Do "Octane Boosters" work?

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?

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.

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.

so they'er not worth it huh

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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 .....

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.

(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)

no, the fuel is injected at the same time. when you compress air it gets hot, if you run alot of boost or really high compression you can compress air to the point where it becomes hot enough to ignite the fuel without spark

actually the NOS can has been proven to do -some- good

it will take 91 to about 93. May not seem like much, but for us Cali guys it helps.

no, the fuel is injected at the same time. when you compress air it gets hot, if you run alot of boost or really high compression you can compress air to the point where it becomes hot enough to ignite the fuel without spark

Don't forget advanced timing. :)

Higher octane as I understand it is supposed to be used if your car has a high compression ratio. It is actually less flamable believe it or not and helps prevent pre-detonation. That is why if the average joe throws in 110 octane it won't really do much.

Yes, it is a common belief that higher octane fuel makes you go faster. The fact is running 110+ octane fuel just allows you to run higher boost, compression, or advanced timing and not get pre-detonation. It is there so you can have go fast goodies and not pop you engine.

Try running 30 PSI and WOT on pump gas and see what happens. :icon16:

Octane boosters do work. But i think people believe that adding some octane booster will make their 98 honda civic go the speed of light like u see on fast and furious when paul walker uses his NOS.

I use Octane booster in My 2007 kawasaki Ninja zx14. i dynod it with and without octane booster. it does work. there was a 4 hp difference increase with it than without it. on a stock bike with a power programmer tune. The stuff does work but i dont think i would use it other than if i took my bike to the track. not worth the money in my opinion

Sorry to correct most of you but Nos max racing octane booster does work and it raises octane numbers by 6 full octane numbers or 60 points probably when used at highest recommended dosage. So that means 91 becomes 97 octane fuel. Pretty good if u ask me, And most people don't have the compression to take full advantage of that octane rating anyways. I have used it in a Harley with 11.3:1 compression and notice the difference in throttle response and power. If you put it in a VW Beetle it will run like a VW Beetle and you probably wont really notice a difference. If you put it in something with high compression and or boost you will be more likely to keep buying it. Kind of expensive but it does work. At least some of it does.

Octane Boosters do work, as long as you use the right one. I recommend Dyno-Tab HP Octane Booster, it comes in a variety of packets. I purchased and used the 2-tab card Manufacturer part #45432. It is safe for catalytic converts & O2 sensors and that is very important for a daily driver or weekend warrior. Unless you have a full blow race car, no worries there. I used 2 tabs in my 17 gallon tank. 1 tab gives you 10 points & 2 tabs gives you 17 points. If you are not clear on how to read and understand the points system, don't worry it is located on the back of the product. I have to use 91 octane at every fill up, so 2 tabs bumped me up to 92.7 octane. The more you use the better. It made a huge noticeable difference. The card is also very convenient because of a less waste.