
1. Royal Purple
Best Overall Octane Booster
5/5 Product Rating
Using this octane booster can raise the octane rating in your vehicle by as much as 30 points or 3 numbers.
Other benefits from using this product include reducing engine knocking, reducing any power loss from knock-retard that can be present in computer controlled vehicles and cleaning deposits from fuel injectors.
Royal Purple Octane Booster can be used in leaded and unleaded gasoline and even alternate fuels including other ethanol blends, gasohol, and reformulated gas.
It is designed for engines that have port fuel injection, nitrous injected engines, carburetors, direct injection and those that are supercharged or turbocharged.
– Jonathan Maxwell
2. Motor Medic
Best Overall Octane Booster – Runner Up
4.6/5 Product Rating
Using this product will reduce hesitation, reduce knocks and pings in the engine and will improve fuel mileage and performance as well.
Octane boosters are a great way to get increased performance from your vehicle while lowering your fuel costs and maintenance costs as well.
It is easy to use; just add it to your gasoline and let it go to work.
Your vehicle won’t feel sluggish anymore and the power will be restored to your engine.
– Jonathan Maxwell
3. Lucas
Best Budget Octane Booster
4.4/5 Product Rating
Lucas octane booster has been proven to deliver as much as three times more boost than other competitor’s brands.
It is safe for catalytic converters, turbo engines and oxygen sensors.
It is also acceptable for use in carburetor engines and fuel injected ones as well.
One bottle (15 ounces) will treat as much as 25 gallons of gasoline. Using Lucas octane booster will help get rid of any knocks in the engine. There is an octane boost for motorcycles as well.
Using this product will help your vehicle burn clean fuel that produces fewer emissions and improves gas mileage as well.
If you are looking for ways to improve your vehicle’s performance and lower your maintenance and operating costs, this is the booster for you.
– Jonathan Maxwell
Octane Booster Buying Guide
Benefits
There are several benefits to using an octane booster. The purpose of this additive is to improve the fuel’s compression right before it detonates. The result is increased power to the engine that will result in better fuel efficiency. Octane boosters work but only if the right one is chosen. You also need to ensure that the vehicle is maintained at all times to get the most out of the octane booster.
Things to Consider Before Purchase
Performance – You want to pay attention to how the booster you are considering boosts the octane levels in the vehicle. Different brands will offer different results but you must take these claims with a grain of salt. There is no agency that governs octane boost claims, so you have to educate yourself to ensure that you don’t buy a product that promises the world and delivers little to nothing.
Cost – You want to look for the most efficient booster you can find to make sure that you are not negating the results with a bunch of added costs. If you are on a budget, remember that getting the cheapest octane booster does not mean you’re getting a good quality product. If you get better quality from an octane booster that costs a little more, then it is in your best interests to spend the extra few dollars. This is another area where there is no specific cost range. You can find octane boosters for as little as 3-4 dollars for a bottle to over 15 for a bottle. Keep in mind that sometimes you can save money on the product if you purchase more than one at a time.
Frequency – Once you decide on a booster you will need to know how often you need to use it. The frequency in which you use the booster will affect your budget but octane boosters are not one time purchases, so you should find a good quality one that you don’t mind spending the money on each week or every two weeks.
Size – There are several different size octane boosters available. Larger containers can oftentimes save you money, as will multi-packs. What you want to look at is the cost per use so you get a good product for a good value.
Compatibility – Not all octane boosters work on all cars. You need to consider the engine you have as well as the car when it comes to choosing the right octane booster for your needs. Make sure that the booster you are purchasing is compatible with the type of engine and vehicle you have. Most of the octane boosters work for a variety of engines so finding one that will work for you will not be too difficult. The best bet is to purchase the octane booster that is the most compatible with the most vehicles, but make sure that yours is included.
Purchasing Tips
Below are a few tips that you can follow when searching for and purchasing an octane booster for your vehicle. There are not a lot of rules and finding one is usually pretty easy.
- Don’t get taken in by the Ads – Octane boosters are not miracle pills for your vehicle. The best quality octane boosters on the market can raise your octane values by 5%. The average is about 3% which is enough of a boost to see an improvement in engine knocking. Don’t believe super hyped ads that promise huge increases in the octane ratings.
- Have realistic Expectations – Don’t expect miracles from using an octane booster. You will notice that the engine works smoothly and your gas mileage will be better. There might even be some throttle response improvement that you notice as well. It will not take an older, rough running car and turn it into a Lamborghini.
- Choose the booster based on your vehicle – Different engines are going to have different specs and they will have different fuel ratings as well. If you are using a low performance engine that is not high revving you will not really benefit from an octane booster. If you have a large, high performance engine then your octane levels are much more important to the overall performance of the engine.
The Difference Between Octane Boosters and Fuel Stabilizers
An octane booster is just one way to improve the performance of your engine. There are also fuel stabilizers. Many people who do not know a whole lot about vehicles confuse these two additives but they do different things for your engine and are not the same thing.
- Fuel Stabilizer – Fuel stabilizers are good for combating the breakdown that gasoline would normally have when it has been sitting for a long time. After a vehicle has been sitting for awhile the gas can begin to break down. When this happens, the impurities and contaminants can get into your gasoline and then into your engine. Using a fuel stabilizer reduces the chances of this happening and uses antioxidants to keep the vehicle’s fuel in excellent shape.
- Octane Booster – Octane is a contributing factor in creating stability under compression. High octane ratings resist abnormalities that can occur such as the engine knocking and detonation. Using an octane booster increases the octane rating to avoid low octane level issues such as engine knocking, low gas mileage and other performance issues. The higher octane levels will ensure that the cylinder is igniting when it is supposed to. Theoretically you can use both of these additives but fuel stabilizers are better for vehicles that may be sitting for 30 days or longer.
Conclusion
Searching for the right octane booster for your vehicle may not be the easiest search, but it is worth it to help your car last longer. Don’t look at just the price. There are other things to look at including customer reviews and you need to evaluate what the product will be able to do for your vehicle. We’ve given you the information on what to look for and compare when you are researching the different products that are available.
This information will steer you in the right direction and help you choose the right octane booster for your vehicle. Knowledge is very important when it comes to finding the best products you can for the budget you have. When it comes to your vehicle’s performance, you don’t want to scrimp too much. Finding something that is cost effective is fine, but “cheap” is never what you should look for.
The three octane boosters featured in this guide are all excellent quality and will provide you with the results you are looking for. Do octane boosters do what they are advertised to do? Yes, this additive works well when you have taken the time to find a product that is fully compatible with your engine and vehicle. Also make sure that you are following the recommended usage for the octane booster to get the best results.
Resources
- Royal Purple – http://www.royalpurpleconsumer.com/
- Lucas – http://lucasoil.com/
- Motor Medic – http://www.motormedic.com/