Do Fuel Octane Boosters Really Work? [Question Answered]

What is your take on fuel additives? Things like the octane booster. Many car enthusiasts think that adding octane will boost your car’s performance. Does octane booster work or is it harmful instead? 

What Is An Octane Booster?

Before getting to know the definition of an octane booster, we should know what’s an octane rating. This rating is a measure of a fuel’s resistance to detonation. The higher the octane number, the better the compression and the harder it is to burn. Based on this parameter, we will know if the fuel is suitable and safe for the car engine or not. Usually, fuel (gasoline, oil) with high octane numbers will be suitable for engines with high compression ratios and efficiency.

According to the manufacturer’s recommendations, gasoline vehicles should choose fuel with an octane rating of 87 or higher to ensure safety. As for engines with high compression ratios, and high efficiency, it is recommended to use gasoline 91 – 94 and use gasoline fuel additives to help increase octane to achieve the best operating performance.

Thus, it can be seen that octane is an important fuel parameter and has a great influence on the performance of the vehicle engine. To reach the best performance for the car engine, many drivers find the fuel additive – octane booster because the higher the cetane rating, the greater the resistance to pre-ignition. Octane boosters are a type of liquid additive that is added to the fuel to increase the octane rating of gasoline. The main purpose of the octane booster is designed to improve the power and efficiency of the car engine.

How Does Octane Booster Work?

Increasing the octane number will give many benefits to cars such as: avoiding fire and explosion, increasing engine efficiency, and reducing operating noise, …. So how to increase this value effectively and quickly? Using the octane booster? Many experts say that “octane boosters work as vitamins” They work best when making up for the deficiency. When you add the octane booster to the fuel, it will increase its RON rating.

If you can hear a rattling or tapping sound coming from the engine when accelerating or under load, it could be due to improper fuel usage and an octane booster can be a quick remedy. The idea behind the octane booster is by increasing the octane in certain types of engines. Specially formulated for off-road, racing, and sports cars, it can boost octane ratings up to 4-digits, thereby helping your vehicle’s engine:

• Increased optimum performance 
• Smooth operation, reduced engine noise.
• Improve the ignition ability of the spark plugs, helping the fuel to burn completely.
• Prevents corrosion of components effectively.

>> Related post: The Brake Booster: How It Works In the Braking System

Does Octane Booster Work In Your Car?

“The goal of the octane enhancer is to moderate combustion, not make it easier.”

A question arises whether using an octane booster is really as effective as you think or if an octane booster is worth it. Our answer is “Yes but just in some situations”:

• If your fuel has an octane rating of 85 or 86 while the octane rating following the manufacturer’s recommendation is at 91 or 93. An octane booster might be the thing you need. If you use the Octane Booster properly, it can help increase the octane rating of the fuel by 0.8 levels or 8 points.
• You will probably need to increase the octane rating when you hear the “knocking” or “tapping” sound coming from the engine when your car is accelerating or under load. Knocking is due to the fuel/air mixture igniting under compression in another area that was started by the spark plug. The reason we hear this sound is that the shock wave propagates around the top of the piston and the cylinder head when these two areas of the mixture burn and collide with each other. Knocking may occur due to a high-compression piston or the residue in the old engine combustion chamber. Using the octane booster can help improve the condition of the fuel and prevent the knocking sound from your engine.  

Generally speaking, the octane booster can work if your car actually needs a higher octane rating for gasoline or petrol. For example, you have modified your performance car in a different way for use in racing and want to have better performance. In this case, if you change the program in the ECM, you can have the benefit of a higher octane rating. 

Fact About Using Octane Booster

There are some misconceptions about using the octane booster “Adding the octane booster will increase your engine’s horsepower and make your car driver faster in every case” but it’s the most common fallacy of many drivers. This additive doesn’t have the function of improving the energy value of your gasoline or boosting the car engine.

What does octane booster do in your car is just simply keep the air mixture or fuel from igniting too soon due to high compression. If your engine only requires regular-point fuel, increasing the octane is unlikely to result in any performance improvement. Also if your vehicle needs high-end gasoline and it works appropriately use it (no tapping or knocking). Using the additive in this situation is pointless.

Some drivers think adding more octane boosters will be good for their vehicles. It’s absolutely the wrong thought. As we mentioned, the octane booster is like a vitamin or medicine, when you use it with the correct dose, it will give you the advantage but if the opposite, it could be fatal for your car engine. In addition, you should know that it’s not cheap to use octane boosters frequently. The average price will range from $30 to $50 or even upto $100.

Falling into the mind of more octane boosters is always good, but this can damage the parts in your engine like cylinders, catalytic converters, and other sensors. If the octane rating is too high compared to the manufacturer’s recommendation, the fuel will be hard to burn completely, especially if the compression ratio and ignition timing are still the same. And the result will create deposits on the engine or cause your car not to start.

>> Read more: The Benefits of Using Dry Gas in the Fuel Tank

Sum Up

Hopefully, you will have a desired answer to the question “does octane booster work?” Be smart drivers when choosing the fuel additive for our cars. When using, you just need to pour the octane booster directly into your fuel tank. Please note that it is necessary to mix according to the ratio given by the manufacturer to ensure the best effect. And if you want to add the octane booster in your car by yourself, make sure that you choose the best octane booster. If you do not have much experience, you can go to reputable repair centers or lubricant dealers for support.