10 number gets closer to +20/20. But we'll see.

In the end, for a 10-20hp bump this is a really great product for me!

*****
Anyhow that's what's in my brain after a week with this stuff. The car is really running great!!! Thanks for reading!!!

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[Turbo65]

Nice right up I have to admit to me this seams easier although more expensive than e30 with the whole mixing/%of corn juice varies just puts me off. This might be a viable option even on a stock turbo because all I can get is 91 octane round here

 

[jeff]

Nice right up I have to admit to me this seams easier although more expensive than e30 with the whole mixing/%of corn juice varies just puts me off. This might be a viable option even on a stock turbo because all I can get is 91 octane round here

Thanks. You'd only need to add a little bit to get the octane from 91 to 93, it wouldn't cost much, and the difference in the tunes is valid even from 91 to 93. Just on Cobb's OTS stage 1 tune here are the differences from their website:

91 OCTANE
Dyno Gain (% HP): Peak +2%, Max +4%
Dyno Gain (% TQ): Peak +19%, Max +23%
93 OCTANE
Dyno Gain (% HP): Peak +2%, Max +5%
Dyno Gain (% TQ): Peak +21%, Max +26%

So there's +1% HP and +3% TQ for a 2 octane bump, plus the car will run smoother with higher octane, and keep in mind that is a conservative tune.

In the case of the RG product you're bumping 6-8 octane so the gains would be significant on a stock turbo too especially with a custom tune that can take the most advantage of it.

*****
An update to my review after a few hundred miles on the car...mpgs are still consistent with regular 93 octane which is great, I can still get around 370 miles to a tank with the RG additive. I've done about 10 datalogs and put them on vDyno, being careful not to cheat, putting temp and barometric pressure and weight data in there accurately each time. I'm consistently getting 285-300hp. Yes, the other day I got a 300hp log which was exciting! The ECU is learning and I think the tune and my driving style are settling in.

I'll be dyno'ing the car in a few months on both the 93 and 93+RG tune and we'll see if 300 is truly possible.

The car is super smooth and still pulling like nobody's business. Super happy with this product/tune.

Another thought, the orange/brown stain on the tailpipes is there after 1-2 days. I made the mistake of leaving it as I usually wipe the pipes clean when I wash the car. However even Purple Power wouldn't get rid of all of the stain. This is a bummer but I was able to get the stain 99% off using some CLR. Going forward I'll be wiping the tailpipes more often to avoid this.

Anyone else used Race-Gas additive? I'm surprised nobody else has chimed in on this thread, this is such a great product.

 

[CB022481]

im running a 93 oct stratified tune. wonder if this would make it run better without getting a higher octane tune?

 

[jeff]

im running a 93 oct stratified tune. wonder if this would make it run better without getting a higher octane tune?

I believe that it will certainly make it run better without getting a revised tune. I've done a good bit of research on octane and how it effects our cars/ignition/timing etc. Without a tune the car isn't going to be much faster but it will run smoother with higher octane. Our turbo'd cars require premium gas (higher octane) because of higher compression ratios due to forced induction. Knock happens when the fuel ignites before the spark plugs light; this premature condition causes the car to run less efficiently. Higher compression means higher chance of knock, so the solution is higher octane, that's why they recommend premium. The car will run on 87 but because of reduced octane the ECU will make changes to prevent knock which will rob the car of both power and efficiency.

I think that's why the placebo of putting a Wal-mart octane booster in your car might actually have some reality to it. Putting an octane booster in there, even if it only boosts it 1 octane point, isn't adding power necessarily but it's getting the fuel to a higher octane which will keep the ECU from retarding timing and robbing power. Maybe that's why all these tests that give empirical data of additives/octane boosters are somewhat legit....they aren't adding power but they are letting the car work as well as it is supposed to be able to work. In the factory when they get hp/tq numbers on a car you can be sure they are using the best fuel available. But what you put in your gas tank might have varying levels of quality depending on where the gas came from and other variables. So the additives/octane boosters don't add power, but they do prevent it from being robbed, at least to some point. Possibly. That's my theory anyway.

Conversely, raising the octane number and then tuning the ECU to increase timing has a wonderful effect, as in the case of this product I am reviewing!!!!

 

[CB022481]

I believe that it will certainly make it run better without getting a revised tune. I've done a good bit of research on octane and how it effects our cars/ignition/timing etc. Without a tune the car isn't going to be much faster but it will run smoother with higher octane. Our turbo'd cars require premium gas (higher octane) because of higher compression ratios due to forced induction. Knock happens when the fuel ignites before the spark plugs light; this premature condition causes the car to run less efficiently. Higher compression means higher chance of knock, so the solution is higher octane, that's why they recommend premium. The car will run on 87 but because of reduced octane the ECU will make changes to prevent knock which will rob the car of both power and efficiency.

I think that's why the placebo of putting a Wal-mart octane booster in your car might actually have some reality to it. Putting an octane booster in there, even if it only boosts it 1 octane point, isn't adding power necessarily but it's getting the fuel to a higher octane which will keep the ECU from retarding timing and robbing power. Maybe that's why all these tests that give empirical data of additives/octane boosters are somewhat legit....they aren't adding power but they are letting the car work as well as it is supposed to be able to work. In the factory when they get hp/tq numbers on a car you can be sure they are using the best fuel available. But what you put in your gas tank might have varying levels of quality depending on where the gas came from and other variables. So the additives/octane boosters don't add power, but they do prevent it from being robbed, at least to some point. Possibly. That's my theory anyway.

Conversely, raising the octane number and then tuning the ECU to increase timing has a wonderful effect, as in the case of this product I am reviewing!!!!

are you sponsored by these guys?

 

[jeff]

are you sponsored by these guys?

Certainly not!!! Just a very happy customer. And one who did a good bit of research and thinking and poking around before spending his money, putting this stuff in his car, and going through another (my 5th tune, dangit I'm getting tired of that process) set of tune revisions!!! I gotta be sure!!!

Plus I was a bit Eeyore when I realized I couldn't get e85 and maximize my new setup, so I was extra happy when I discovered the RG product.

 

[CB022481]

just joshing ya... how much do you use a tank? one whole container?

 

[Joker328]

Seems like a waste of money to put this in every tank for just daily driving or whatever, unless you have a lot of room to really air it out on your commute every day. I could definitely see using it at the track or occasional spirited drives and maybe getting a custom tune for that purpose though.

 

[CB022481]

36 miles each way on work days. some twistys and a lot of straight. and some horse and buggies

 

[jeff]

just joshing ya... how much do you use a tank? one whole container?

I mentioned the ratios and expected cost in the first post, one can per tank.

Seems like a waste of money to put this in every tank for just daily driving or whatever, unless you have a lot of room to really air it out on your commute every day. I could definitely see using it at the track or occasional spirited drives and maybe getting a custom tune for that purpose though.

Yeah, meh, like I said, for $500 a year it's more return for me than other things I'm forced spend that much on....I guess it depends on the driver. Again, look at the vDyno comparison - the space between the curves is significant, so is the improvement driving experience. My car is a hobby that I really truly love, to get that much more performance out of it on my daily drive is definitely worth the money. I enjoy every drive, and often take the long way home. So I guess I'd say I "air it out" every day. I don't see it as a commute to work - I see it as 15-20 minutes in the car which are highly enjoyable...then I get to work...then on the way home I have another 15-20 minutes in the car that are highly enjoyable.

Maybe if I had a long commute it would be different, or saw my car as a thing that gets me from point A to point B. But I do not.

 

[Joker328]

Oh I get it. Just don't think it would be worth $500+ per year to go from 274 whp to 288 whp. That's already a lot in this little car, and a lot of the fun to be had on the road is in the handling more so than straight line speed IMO. E30 would seem to be the more practical option for anyone who can find it easily (understand you can't). To each, his own though. And as I said, it's designed to be an additive for the track and totally makes sense for that purpose.

 

[808FiST]

I have used Torco and Boostane in the past and present. Those did make a difference in drivability of the cars that I had tuned. I presume the RG is very similar to either Torco and Boostane. It does provide stability to the Octane that you're using in your tune. Where I live, we can only get 92 Octane. I ran a 93 Tune on my FiST and used both Torco and Boostane with similar results. Costs are relatively cheap if you're only using it to get to 93-94 octane. Can get a bit more expensive if you're running full bottle. As for the orange deposits on the tail pipes.....it's real ! My 997TTS turbines had an orange hew to them when I was changing out my CATS. This was when I was running full bottle. I tend to run the Additives every other tank and only use about 15 oz each time, and the orange hew is much less now.

 

[jeff]

Oh I get it. Just don't think it would be worth $500+ per year to go from 274 whp to 288 whp. That's already a lot in this little car, and a lot of the fun to be had on the road is in the handling more so than straight line speed IMO. E30 would seem to be the more practical option for anyone who can find it easily (understand you can't). To each, his own though. And as I said, it's designed to be an additive for the track and totally makes sense for that purpose.

Well said. Though to be honest I feel like it's more like a 20+HP bump. My more recent logs, which were taken later once the ECU had time to learn more, are showing more gains than on my initial post. Beside that, I've learned that when comparing graphs the thing to look for isn't only max HP/TQ but also the area between the lines. That tells more about drive-ability and where the power bump is at. There's such a nice fat space between the before and after lines here. "Meaty powerband gains" is what some would call it.

Relatively, it is amazing what a $30 can of additive and a tune will do. I think about back 2 years ago when everyone was rushing to put $2000-$3000 into their car before there were many turbo upgrade options. This was for "stage 3" hardware and a tune which brought a whopping 26hp (sarcasm intended) according to the famous Matt F/Cobb tests. See the pic below for reference.

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Just thinking out loud here...yeah the torque was nice but many of us spent thousands for 26 hp. I've been modding cars for a long time and that's probably the most expensive HP I've ever bought. So my point is that for the gains, this product under review really isn't that expensive, relatively.

That being said no I won't be using it full-time, I'm driving 2,000 miles this fall over a few different road/work trips and I'll be doing so without RG.

I have used Torco and Boostane in the past and present. Those did make a difference in drivability of the cars that I had tuned. I presume the RG is very similar to either Torco and Boostane. It does provide stability to the Octane that you're using in your tune. Where I live, we can only get 92 Octane. I ran a 93 Tune on my FiST and used both Torco and Boostane with similar results. Costs are relatively cheap if you're only using it to get to 93-94 octane. Can get a bit more expensive if you're running full bottle. As for the orange deposits on the tail pipes.....it's real ! My 997TTS turbines had an orange hew to them when I was changing out my CATS. This was when I was running full bottle. I tend to run the Additives every other tank and only use about 15 oz each time, and the orange hew is much less now.

Good stuff man. I read up on Torco and Boostane as well, I wondered how similar they are to the RG gas. Both are a bit cheaper. I went with RG since Adam is using that in his car/for his tunes and therefore my tune.

 

[M-Sport fan]

36 miles each way on work days. some twistys and a lot of straight. and some horse and buggies

You commute into Amish country?

 

[CB022481]

You commute into Amish country?

everyday...

 

[M-Sport fan]

everyday...

Watch out for those road apples!

 

[CB022481]

Watch out for those road apples!

makes the drive more interesting...

 

[jeff]

Update of sorts...still filling up with the RG from time to time, though honestly the X47 on just 93 octane is super fun. I'm tending to add a can of RG and swap tunes when the weather looks perfect for the week ahead and I'm feeling like some extra speed.

The good folks at Race Gas just sent me some merch for free which was quite nice of them. Thanks guys!

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[CSM]

Kind of interested in trying this out periodically. Where are you buying your RG cans from? AMZ or direct?