# Octane and Thread Closing **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 20, 2005, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/octane-and-thread-closing/285696 "2005-01-20T08:19:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Blown\_Injected](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@Blown\_Injected](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blown_Injected)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2005, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/octane-and-thread-closing/285696/1 "2005-01-20T08:19:01Z")
Well do I have to be nasty about it then? > **[Octane!](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=297874)** > > IMHO Samclem closed this thread too fast! ramesh sodum Since you did not get a direct answer to your direct question that does indeed have a factual answer: Start with the best pump gas you can get. Sunoco 94 is common in my area. Add xylene... Is this better? You dumb ass, there is indeed a safe easy way to increase octane! WTF don’t you answer the question instead of closing threads? And to the other one - am I not entitled to post an opinion in the IMHO section? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2005, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/octane-and-thread-closing/285696/2 "2005-01-20T09:13:40Z")
Strictly speaking, your post should probably have gone in MPSIMS, because IMHO is supposed to be a forum for polling others on their opinions, rather than airing your own humble ones. But yes, it does seem a little heavy handed, but my guess is that it was a combination of a couple of factors - to those like myself who don’t quite understand the technical nature of your suggestion, it sounds like the sort of advice that could lead to experiments resulting in nasty accidents (it probably isn’t, it just _sounds_ that way to a layman), aggravated by the fact that it’s _ **ramesh sodum** _ - look at the guy’s (brief) posting history… Something tells me that he’ll probably start a few more kooky threads just like the others and get himself banned, even _without_ encouragement. ---
**Author:** ![Blown\_Injected](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@Blown\_Injected](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blown_Injected)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2005, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/octane-and-thread-closing/285696/3 "2005-01-20T09:37:16Z")
I went back to read the original octane thread to see if I missed anything. I then noticed the post count and looked at the other posts - it seems, well, I can now understand but give the guy a chance. When I started this and the other octane thread I had not looked at the other new poster’s threads, just noticed a GQ in GQ that went unanswered and got locked down. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2005, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/octane-and-thread-closing/285696/4 "2005-01-20T22:34:27Z")
> [@Blown & Injected](#): > > I went back to read the original octane thread to see if I missed anything. I then noticed the post count and looked at the other posts - it seems, well, I can now understand but give the guy a chance. > > When I started this and the other octane thread I had not looked at the other new poster’s threads, just noticed a GQ in GQ that went unanswered and got locked down. The OP was a nutjob, but **Fat Bald Guy** could be straightened out on why one might want high octane gasoline. ---
**Author:** ![Necros](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/necros/32/11086_2.png) [@Necros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Necros)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2005, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/octane-and-thread-closing/285696/5 "2005-01-20T22:43:27Z")
Yeah, I’m not really sure what happened there, either. I mean, sure, you COULD injure yourself with those chemicals, but perfectly normal people create their own race gas in their garage. Nothing weird about it. It’s like someone coming in, asking the best way to get a pencil really sharp. They may be about to stab themselves, but we have to assume they just want to write finer lines or something. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2005, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/octane-and-thread-closing/285696/6 "2005-01-20T22:48:25Z")
**Samclem** ’s a dumb ass because you can’t read? Come again? ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2005, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/octane-and-thread-closing/285696/7 "2005-01-20T23:00:16Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > aggravated by the fact that it’s _ **ramesh sodum** _ - look at the guy’s (brief) posting history… Something tells me that he’ll probably start a few more kooky threads just like the others and get himself banned, even _without_ encouragement. Give the guy a break, he’s only been around for a bit, and may be having some difficulty acculturating himself to the board. As I recall, **Desmostylus** ran into similar early difficulties, and look at what a fine model of probity he’s become after a few gentle nudges by the moderators. **Ramesh sodum** may settle in to be just as valuable a contributor here. ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2005, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/octane-and-thread-closing/285696/8 "2005-01-20T23:02:08Z")
Prediction: Within a short period of time, someone will draw a comparison to [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=297953) and racism toward ramesh sodum from the mod who said “Stick to fertiliser”. ---
**Author:** ![zut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zut/32/2875_2.png) [@zut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zut)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2005, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/octane-and-thread-closing/285696/9 "2005-01-20T23:21:25Z")
[Here’s the original GQ thread.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=297836) I agree that the OP of that thread seems to have some some – ah – stability problems. However, if the reason the thread was closed was _strictly_ because of who the OP was, I think **samclem** shouls have so stated. What **samclem** _did_ post on closing the thread was: > [@](#): > > …and I’d like to invent a perpetual motion machine, in my spare time, for fun and profit. But it ain’t gonna happen. > > Closed this one too, \*\*ramesh. \*\* > > Please don’t continue along the lines of the posts that you have made so far. No one on here is gonna help you invent a Tom Swift machine, and you have to face the facts. > > Stick to fertiliser. And that’s unfortunate. I’m not exactly sure why the OP wanted to increase the octane of gasoline, but in point of fact, it _can_ be increased relatively easily, by a number of different methods, including [over-the-counter octane enhancers](http://www.no-rosion.com/octane.htm). This question is _not_ equivalent to asking about perpetual motion machines, as **sam** implied, nor is it equivalent to **ramesh sodum** ’s _other_ [silly question(s)](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=297506). At least, please edit the closing post, **sam** , so as not to leave a misleading impression that increasing the octane of gasoline is somehow impossible. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2005, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/octane-and-thread-closing/285696/10 "2005-01-21T02:05:01Z")
Okay, I’m lost - why does a thread asking about how to boost octane need to be closed? Is it illegal? Is it dangerous? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2005, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/octane-and-thread-closing/285696/11 "2005-01-21T04:28:40Z")
> [@featherlou](#): > > Okay, I’m lost - why does a thread asking about how to boost octane need to be closed? Is it illegal? Is it dangerous? Not illegal at all, and probably mostly harmless if done properly and for the proper reasons. See my links and explanation in the linked thread. To sum up: octane is a measure of the ability of gasoline to resist pre-ignition under compression. Higher octane formulas are used in high-compression ratio engines to suppress knocking caused by pre-ignition. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2005, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/octane-and-thread-closing/285696/12 "2005-01-21T05:10:29Z")
> [@zut](#): > > At least, please edit the closing post, **sam** , so as not to leave a misleading impression that increasing the octane of gasoline is somehow impossible. I just did. [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=5740424#post5740424](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=5740424#post5740424) Sorry to not have provided all the details when I closed it. ---
**Author:** ![zut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zut/32/2875_2.png) [@zut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zut)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2005, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/octane-and-thread-closing/285696/13 "2005-01-21T14:51:51Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > I just did. [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=5740424#post5740424](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=5740424#post5740424) > > Sorry to not have provided all the details when I closed it. OK; thanks, **samclem**. I was wondering if you had closed the thread for reasons along those lines, but the original wording of your closing post seemed to imply something else. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2005, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/octane-and-thread-closing/285696/14 "2005-01-21T17:51:18Z")
Oookay, getting it now. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2005, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/octane-and-thread-closing/285696/15 "2005-01-21T23:15:05Z")
> [@Blown & Injected](#): > > Well do I have to be nasty about it then? Yes, please. Get nasty. Get very very nasty. Call all the moderators names. Start multiple threads on this subject in every forum using the identical OP in each. Send threatening email to the administrators, including vague references to lawyers and courtrooms. Please, do all of this, and do it today.