Octane booster - is there something available?

**Ruralman** · 9th October 2009, 21:14

There are more and more remote locations where fuel stations are being changed to 24hr card access pumps (unmanned) but they only stock diesel and 91 octane petrol.
Is there an octane booster out there that will take 91 up to 95/96 octane ?? Has anyone had any experience using the stuff?
If there is something safe and reliable to use it could be something to pack for some trips

**cs363** · 9th October 2009, 21:22

No not really - most commercially available octane boosters only raise the octane by 0.1-0.7 so pretty ineffectual really.
Toluene does work, but I'm pretty sure you can't buy it now as it's nasty stuff.
There may be something else but I'm not aware of it, in the meantime you might find this interesting reading (it's a little slow to load, so be patient)

http://elektro.cmhnet.org/~charlie/p...i/toluene.html

**huff3r** · 9th October 2009, 21:24

There are some octane boosters available that "apparently" raise the octane by 4 numbers RON, ie 40 points... but i couldnt be sure which ones any more sorry, when i worked at supercheap i put it in my car all the time, and certainly improved fuel economy if nothing else..

**cs363** · 9th October 2009, 21:51

Here's some more interesting reading on the subject:
http://members.rennlist.com/951_race...omparison.html

As you can see there is a lot of confusion regarding the claims, and the way in which the term 'points' is used. At best good octane boosters make a small difference, but even that difference is clouded by the original octane of the fuel added to.
Most octane boosters are really just fuel conditioners and any improvement in running is usually caused by their cleaning effect on injectors or carburettor passages.
That said, in the link above there are a couple of products that did raise octane by +/- 2 RON or so (but this was added to 95RON fuel which actually measured out at 96.8 RON...plus, there are differences in the way US fuel's RON rating is derived compared to NZ fuel, which I forget..)

All bloody confusing stuff....have fun!

**Motu** · 9th October 2009, 21:53

When lead fuel was dropped my old Falcon would rattle it's head off,so I used an octane booster called 108.One in a tank,and even with the next fill it was still good.I used to get it from Pioneer Products....they are owned by Repco now,so don't know where you can get 108 down there.

**cs363** · 9th October 2009, 22:03

Originally Posted by Motu

When lead fuel was dropped my old Falcon would rattle it's head off,so I used an octane booster called 108.One in a tank,and even with the next fill it was still good.I used to get it from Pioneer Products....they are owned by Repco now,so don't know where you can get 108 down there.

This stuff? : http://bluemagicusa.com/index.php/bl...c/products/155
I think a lot of that stuff worked in older vehicles because it had some additive that worked like a lead substitute, rather than acting as a 'real' octane booster.
I don't doubt that it stopped your old girl rattling, but when you look at the ingredients and see that it's 95% kerosene it makes you wonder as far as any actual octane boosting goes.
Just my opinion but I think the vast majority of these octane boosters are closer to snake oil, lead substitutes on the other hand do work, well at least as far as quietening down the rattles.

**slofox** · 10th October 2009, 06:03

Ethanol should do it - if your fuel lines will tolerate it...and if you can get it pure enough.

**MSTRS:Me** · 10th October 2009, 08:51

Acetone - but get the % right!! Was an old racer's trick. They called it 'doping'. Is banned.

**_Shrek_** · 10th October 2009, 09:42

Originally Posted by Ruralman

If there is something safe and reliable to use

yeh a BMW

**SMOKEU** · 10th October 2009, 12:42

Add homebrew methanol straight to the tank.

**Motu** · 10th October 2009, 12:47

Originally Posted by cs363

I think a lot of that stuff worked in older vehicles because it had some additive that worked like a lead substitute,

What do you think tetraethylene lead did? It was an octane booster.

**Flip** · 10th October 2009, 13:03

You could carry a little race gas (leaded 100 octane av-gas) and dose with that. The octane boosting stuff you can buy is all a load of rubbish.
See this; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jbcCr2ll3c

**cs363** · 10th October 2009, 16:30

Originally Posted by Motu

What do you think tetraethylene lead did? It was an octane booster.

Yes, badly worded on my part.

Though some 'octane boosters' have additives that are lead substitutes this refers mainly to the additives ability to reduce valve sink by virtue of depositing a protective coating on the valve seat. These additives have also been found to contribute to spark plug fouling on some vehicles.
The few 'octane boosters' that do manage to show a small amount of actual boost in the RON rating might achieve the reduction of detonation in a relatively low compression engine like an old Falcon, but I still maintain will not be effective in raising 91 octane to the equivalent of 95 or better as per the OP's original question.
As with 108 octane booster, a quick look at almost all these products show that you are paying an inordinately large amount of money for what amounts to a small bottle of kerosene with a few minor additives (less than 5% in most cases).
As Flip says above, IMO most if not all of these products are absolute rubbish.

**Ruralman** · 11th October 2009, 21:38

Thanks for all the useful comments - sounds like the stuff sold in garages is rubbish and quite frankly I don't think its either practical or particularly safe to cart around ethanol or some other highly dangerous liquid in sufficient volume to boost around 10 litre of 91.
It does make me wonder what the fuel companies do to make 95/96 as compared to 91 - I always thought the difference was in something they added but maybe its something in the actual refining process that separates them differently ?