What Is the Best Octane Booster for Cars?

While octane boosters certainly have their fair share of limitations, they’re great for giving your engine that extra boost when it needs a higher octane level than what’s available at the pump. An octane booster increases the octane rating of gas, which allows fuel to burn efficiently without knocking under high compression. By investing in a high-quality octane booster, you get the best of both worlds with better fuel efficiency and improved engine performance.

Best Octane Boosters for Your Car

The best octane booster for your car is the one that best meets your preferences, but here are examples of octane boosters popular among consumers:

Torco Unleaded Fuel Accelerator

One of the best-rated octane boosters on the market is the Torco Unleaded Fuel Accelerator. This versatile booster is compatible with a wide range of engines, and it can also be used with other additives.

One disadvantage to this octane booster is that it’s very sensitive to light, making it hard to store. Given its highly concentrated formula, the Torco Unleaded Fuel Accelerator can also cause skin irritation, so you have to be extra careful when using it.

STP Octane Booster

Made with jet fuel, the STP Octane Booster can clean your vehicle’s fuel intake system while reducing engine knocking and pinging. A single bottle can treat up to 21 gallons of fuel, giving you great value for your money.

Unfortunately, it isn’t compatible with diesel engines, and some motorcycle users have also claimed that it didn’t do much for their engines.

Royal Purple Max Boost

If you’re looking for a powerful octane booster, then the Royal Purple Max Boost might just be the one. It can raise your vehicles’ octane rating by 30 points, and it works well with all ethanol blends. It even comes with a nozzle for easier pouring.

Royal Purple Max Boost is specifically formulated to stabilize engine fuel while cleaning any carbon deposits. It’ll improve fuel economy along with engine performance.

One downside is that it isn’t street-legal, so it isn’t meant for daily drivers. It can also cause stains that can be hard to remove on certain surfaces.

VP Racing Fuels 2855 Madditive Octanium Octane Booster

Boost your vehicle’s octane levels by up to 80 points with a can of VP Racing Fuels 2855 Madditive Octanium Octane Booster. This additive can greatly improve throttle response and clean your vehicle’s fuel injectors.

Some of its cons include a price tag of around $30, making it more expensive than most octane boosters. It can also stain several internal components red and isn’t compatible with vehicles that have catalytic converters and oxygen sensors.

BOOSTane Professional Octane Booster

The BOOSTane Professional Octane Booster is specifically formulated to treat octane between 94 to 116. It works in all internal combustion engines, from high-performance street cars to powerboats. Unlike some octane boosters, it won’t separate and settle in your tank over time.

Unfortunately, it can be a bit hard on the pocket as a single can of BOOSTane Professional Octane Booster retails for around $30.

What To Consider When Shopping for Octane Boosters

You can find plenty of good octane boosters on the market, but having too many options can make it hard to choose. Here are different factors to consider that can make it easier to buy the right octane booster for your vehicle:

Added Octane Points

Not all octane boosters are created equally. Some will raise your fuel’s octane rating by three levels, while others can add up to ten. Depending on what you want for your vehicle, you can eliminate products that don’t raise your fuel’s octane rating enough or go too high.

Ingredients

Different octane boosters will have different effects based on their ingredients. Common chemicals used to create octane boosters include ethanol, toluene, and methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE). If you’re looking for an octane booster that’s less toxic, consider getting one made from MTBE.

Additional Effects

Some octane boosters are specially formulated to include other additives that can help keep your engine clean. Additional features like these might not be necessary, but they might be worth looking into.

Price

Octane boosters can vary in price, but you can typically find a bottle selling anywhere from $10 to $100. High-quality octane boosters with higher octane points tend to cost more, which is something you have to consider if you’re working on a budget.

Engine Compression Ratio

Before you seal the deal, make sure the octane booster you’re eyeing matches your engine’s requirements. The higher the compression ratio, the higher the octane level it’ll need to prevent engine knocking.

Storage

If you plan on buying a multipack, double-check your drawers to see if you have enough space to store all of them. Unopened octane boosters can last up to two years if they’re stored properly, specifically in a cool, dry place away from the sun and other heat sources.

What Is an Octane Booster?

An octane booster is a fuel additive that can increase the octane rating of gasoline. Octane rating is a number that represents the fuel’s ability to resist knocking during combustion. By raising this number, octane boosters improve engine performance and efficiency while preventing knocking or detonation.

How To Use Fuel Octane Boosters

Most octane boosters are added to the fuel tank before filling it with gasoline. Some boosters can be mixed in the fuel can filled with gasoline before pouring it into the tank. Either way, be sure to read the instructions on the octane booster’s packaging before using it.

Before adding an octane booster to your fuel tank, you might want to see how long a tank of fuel will last you. If you put this in with a full tank of fuel but do not drive the vehicle much, then leaving the octane booster sitting in your fuel tank could possibly cause issues.

Before adding an octane booster to your fuel tank, you may want to see how long a tank of fuel will last you, because if you put this in with a full tank of fuel but do not drive the vehicle much, then that sitting in your fuel tank could possibly cause issues.

–Anthony Harlin, ASE Certified Master Automobile Technician