[sscamaro_510]

Do you guys believe in these fuel additives/octane boosters on the market? I bought some of those Dale Earnhardt Jr. additives OUTLAW and I wanted to know if you guys used them or there BS? I use STP fuel additives also sometimes.....experiences?

 

[bracketeer]

fuel additives

I know that the NOS brand works but it won't bring you up to VP 110. I think it brings you up two points.

 

[Max Keith]

fuel additives

Fuel additives are good when used for the intended purpose. Using fuel additives with the expectation that they are a cure all wont cut it though.

Octane boosters generally do what they claim, as well as do a lot of the fuel system cleaning additives.

I dont give any creedence to the ones you see being sold at the carnival or by some hawker doing infomercials on TV.

Be advised that on octane boosters, follow the recommedations on the container. Putting too much in will serve no purpose.
They are designed to enhance octane up to a particular number, and after that, it doesnt matter how much you put in, its not going to help any.

One other caviat: If you are running say a car that requires 87 octane gas and you put 104+ in it, its doing you no good whatsoever, as you are already at the octane level your engine needs. Raising the octane severely will only cause, if anything, decreased performance, and a few less bucks in your wallet.
However, if you are running say a car with a 10.5:1 or 11.5:1 compression, and 91 or 93 octane is telling you it isnt enough with that nasty pinging noise from your engine and a temp gauge that keeps heading for the redline, a can small can of 104+ to 20 gallons may be just what you need.
If thats the situation, I would start with a full tank of gas and put in one can, and see how it does. You can always add more as needed. After the first can, I would go in half can increments. Keep a note of how much it takes with a full tank, and dispence accordingly. There is no use in overdosing your gas.

A little is good, but a lot aint always gooder.

My car, pickup, and van all have fuel injected engines. I routinely, about every 5K miles dump a can of fuel system cleaner in them. My particular favorites are called Sea Foam and Blue Lightening. These are not $1.25 bottles of distilled petroleum , but run about $3.50-$5 a can and are serious system cleaners.

As for the other fuel system and carb cleaners, I have tried STP, etc and Ill stick with these two.

Last and final offering. If you are running gasahol (gasoline with 10-15% ethanol), dont bother putting Heat or any of the socalled fuel line de-icers in it. The ethanol thats in your gas will naturally take care of and do what HEAT and those other gas line antifreezes are supposed to do. Save your $1.50 and buy another gallon ( or as close as you can get to it) of gas. (current local price for 87 & 89 octane is $.162).

 

[302 Z28]

I do not believe in fuel additives that claim to clean injectors or increase your gas mileage. The other day I was gassing up the Tahoe and laying on the ground was an STP fuel additive bottle. On it in big yellow letters was "Made with jet fuel". I had to laugh out loud at that one.

Vince

 

[Max Keith]

fuel additives

Jet fuel, JP4 or JP5 are kerosine.

Thats why I dont use those el cheapo brands of additives, like that. But good quality fuel system cleaners do work, as I have experienced what they can do with a fuel injected car. At one time, I had a Plymouth Laser (same thing as Eagle Talon and Eclipse), it was running crappy. I tried a can of Sea Foam in it and with in 100 miles it was back purring like a kitten. The car had been running crappy for the past 2-3 tanks of gas previous to that and I had gotten my gas at the same station, which I know takes good water etc readings on their gas, so I know it wasnt the gas that was suspect.

 

[RCastle]

I used an additive once,to help pass emissions testing.The car did not pass,so I poured in a bottle of isopropyl alcohol. Regardless of whether or not that would work in someone elses opinion,I know it worked on my car.That is the only thing I did to it,no plugs,no carb adjustments,no timing changes.No more run time on the engine the next day. I passed the rapeing at the emissions facility and was done with it for good.As a representive of our county finally realized that after raping the citizens here of $$$$$$ that it was doing absolutely nothing. The emissions testing facilities were all shut down.

 

[camaroman7d]

Some additives work and some make false claims. I do run Amsoil "Performance Enhancer" not because it increases performance but, because it does a GREAT job at keeping the valves clean and the combustion chambers clean.

Now about the octane boosters. This issue has come up on every board I have ever visited (including this one). Most claim "up to a 7 point" increase in octane, that is flat out FALSE. These additives will only increase octane by "percentage" points (meaning take 91 octane to 91.7 octane) that's it. They do not take 91 octane and turn it in to 98 octane or the famous 107 octane. It just doesn't work like that. What most of them will do is turn your spark plugs orange or red, LOL. Doesn't do any harm but, don't believe the hype. Some may help clean the intake system and chambers but, they don't do much more than that (IMO).

Royce

 

[underdog305]

All that stuff is a joke. If you need high octane gas buy it. The addittives are a cure for the symptom not the cause.

The other day I was gassing up the Tahoe and laying on the ground was an STP fuel additive bottle. On it in big yellow letters was "Made with jet fuel". I had to laugh out loud at that one.

That's scary because Jet fuel has additives that will do you no good in gasoline. It's all stabilizers for the cold and microbial growth.

 

[Max Keith]

fuel additives

On the octane boosters, Im pretty much in agreement with Camaroman on that one. Ive never known any of them to boost octane 6-8 points. 1-3 at most.
That being said, as I said earlier, when used in the context of the intended purpose, most do their job fairly well, some better, and a lot of them not so well at all.

I guess its all a matter of whether you personally have had success with them. I dont advocate running octane boosters off the shelf as a steady diet, unless all you are dealing with is some amount of ignition knock. Usually that can be eliminated by going to the next higher octane rated gasoline, unless you are already using the highest available, then you have a problem. If its a street vehicle, then the best thing to do is to mechanically reduce the octane requirement, IE, lower compression, narrower lobe separation cam, etc.
If its a race engine and you are running 105 octane racing fuel and still having a problem, then its time to revise the plan of attack on your engine.
Octane boosters only cure minor problems. They are not a cureall.

 

[85 vette]

Theres a big difference between jet fuel and aviation fuel. AV gas is a high octane leaded fuel that will make a very noticable difference in your cars performance especially with higher compression ratio vehicles. The only problem with it is it drys out the plastic and rubber parts of your fuel system if used straight for more than a tank full. I usually dillute it with regular gas 1to1. There used to be Cam 2 stations that sold it in different octanes but now i only see the blue 100 to 110 octane stuff that the airports order from us. rick

 

[RCastle]

Running straight AV gas is not the greatset idea.I used to work for a tanker co.Three of the guys dragraced some stout rides.They gave me the formula for mixing AV gas and fuel.There is a certain ratio,but I did not keep it.I figured why take the chance?The guys who ran it got it free since it was left in the trailer drop lines after they dropped.Usually about 13 to 15 gallons per load.

 

[Ghetto Jet]

I pour the occasional bottle of name brand fuel injector cleaner in my Accord. I don't notice any difference though.

STP gas treatment does work on stale gas, I know this from experience.