If you want to save money at the pump while maximizing the octane rating of the fuel you buy, consider an octane booster. Octane boosters can improve your vehicle's performance and fuel efficiency. Learn more about what they do, how they work and why you might need one.
What Is an Octane Booster?
An octane booster is like a vitamin for your vehicle. It gives your fuel a boost, supplementing it and correcting any deficiencies. While octane boosters can solve some issues with your vehicle, they aren't magical. They work best when your car needs a little something extra.
Octane boosters improve the octane rating of the fuel you use in your vehicle. If your car's manual tells you to fill up with 91, but you buy fuel with an octane rating of 87, you can add a booster to raise the octane rating.
What Is an Octane Rating?
Octane measures the heat and pressure a fuel can withstand before it combusts. When you pull up to the pump to fill up, you've seen that different fuel types have different numbers — 87, 89, 91 or 93, for example. Those numbers correspond to the fuel's octane rating, which measures its stability.
The higher the octane rating, the higher the pressure a fuel can withstand before it ignites. The rating's number is based on the pressure at which the fuel combusted during testing.
Typically, fuels with higher octane ratings cost more per gallon than fuels with lower ratings. Higher octane fuels may also help engines produce fewer emissions and reduce the risk of engine knocking. The higher the fuel's octane rating, the more efficiently it burns and the better the vehicle's performance.
Your vehicle's manual will typically recommend the appropriate octane rating for your engine.
What Does an Octane Booster Do?
You don't always need to pay the higher price at the pump for a higher octane rating. An octane booster mixes with the fuel you add to your tank, increasing the octane rating. When you use an octane booster, you may see a boost in fuel efficiency, a smoother idle and improved performance overall.
How Octane Boosters Work
Octane boosters don't actually contain octane. Instead, they consist of several chemical additives, typically metallic compounds, which raise a fuel's resistance to detonation. When used correctly, an octane booster can help prevent engine knocking and improve overall engine performance.
It's important to remember that an octane booster won't transform a regular sedan into a high-powered race car. The boosters work best when used with fuel that has a lower octane rating than is recommended for the vehicle. For example, if your car's manual calls for 91 fuel but you only have 87 fuel, you can use an octane booster to mimic the performance of the 91 fuel you need.
Benefits of Using Octane Boosters
When used correctly, octane boosters offer several benefits:
- Improved engine performance: Adding an octane booster to fuel with a lower rating than recommended can help your vehicle perform at its best. The booster can help clean the car's cylinders and chambers so the engine keeps running smoothly.
- Prevention of engine knocking: Does your vehicle makes a rapping or knocking noise when operating? One of the causes of engine knocking is using fuel with a low octane rating, which affects the combustion rate. Over time, engine knocking can lead to significant damage.
- Enhanced fuel efficiency: An octane booster helps your vehicle burn fuel more efficiently so you don't have to fill up as often.
- Potential for increased power output: Octane boosters improve the power of your vehicle's engine.
Choosing the Right Octane Booster
Hot Shot's Secret offers two octane boosters based on the type of fuel your vehicle uses.
Gasoline Extreme works with vehicles that run on gasoline. It stabilizes ethanol and improves fuel burning while cleaning your vehicle's injectors, valves and cylinders.
If you have a diesel-powered vehicle, Diesel Extreme boosts cetane — which is the equivalent of octane, but for diesel engines. The booster also cleans your vehicle's injector tips, cylinders and fuel lines to keep performance and fuel efficiency up.
How to Use an Octane Booster
Whether you need a booster for a diesel-powered engine or a gasoline-powered vehicle, getting the ratio right is critical. Timing also matters.
For Gasoline Extreme, mix 16 ounces of the additive with 45 gallons of gasoline for on-road use. For off-road use, mix 16 ounces of the booster with 20 gallons of fuel. Add the booster to your fuel every 6,000 to 10,000 miles.
To use Diesel Extreme, combine 16 ounces of the booster with 40 gallons of diesel fuel. Use one treatment of the booster every 6,000 miles.
You can use either booster with the appropriate fuel more often than every 6,000 or 10,000 miles. After you pass 6,000 miles, you're likely to see a decline in performance if you don't add more.
Why Choose Hot Shot's Secret?
Hot Shot's Secret has a large selection of fuel additives that can boost your engine's performance and improve fuel efficiency. Our cetane and octane boosters can help you get maximum performance from your vehicle without paying a hefty price at the pump.
To learn more, browse our comprehensive product selection or contact us online.
