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[willyB]

My brother claims that Lucas Oil's octane booster made a noticable improvement in engine performance. He has always used octane boosters but he said this worked significantly better.

Any thoughts??? The Good/The Bad/The Ugly

[Twolanerider]

If all he did was raise the octane level of the fuel in the tank he did nothing to increase performance.  Upping octane level does not in any way add any more "energy" (by any measure) to the fuel.

Octane rating is simply a rating of (basically) how compressed (or in some measures how hot) a fuel can be before it spontaneously ignites.  So changing only the octane rating of the fuel does nothing at all to change engine performance unless the engine is also changed to increase its compression to take advantage of the greater compressibility of the fuel.

[Half_Crazy]

Most bottled octane boosters only raise the rating by a couple of points.

I have used this, available at Auto Zone. It works well and won't harm cats or 02 sensors.



The cheapest way is Toluene (Tol-u-een). Here's some info on it:
http://www.elektro.com/~audi/audi/toluene.html

"Cost...$2.50/gal
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 $3/gal at chemical supply houses or paint stores."

[grc]

Yup, what he said.  I place the commercial octane booster products in a similar category to the bottled water or energy booster products.  Wildly overpriced with little if any actual benefit, other than to the wallets of those selling the crap.

There is one scenario where higher octane might make your vehicle "perform" better.  If your engine management system is retarding spark to adjust for low octane fuel and detonation, then yes, higher octane will reduce or eliminate that intervention by the engine management system and performance will be slightly better.  The amount of "boost" that the commercial octane boosters provide, however, would be unlikely to make enough difference for anyone to actually "feel" the difference.  It's not like going from 87 octane regular to 93 octane premium.  Don't let the misleading names of the products fool you.  103+, 108, 110, or various other BS names do not equate to running those octane levels.

Buy the octane your manual calls for, and if the engine still pings then try a different brand or station.  If it still pings, get the engine checked out for carbon deposits and then get it tuned to run correctly on the fuel available.  Constantly wasting big bucks on so-called octane boosters is not something I'd be bragging about.  There are a lot of people who convince themselves that the dubious products they buy are really doing what those ads claim.  That doesn't prove that the products work, it just proves that people can fool themselves into seeing things that aren't really there.  That is the power of modern advertising. 


Jerry

[Dr.D]

Horsepower gains with octane boosters are imagined unless you were burning the wrong fuels in the first place. I have been down that fantasy road.

I do believe that I may need to use booster on my trip out west. I recall that years ago there was no high test fuels in the four corners area. I do have high compressions pistons in the touring bike and will be looking for the correct additives.

[North Star]

Most bottled octane boosters only raise the rating by a couple of points.

I have used this, available at Auto Zone. It works well and won't harm cats or 02 sensors.



The cheapest way is Toluene (Tol-u-een). Here's some info on it:
http://www.elektro.com/~audi/audi/toluene.html


Toluene is also a used as a precusor in the production of methamphetamine and MDMA (Ecstasy). So if you know anybody that happens to be running a lab.....

[iski]

If all he did was raise the octane level of the fuel in the tank he did nothing to increase performance.  Upping octane level does not in any way add any more "energy" (by any measure) to the fuel.

Octane rating is simply a rating of (basically) how compressed (or in some measures how hot) a fuel can be before it spontaneously ignites.  So changing only the octane rating of the fuel does nothing at all to change engine performance unless the engine is also changed to increase its compression to take advantage of the greater compressibility of the fuel.

You know stuff.

Does this also mean that my nitrogen regenerated spark plugs with octane enhanced cathartic isotopes will not give me the promised extra 1.2 HP? 

[Beak Boater]

When octane boosters say the raise the octane by 3 to 5 points, that doesnt mean 87 to 92 octane. That means from 87 to 87.5.
Toluene, used to be dirt cheap, could buy it at paint stores by the gallon. Its 114 octane, used it to raise pump gas octane.
If they are using it to manufacture drugs, would explain why its so expensive now.
If you need to want to blend fuel to increase octane this site gives you an octane calculator
http://www.bazellracefuels.com/Calcs/OC1.htm

[grc]

My brother claims that Lucas Oil's octane booster made a noticable improvement in engine performance. He has always used octane boosters but he said this worked significantly better.

Any thoughts??? The Good/The Bad/The Ugly

First thought, your brother needs to get his bike tuned properly so he doesn't need higher octane (assuming he really does, and that's not always a good assumption). 

Second thought, if in fact there is a difference compared to other products, that's most likely because he is comparing an illegal product to products that limit their ingredients to the legal limits.  Read the labels; some of these products are legal, some are not.  The Lucas product is not legal for street use.

Third thought, how is he measuring that supposed performance gain?  Quarter mile, dyno, smoke and mirrors, what.

Fourth thought, ask him if he ever calculated how much he's paying per gallon for that stuff.  It comes in a 15 ounce can, and the price is around $13-$15 on average.  So you're looking at about $130 per gallon.  And people pizz and moan about $4 per gallon gasoline.


Jerry

[Twolanerider]

The octane booster in the synthetic (versus the natural organic) mix with added nitrogen is the very best you can buy.  Even better if it comes in red.

[SIX38]

Horsepower gains with octane boosters are imagined unless you were burning the wrong fuels in the first place. I have been down that fantasy road.

I do believe that I may need to use booster on my trip out west. I recall that years ago there was no high test fuels in the four corners area. I do have high compressions pistons in the touring bike and will be looking for the correct additives.

When touring, I carry octane booster with me for those time you stop at the only station this side of no place and they don't have 91 octane or the private label high test you bought starts pinging 1/4 mile down the road. Otherwise I stick to brand name, 91 octane fuel, "Shell" being my preference and it runs fine.
Tom P.  

[iski]

Concur.  Red nitrogen synthetic octane booster is by far the fastest.  If you use Glare, of course it is even faster due to the Glassoplexin influenced reduction in the windage drag coefficient, proven scientifically by internet scientists with actual web pages.

[Twolanerider]

Concur.  Red nitrogen synthetic octane booster is by far the fastest.  If you use Glare, of course it is even faster due to the Glassoplexin influenced reduction in the windage drag coefficient, proven scientifically by internet scientists with actual web pages.

Yeah, what he said.  Indoobieably.

[iski]

[2smoke]

I usually add Genuine Snake oil when I fuel up.