Octane boosters?

[gstnewb]

Do these things help at all? I put 91 gas in my gs-t but I was wondering if any of you guys have tried the famous octane boosters they sell in the stores to raise your octane to 95 or so? I will be raising my stock boost pressure to about 14-15 psi and I was wondering if these things would help the stock fuel system.. What do you think?

[xavier3jr]

i've been wondering this to...

[Blackcrow64]

If they really do work, then you should be able to raise your boost to like 17 or 18 and not worry about getting any knock. (tuned right also) I used to use octane boosters in the Firebird and noticed a little more pep out of it, but no clue as to if they actually raised the octane that many points.

[gstnewb]

Well I only want to raise the boost to 15 psi maximum with the stock fuel system. Would the car be ok with no octane booster and 91 octane gas or 15 is too high for stock everything else?

[blk_srt]

Originally Posted by Blackcrow64

) I used to use octane boosters in the Firebird and noticed a little more pep out of it, but no clue as to if they actually raised the octane that many points.

That wouldn't be because of raising the octane, unless you were having issues with detonation. The higher the octane the less combustible the gas is. You are right though, the reason for high octane is to prevent detonation, and gstnewb will be just fine at 14-15 psi on pump gas but I would recommend you use 93 if its available

[sganc4life_4]

I thought those things added like .3 points of gas, not actually 3.

[Blackcrow64]

Originally Posted by sganc4life_4

I thought those things added like .3 points of gas, not actually 3.

Yeah, thats what I thought too.

[david-b]

IDK what it does for turbos, but in mine octane boosters help alot. I'll put some premium gas in and then add a bottle of that stuff and the car runs so smoothly. Idle is low and steady, and response it great.

I do it if I know I'm going to be racing, or every couple a months. I heard its really good for cleaning out the engine. I got my whole fmaily doing it to their cars every 5 months or so. They love it. Makes their cars run great then too.

[blk_srt]

the NOS octane booster says that it adds up to 3 points per 16 gallons while others claim 5 points or even 7 points. I've never used it and I probably wont. I'm not a big fan of additives.

[l_eclipse_l]

Originally Posted by sganc4life_4

I thought those things added like .3 points of gas, not actually 3.

I've never seen any actual results or tests done on octane boosters, but the general consensus is that they don't do shit. Just fill up with 93 octane and you will have spent about the same amount as buying a bottle of octane booster, and know you actually got a few points out of it.

[sganc4life_4]

I just remember reading the back of one lol

[UnderEstimate Me]

Just buy a big thing of toulene or acetone. They sell huge jugs for like 12 dollars. Its like 185(around there) octane. It works waaaaaay better.

[blk_srt]

185 octane?!?! You planing on running like 100 pounds of boost?

[l_eclipse_l]

Originally Posted by UnderEstimate Me

Just buy a big thing of toulene or acetone. They sell huge jugs for like 12 dollars. Its like 185(around there) octane. It works waaaaaay better.

Have you ever even tried this?

[SLoe]

Toulene=114 octane.

Octane boosters don't do shit. If you buy 87 octane and dump three bottles of octane booster in there, you still don't have shit. Cheap wiskey is cheap wiskey even if you cut it with Crown. Like pr said, raising the octane won't help horsepower unless you have detonation problems. Higher octane resists pre-combustion (the gasoline will be more resistant to igniting before the spark occurs), which lets you run with more cylinder pressure. So if you can up the octane you can run more boost. However, 14-15 lbs of boost (on the stock turbo) will not require a higher octane than what you can buy at the pump.


R+M/2...114
Mixtures with 92 Octane Premium
10%...94.2 Octane
20%...96.4 Octane
30%...98.6 Octane
Notes: Common ingredient in Octane Boosters in a can. 12-16 ounces will only raise octane 2-3 *points*, I.e. from 92 to 92.3. Often costs $3-5 for 12-16 ounces, when it can be purchased for less than $5/gal at chemical supply houses or paint stores.

BTW you should put your car's info in your sig. (year, etc.)