Do "Octane Boosters" work?

[L8R_H8R]

You know those little bottles of octane boosters that you can pick up at walmart? do those do anything for your car? do they really raise octane levels. I know NOS has their own octane booster, its 4x's as much as reg kind. those any diffrent?

[-Josh-]

I've heard different things from everyone, it all depends on the octane you start with IMO. You start with a low grade octane it wont help much, but if you start with a high grade you might see a little gain from it.

[CBFryman]

no, not really. that little bottle of NOS octane booster MAY raise it by 1 point for 5gal of gas. the only adettive that boosts octane that has stood the test of time is lead which ataches to the hydrocarbons on a molecular level...instead of just a mixture of chemicals.

[L8R_H8R]

so they'er not worth it huh

[drdisque]

they do raise your octane, just not very much, its way more effective to just buy higher octane gasoline.

[SiGNAL748]

Commercial octane boosters are a scam.

For example, if one says it'll raise your octane by 7 points. This is what they mean:

87 Octane + 7 Point Octane Boost = 87.7 Octane.

NOT 94 Octane.

[500]

Back in the early 70's Dirt Bike magazine did an octane booster dyno test and talked to a few oil company chemists. Some of the stuff did work. One thing that sticks in my mind from the info: If it's not in a metal can then it is just a scam. The volatiles and other stuff in the brew that makes it effective passes right through a plastic container.

[drdisque]

of course, that was the 70's, plastics technology has changed a lot since then.

[Brad4321]

Running on 93 octane I get predetonation in one of my cars. With a single bottle of octane boost, that stops.

Whether or not it works for its intended use, I don't know, but it stops predetonation, which is a good thing in my bool.

[nismowu]

Originally Posted by SiGNAL748

Commercial octane boosters are a scam.

For example, if one says it'll raise your octane by 7 points. This is what they mean:

87 Octane + 7 Point Octane Boost = 87.7 Octane.

NOT 94 Octane.

oh trust me, even worse!!
read them again...
most of addtive says "up to 5 points", "up to 10 points", or "up to 20 points"
what does that mean?

it means it goes up anywhere from 0 to 20 points,
so u might get only 1 points after all....who knows?

87+0.1=87.1
wow....how sad~

From my experiences, add a bottle to a full tank.
u wouldn't feel any difference....
and it actually reduce the gas mileage for that tank of gas with booster.
what I mean is:
a reguler tank of gas: 36 mpg
tank of gas with oct boost: 30~32mpg

they do help clean up ur fuel injecters though,
so it's not bad to use it once a while.

anyway, I wouldn't recommand to use them on old cars,
cause the alcohol from the booster tend to destory or aging
fuel lines made of rubber, gaskets.....etc.

[Twizted_3KGT]

how exactly does it clean up your fuel injectors? ...

yes, they work @ raising your octane to a certain point. So if you add one bottle, your octance will raise, but if you add 3 more bottles it won't raise any further past it's max point.

[beef_bourito]

it might have cleaning agents that clear gunk out of your injectors.

[sportsb4life7]

im sorry but im kinda new and i dont know how to quote so
"buy higher octane gasoline" said earlier ... what exactly is that.. just like premium gasoline from a gas station ? or where and how much can you get it for and how much more does it help from normal gas. thanks alot i appreciate it .....

[beef_bourito]

the octane rating is written on the pump, you generally have 87, 89, and 91, at least in canada. higher octane gasoline requires a higher temperature to ignite so you can run more boost or compression without detonating (when the fuel ignites before you want it to, it's bad for the engine, it's like taking a sledge hammer to the top of your cylender head). if you don't need higher octane don't use it, it'll be a waste of money. you only need it if your service manual specifically sais you do or if you've increased the compression or turbocharged or supercharged your vehicle.

[sportsb4life7]

Originally Posted by beef_bourito

(when the fuel ignites before you want it to, it's bad for the engine, it's like taking a sledge hammer to the top of your cylender head). .

how does this happen ? (early fuel ignition)