Does octane booster work?

[DriveHard]

Originally Posted By: oldhp
Bad thing is E85 can legally be "E51 to E83". Pretty sure this would screw up a performance tune based on E85 percentage.


Here in Iowa, the law says it must be E70 or above...

 

[Virtus_Probi]

Originally Posted By: mooferz
The most effective commonly available octane booster is probably MMT, but it leaves unwanted deposits and is only legal for off-road use, so should typically be avoided.
The most cost effective octane booster is a few gallons of E85 in the tank.


I was stupid enough to put a bottle of STP octane booster in my tank and then found that it contained MMT...huge mistake that I'll never make again.

 

[B320i]

Have used the combination Injector Cleaner / Octane booster available at most auto parts stores here in Australia. On my car (which can be counted on to ping under certain conditions), it negated the issue quite a bit.

Obviously the cost of this additive is such that using it for any length of time would quickly equal the price of a new knock sensor. So don't bother using it as a band-aid solution.

 

[SHOZ]

Originally Posted By: Linctex
Bulk cans of Acetone or Xylene make a good octane booster.
I use to use Lacquer thinner that was 50/50 toluene and xylene. A gallon per tank would do the trick.

I had a 1979 Mustang 4 cylinder that pinged like crazy on 87 at the time. A 100 ml of benzene in the tank would fix that in a hurry. I had easy access to it but it's kind of dangerous in California. Lucky for me they came out with E10 gas about then and it fixed the issue.

 

[speedyswede]

I've recently had some positive results with Liqui Moly Octane Plus in my turbocharged Audi. It's not cheap and can be difficult to find(especially @ a good price). But it's still less expensive than racing fuel...perfect for the thin wallet, grass-roots enthusiast.

 

[Dwight_Frye]

Originally Posted By: Virtus_Probi
Originally Posted By: mooferz
The most effective commonly available octane booster is probably MMT, but it leaves unwanted deposits and is only legal for off-road use, so should typically be avoided.
The most cost effective octane booster is a few gallons of E85 in the tank.


I was stupid enough to put a bottle of STP octane booster in my tank and then found that it contained MMT...huge mistake that I'll never make again.


I have a Nissan 370z and live in California, where the highest grade of gas available is 91 octane. I bought a bottle of Lucas octane booster which also contains MMT. I have not yet tried it. Based upon the comments above, what kind of "unwanted deposits" am I going to get out of one tankful and what kind of "huge mistake" are you talking about ?

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Most octane boosters only increase your octane by 3 points, which is .3 octane numbers (from 87 --> 87.3 for example)

There is a NOS brand octane booster which claims to increase octane by 30 points, or three full octane numbers (87 --> 90, for example), but it's about $10 at Walmart, and it probably has a lot of MMT

 

[SatinSilver]

Originally Posted By: Virtus_Probi
I was stupid enough to put a bottle of STP octane booster in my tank and then found that it contained MMT...huge mistake that I'll never make again.


I noticed the online reviews for it weren't very good plus it was $3.88 or so compared to the Gumout Octane Booster on sale at WM for $2.24 with good reviews. Normal price of $2.88 or so. Not sure if I'd get it again or not.

 

[bbhero]

Very good post slacktide. Royal Purple max boost claims 30 points or 3 whole numbers as well. The MMT could or likely could leave deposits on the spark plugs. Usually an orange color as well.