Got my Track Key installed and now detonation?

[jeepinocala]

Is it more common in CA/NV? We have the worst premium gas, not only is it only 91 but it is nasty 91 (we call it pisstane). Many tuners will offer different maps for our gas, I had to get a custom tune on my turbo car to deal with it. If it is not worse in CA/NV, then it is not lack of octane or high alcohol content.*


*Certain backwoods stations will have worse gas than us, but on the whole ours is worst for performance. Also note that gas stations have deals with each other, especially in small towns and out of the way places but also in cities, where one will supply gas to the others for the same corporate rate, as evidenced by several lawsuits. So you never really know for sure that you are getting the brand it says on the pump. Also, small mom and pop places out in the middle of nowhere tend to have the gas turnover less often, not sure if modern tanks (they made them replace all the tanks in CA a while back) have stirrers or anything.

For our ranch Jeep, we carry in gas in cans as the local gas all pings like crazy. Small town gas station issue.

Ok years back I used to race oval dirt track gocarts and one time in the stock gas class one of our gas cans did not pass inspection said it had traces of alkahol in it no not the drinking kind anyway this can was only used to fill our generators at the time we had to look into it and found back then there were a few gas companies using alkahol to raise the octane well my story anyone whom cannot get good fuel for the track key you should look into the ratio of adding alkahol to fuel to raise the octane it might just be an easy out alkahol cost like &8 a gal at the track some places cheaper but you may only need a cupfull to do the job I am sure there is someone out on the internet whom has figured this out.

 

[CaliMR]

Watering down gas with alcohol is bad. High quality gas is better. My understanding is that gas (at least here) isn't required to have alcohol yet (Obama got rid of that rule that was coming iirc, but I didn't follow it so I could be wrong) but they make the requirements in such a way that it is the easiest/cheapest way to get the gas to pass inspection. You can use better gas with higher cost additives and pass, but there isn't really an incentive to do it. The pure gas movement isn't big enough to justify the added cost. There are also a lot of other ways to add octane with various chemicals, not the octane booster junk but using real science, but it is both illegal and dangerous.

Honestly I don't get why they did a lean tune for the red key (as people are saying is what the tune is) as they specifically were not trying to get more power. Rich is safe. Getting more low end power can be done without making it lean enough to cause knocking. And the just don't go wot at low rpm thing is the wrong way to deal with it, the computer should make the adjustments so you don't have to do that. What do you guys use for RPM when you launch the car? With the rwd, I'm guessing it is down around the knocking rpm. But that is just a guess, based on general knowledge and experience with other cars.

On the other hand, a little pinging is not always the equivalent of a motor death rattle. Ford said they adjusted the knock sensitivity iirc, if they loosened the threshold then maybe they actually knew what they were doing and it is at a level that is not going to hurt the car. My Evo pinged every shift and under heavy engine breaking and sometimes 2-3 counts at WOT when hot on the track even with a rich tune, but it survived numerous track days with 100% reliability and when I sold it I had the pistons scoped and compression checked and all that jazz (I didn't want to sell the car to someone without them knowing exactly the condition) and it was like new inside the motor. The acceptable knock on those cars was up to like a 5 count on shifts, 3 on wot. Count is not comparable between cars at all, but just to show that a little pinging is not always an issue.

Sorry for writing a book lol and I don't even have red key yet

 

[BOSSCWO]

Thanks for all the feedback - I appreciate the information.

 

[BOSS1289]

Maybe what I am hearing is not the same as others. With mine, i can barely hear it, and it is a "high" octave sound, but is multiple on acceleration, ie. would be very difficult to count 3 or 5 or whatever like someone else posted.

 

[Grant 302]

When I had it installed, I noticed there were settings for 'octane adjust'. I think if you're having problems to go back and have them turn that 'on'. The default is probably 'off' or 'N' like the Procal tunes.

 

[zero]

Just had my trackey done today and I have the pinging at low rpm as stated in the install intructions and I don`t like it. Anybody have have same issue? I have 91 with no eth blend.

 

[95blitz]

Mine did it the other day. I was in sixth turning 1000 rpms or so and went full throttle and it started pinging. Other than that it's never done.

 

[CaliMR]

I have not noticed it at all, on 91 CA pisstane, even at the track. But I also don't go WOT from low rpm in high gear. I also only buy gas from stations that have high turnover so it isn't old gas.

BOSS1289, the 3 or 5 count thing I mentioned earlier is not something you can count by listening, it is a number generated by an algorithm in the ECU to quantify knock.

 

[95blitz]

I have not noticed it at all, on 91 CA pisstane, even at the track. But I also don't go WOT from low rpm in high gear.

Yeah I normally don't either, thought I was in 4th. :-[

 

[jeepinocala]

The thing I noticed the most, never have had any pinging but can tell how the car runs comparing gas stations there is a big difference.

 

[CaliMR]

I had this happen for the first time last week. It has never happened while I drive it, but I let my girlfriend drive it and she kept short shifting and lugging it, and it started pinging. Gas from the same station it gets 9/10 times and it stopped pinging once I got her to stop lugging it. I mean like 1500 rpm in 3rd lugging. At 2500+ it stopped.


Also, I noticed that girlfriends don't like it when you tell them they are driving wrong, even when it is backed up by detonation.

 

[ArizonaBOSS]

Don't go to WOT below 3000 RPM with the TK.

Maybe I should just quote this on every page.

 

[CaliMR]

She wasn't wot, she was maybe 1/2 throttle at most. But at really low rpm that was enough.

 

[ArizonaBOSS]

Understandable, that's not what it's designed for!

 

[Grant 302]

Nnno TracKey for YOU, WOMAN! ;D

 

[CaliMR]

Yeah I dug out my black key, for next time she gets to drive it.

 

[badasbullitt]

I have the same issues here as well. After driving awhile it is less pronounced. My service guy gave me a can of BG 44K and I still have some pinging and I have heard from others they have it too which is normal according to Ford and should subside. I haven't noticed it really going away.

 

[racered302]

What about gas driers and octain boosters that you can pick up all most anywhere? Is there something wrong with it. I would like to know because that's what I add before I store for the winter. I don't see why it wouldn't work.

 

[CaliMR]

I have read a few articles about octane boosters, and from what I read the claim of "2 points" of octane means .2, not 2. I don't know that would be enough to make a difference. I don't think they will hurt though, as long as it is designed for fuel injected, catted cars. Some of the old ones had additives that were bad for carbs and injectors.

I used to dump some of the fuel stabilizer in my boat before storing it for the winter and never had any issues. Some of them effectively lower the octane though, so best to run through the tank before really getting on it after taking it out of storage. Also it is best to store it with a completely full tank, less air in the tank means less air to make the fuel go bad.

 

[jas427]

Just wanted to toss in my 2 cents. I have only had straight 93 in my Boss for the first tank. After that I have been running 50/50 93 and 100 avgas. On track I use the highest unleaded they have and run the track key. Driving on the street I only use the black key as I may need to put 93 only in the tank. I have found from tracking a super charged car that fuel is everything. And that holds true for the Boss. If you can't be sure on the fuel don't run the track key. Its called the TRACK KEY for a reason. I think we should respect this Beast that Ford built us and FEED it Only Top Shelf Fuel.

http://www.youtube.com/user/Jasit390?feature=mhee