BROQUET fuel catalyst - it works!!!
 

Since my car had a new lease of life with its recent TME remap, I've been exploring the issue of fuel quality vs power which is something which has been widely debated. My methods can hardly be called scientific but more importantly are reproducible on the road, where it matters most I guess. My only experience with the Broquet was in one of my dad's cars which is a 1972 Volvo 144 DeLuxe. When leaded fuel was banned, the car did not like running on Unleaded (even Super) and that is when I spoke to David Lock of Broquet(UK) about using their fuel catalyst. He sent me one, we popped it in the tank and the car has run perfectly ever since; that was over 10yrs back.

Anyway, I've always run Shell Optimax and recently noticed that there was a difference in fuel quality between pump stations; this was mainly by watching peak and sustained boost. There were times when the car would only boost 1.4bar and immediately after refuelling, would boost back to its normal 1.7bar. After several days of not using the car, it would again not boost as high; I subsequently learned that fuel quality degrades even when just sitting in the tank. Hence, I was back on the phone to David Lock and he sent me another 'in-tank' unit to try. Over the last few weeks, I've tried various things, from running the tank dry and then filling small quantities of fuel from stations I knew I had problems with before, to not using the car for a week and then running it again. Every single time, the car has not once dropped boost below what I would expect. All these tests have, of course, been done with the water injection disabled.

Hence, in my experience, the Broquet does seem to work not only for classic cars but also for modern high-performance ones. I've got no experience with the 'in-line' units which are fitted across the fuel line but the 'in-tank' certainly does its job well. I guess the next stage is to fill the tank with some 95RON and see what happens. Has anyone else tried this catalyst and if so could you post your experience with it as I am very interested to know the results. I know I've not gone into technical nitty-gritty like monitoring knock sensors, detonation etc but certainly monitoring boost is a reasonable indication, especially given the fluctuations I have seen.

RE: BROQUET fuel catalyst - it works!!!
 

If these products do work I just cant understand why manufacturers who spend millions on designing the most fuel efficient engines they can wouldnt fit such a simple cheap device with every car they sell.

Simon

RE: BROQUET fuel catalyst - it works!!!
 

I guess its because manufacturers tend not to try out or test such items for themselves before passing judgement, as is so often the case.

RE: BROQUET fuel catalyst - it works!!!
 

Interesting - what does this catyst catalyse?
Ken

RE: BROQUET fuel catalyst - it works!!!
 

Hi Ken,

Have a look at http://www.broquet.co.uk it should have most of the information you need. David Lock is always willing to entertain email or phone questions and he knows the product and its applications well so he's definitely a good resource if you want details.

RE: BROQUET fuel catalyst - it works!!!
 

Simon,

I thought I'd just re-kindle this thread because I've just received confirmation from David Lock, that Subaru UK has bought over a thousand Broquet catalysts to fit to cars which are having problems running on 95RON pump fuel, and with great success. So it may seem that some manufacturers are putting in the effort to consider such aftermarket devices afterall. Kind or reminds me of Ford turning to Aquamist (water injection) for their Cosworth cars back in the early 90s.

RE: BROQUET fuel catalyst - it works!!!
 

Interesting! How much do these things cost and how long do they last? I'd be interested if I could use 95 ron fuel instead of Optimax due to the cost saving. It really needs Adam to try one on his dyno but I think he's only got an oil burner now.

Simon

RE: BROQUET fuel catalyst - it works!!!
 

Simon,

Have a look at the Broquet website, and if you've got any questions, give David Lock a call. He's a fellow Volvo turbo owner and enthusiast and he'll be more than happy to help.

RE: BROQUET fuel catalyst - it works!!!
 

>Interesting! How much do these things cost and how long do
>they last? I'd be interested if I could use 95 ron fuel
>instead of Optimax due to the cost saving. It really needs
>Adam to try one on his dyno but I think he's only got an oil
>burner now.
>
>Simon

Simon,

You must have missed something because we also have a phase 2 T5, which belongs to Hamish. I have the D5, he has the T5.

Adam.

RE: BROQUET fuel catalyst - it works!!!
 

Adam,

Sorry, I forgot about Hamish's T5. Have you got any thoughts on these wonder products? From looking on the website I think the cost is £70 for one chuck in the tank Broquette but you may need 2. Its a bit more than I'm prepared to spend.

Simon