Does anyone have any experiance with Octane Boosters. I just bought a new crate motor and it is suposed to run on 91 - 94 octane and I can only buy 91. I want to give it a boost sometimes and I what to keep a can or two in the trunk in case I get stuck somewhere that only has 87 or 89.

What brand is a good one and actually works? I looking for someone who knows for sure and not the "I used this and it didn't blow up so I guess it works"

 

104+ seems to work quite well. Pennzoil's new 4 cannister pack works well also. I haven't had that great of success with STP's octane booster however.

 

When the octane boost says it will raise the octane level 3-4 points, they mean 91 becomes 91.4. By the time you add enough of the boost to raise it a full few numbers, it's cheaper to just buy race gas.

 

So in other words, raising the Octane from 89 to 91 is out of the question. It would take 5 - 6 cans at 4 points apeace to do it. The only reason I ask is because I like to take road trips through desalate parts of Kansas and if I get low on gas and the only gas station sells 89 octane, I don't want to do damage to my engine. Do you have any other suggestions?

-Jason

 

Correct.

You'll only damage the engine through detonation due to low octane. The only way to get detonation is when driving under a load (heavy accelleration etc).

If you're still running EFI then the knock sensor will tell the computer to retard the timing if the engine starts knocking. The only downside will be a reduction in power.

A 12:1 engine will run on 87 octane under low to moderate driving conditions. 89 in a 9-10:1 will still run. Just don't go trying to pass a semi up a long hill (In Kansas? Ya right!)