Definition of octane is wrong. Octane is the resistance to knock which means the higher the octane the hotter spark required to ignite. Basically the reason an engine pings or knocks is because the fuel is pre-igniting or self igniting (this would happen if the cylinder had some sort of carbon build up acting as a spark vs the spark plug) this is why diesels knock. A high octane fuel is then recommended if you have a performance engine with high compression, the manufacturer requires it, or if the engine is just old and it is suffers from pre ignition. Unfortunately octane has nothing to do with power.
All octane does is make the fuel harder to ignite. If your car doesn't knock you don't need it. It doesn't add power. The higher the compression ratio, the more octane you need to prevent preignition. Or if you add boost.
I'm sorry but using the term "NOS" tells me you watched Fast and furious to many times. NOS stands for the brand "Nitrous Oxide Systems". Not nitrous in general. I guess I'm being a dick about it, but I just can't stand it. More movie seat time than wrench time. And more octane does not mean more power. It is to prevent pre-detonation of low octane fuel in a high compression engine. An 8 to 1 engine will not make more power with 93. A 14.5 to 1 engine will run more efficiently because the fuel will not pre detonate in the cylinder. Now with nitrous it adds oxygen to the mix and you also add more fuel to the mix for a bigger explosion in the cylinder and that makes more power. So, dumping some 116 in your lawn mower will not turn it into a drag machine.
To your engine that's the same thing, assuming you used enough octane booster. As long as it has the octane it needs, it doesn't care where it comes from.
Apologies if this is a dumb question , is there a way to find out what there maximum tolerated fuel octane is for a particular engine? Because when the octane rating is too high, that too can lead to partial combustion and engine problems right?
Don't be ashamed to ask a question, the whole point of this channel is to help answer questions. To answer your question, no there isn't really a octane that is too high however there definitely is one that is too low. Refer to your vehicles manual for specifics or if you have a custom tune then ask the tuner. Most cars run 87. Higher performance cars run 93. Insane performance cars run ethanol typically.
@@StraightSRT8 My ‘85 Mustang has a supercharged 2004 Cobra swap that was dyno tuned on 93 octane. I have it here in California now and we only have 91 octane. I definitely will get some of this stuff.
If my car knocks with 87 octane and is only happy with 91, does that mean I would benefit from octane booster? Does that mean I can go back to putting 87 and just adding booster? 91 is so expensive here in Cali :/
Is your car a SRT? SRTs aren't supposed to run on 87. If your car isn't a SRT and is meant to run on 87 then you have a detonation issue. Could be a variety of things, usually octane booster is a temporary fix to a permanent issue in that case. However to answer your question yes you can forever run on 87+octane booster.
@@StraightSRT8 Absolutely not lol I have the slowest stockiest car ever lol Little 1.7 liter 03 Civic LX. But I do notice that my car benefits in terms of smoother idle and better MPG when I use 91 octane fuel vs 87… by a long shot too. Especially when I use Costco 91 fuel. I also feel a bit more power on the uphills. I’ve been told my car doesn’t need 91 but my car tells me different lol
If your car runs that much better, then stick with what works. Also knocking/detonation is bad for an engine. In this case I'd stick with the octane booster or have a local mechanic check the issue if you plan to keep this car for a while.
@@StraightSRT8 Yea this is my daily commuter .. 370k miles. Want this baby to last forever. I’ve had bad luck with so many mechanics. I want to learn how to do some stuff myself 😃 But ima try out that booster see what happens .. Maybe it’ll activate VTEC in or something lol Thanks for the feedback 👍
@@StraightSRT8I know it's fine in the sense that it wouldn't cause damage but I'm basically asking if it's pointless to add a couple of points to my octane rating if my car is tuned on 91 octane
They're essentially all the same. The best option is to use the ones that have racing fuel in them. This will ensure that they don't clog your injectors or foul your spark plugs but those are the most expensive. The racing fuel one in my video is good.
@ilovemyk20a3 try Marvel Mystery Oil, I could tell you good things about it but for sure if you want to fix your mpg by at least 2 to 5 mpg more, give it a try
I just purchased a bottle of the same Lucas Octane Booster Bottle, 15oz Size. But the back of the label says only use for 4 stroke engines ONLY! Is this safe to use on my V6 engine?
@@StraightSRT8 I guess what I was confusing myself with was thinking 4 cylinder 4 strokes and V6 with 6 strokes. But reading some people's responses on quora have really helped. You too, thanks. 4 strokes it is. I learned something today😊. You should make a video on this!!
I definitely wouldn't use it to do so. If the fuel is old and wasn't prepared with a fuel stabilizer then it's more than likely shot. To me the risk isn't worth ruining an engine over.
@Straight SRT8 yeah, pulling the fuel line now, and draining it. I was going to try to mix it with 93, but it's more than a half tank... so It's too much to attempt the Ole 3:1(New:old) and mix
Definition of octane is wrong. Octane is the resistance to knock which means the higher the octane the hotter spark required to ignite. Basically the reason an engine pings or knocks is because the fuel is pre-igniting or self igniting (this would happen if the cylinder had some sort of carbon build up acting as a spark vs the spark plug) this is why diesels knock. A high octane fuel is then recommended if you have a performance engine with high compression, the manufacturer requires it, or if the engine is just old and it is suffers from pre ignition. Unfortunately octane has nothing to do with power.
Torco also contains MMT and they state it can cause damage to your emissions system.
Thank you. This was some useful information.
Best way to boost octane is buy tier 1 premium fuel.
what if u put 98 in it. + octane booster ?
@@Lesley9292 98 + octane booster = jet fuel.
Agreed but it's not practical.
@@StraightSRT8 If u own a jet it is
@@2cartalkers Thats good right? in my country we can even get 102 octane. But it cost a bit more..
All octane does is make the fuel harder to ignite. If your car doesn't knock you don't need it. It doesn't add power. The higher the compression ratio, the more octane you need to prevent preignition. Or if you add boost.
So wrong, not even worth a response.
@@esteemedenergy and yet here you are.
@@FinnellRacing if it didn't make it harder to ignite, then it would not help preignition/detonation.
@@esteemedenergy Pretty sure he mean't: "Octane booster makes it harder to ignite using only pressure, not harder for the spark plug to ignite it."
Just here to tell you this is so wrong lmao
Like a lighter flame ,the blue is with high octane
The nf octane booster is on a another level, its too strong for my car . I barely put any in. Buy from a shop no ebay returns
Wrong the Lucas also contains MMT its just in a more diluted form same thing
I'm sorry but using the term "NOS" tells me you watched Fast and furious to many times. NOS stands for the brand "Nitrous Oxide Systems". Not nitrous in general. I guess I'm being a dick about it, but I just can't stand it. More movie seat time than wrench time. And more octane does not mean more power. It is to prevent pre-detonation of low octane fuel in a high compression engine. An 8 to 1 engine will not make more power with 93. A 14.5 to 1 engine will run more efficiently because the fuel will not pre detonate in the cylinder. Now with nitrous it adds oxygen to the mix and you also add more fuel to the mix for a bigger explosion in the cylinder and that makes more power. So, dumping some 116 in your lawn mower will not turn it into a drag machine.
Or you can run 5 gal of premium fuel to 1 gallon of E85 for about a 2 octane number gain
If i am tuned for 91 but i fuel it for 87 and add an octane booster does it effect the engine?
To your engine that's the same thing, assuming you used enough octane booster. As long as it has the octane it needs, it doesn't care where it comes from.
Be careful. If the octane rate is too low, you could damage your engine quite fast through knocking and early explosion.
Pre-ignition
Apologies if this is a dumb question , is there a way to find out what there maximum tolerated fuel octane is for a particular engine? Because when the octane rating is too high, that too can lead to partial combustion and engine problems right?
Don't be ashamed to ask a question, the whole point of this channel is to help answer questions. To answer your question, no there isn't really a octane that is too high however there definitely is one that is too low. Refer to your vehicles manual for specifics or if you have a custom tune then ask the tuner. Most cars run 87. Higher performance cars run 93. Insane performance cars run ethanol typically.
Anything good recommendations at Walmart to boost up octane in my Mustang’s tank?
All of the products mentioned here will work on almost all cars including your mustang.
@@StraightSRT8 My ‘85 Mustang has a supercharged 2004 Cobra swap that was dyno tuned on 93 octane. I have it here in California now and we only have 91 octane. I definitely will get some of this stuff.
If you plan to run this constantly then don't use a chemical octane booster, use the racing fuel one I mentioned in the video.
If my car knocks with 87 octane and is only happy with 91, does that mean I would benefit from octane booster?
Does that mean I can go back to putting 87 and just adding booster?
91 is so expensive here in Cali :/
Is your car a SRT? SRTs aren't supposed to run on 87. If your car isn't a SRT and is meant to run on 87 then you have a detonation issue. Could be a variety of things, usually octane booster is a temporary fix to a permanent issue in that case. However to answer your question yes you can forever run on 87+octane booster.
@@StraightSRT8 Absolutely not lol I have the slowest stockiest car ever lol
Little 1.7 liter 03 Civic LX.
But I do notice that my car benefits in terms of smoother idle and better MPG when I use 91 octane fuel vs 87… by a long shot too. Especially when I use Costco 91 fuel. I also feel a bit more power on the uphills.
I’ve been told my car doesn’t need 91 but my car tells me different lol
If your car runs that much better, then stick with what works. Also knocking/detonation is bad for an engine. In this case I'd stick with the octane booster or have a local mechanic check the issue if you plan to keep this car for a while.
@@StraightSRT8 Yea this is my daily commuter .. 370k miles. Want this baby to last forever. I’ve had bad luck with so many mechanics. I want to learn how to do some stuff myself 😃
But ima try out that booster see what happens .. Maybe it’ll activate VTEC in or something lol
Thanks for the feedback 👍
If my car is tuned for 91 octane and i add octane boost will it make a difference?
No, it will be fine
@@StraightSRT8I know it's fine in the sense that it wouldn't cause damage but I'm basically asking if it's pointless to add a couple of points to my octane rating if my car is tuned on 91 octane
Yes, it would be pointless unless you tune it for the higher octane.
My Cayenne is 93 octane, but it's hard to find. Is it horrible if I use 91 octane??
I definitely recommend that you don't use 91. You could use 91 plus an octane booster.
@@StraightSRT8 Ok. What octane booster do you recommend?
They're essentially all the same. The best option is to use the ones that have racing fuel in them. This will ensure that they don't clog your injectors or foul your spark plugs but those are the most expensive. The racing fuel one in my video is good.
@StraightSRT8 So the Torco will get me to 93 with one bottle? The Lucas will need x5 bottles to get me to 93?
Can you get better fuel mileage with high octane?
No, not really. That would be similar to expecting better MPG from installing performance mods like an exhaust, headers, etc.
@ilovemyk20a3 try Marvel Mystery Oil, I could tell you good things about it but for sure if you want to fix your mpg by at least 2 to 5 mpg more, give it a try
I just purchased a bottle of the same
Lucas Octane Booster Bottle, 15oz Size. But the back of the label says only use for 4 stroke engines ONLY! Is this safe to use on my V6 engine?
All modern passenger engines are 4 stroke
@@StraightSRT8 so this product is safe to use on my 2012 Maxima with a V6 engine? I'm having a hard time googling for a specific answer.
haynes.com/en-us/tips-tutorials/beginners-guide-what-four-stroke-engine#:~:text=These%20days%2C%20all%20cars%20and,produce%20one%20pulse%20of%20power.
@@StraightSRT8 I guess what I was confusing myself with was thinking 4 cylinder 4 strokes and V6 with 6 strokes. But reading some people's responses on quora have really helped. You too, thanks. 4 strokes it is. I learned something today😊. You should make a video on this!!
@@StraightSRT8 you are a god send 🙏🏼
Would this help to restore old sitting fuel?
I definitely wouldn't use it to do so. If the fuel is old and wasn't prepared with a fuel stabilizer then it's more than likely shot. To me the risk isn't worth ruining an engine over.
@Straight SRT8 yeah, pulling the fuel line now, and draining it. I was going to try to mix it with 93, but it's more than a half tank... so It's too much to attempt the Ole 3:1(New:old) and mix
Dont use those they foul up spark plugs and sensors
Lol
@@syoung20001 yours must be nasty. Pull them out. A red film
run fuel cleaner, catcean who caes
Only if you're running too much boost to fuel
I only use OCTANIUM or race gas ultra from summit. These others aren't what I need !
How about Dirtbike
The bottle says 4 stroke engines only, I don't know about bike engines but that's the only heads up I can give you
I do 91 octane plus that Lucas 3x lolll