Anyone here use Octane boosters of any kind? Just curious, never used them before.

Manual says not to use them, may void warranty. An octane booster is completely unnecessary if the car is designed to run on 87 octane. Octane is a combustion inhibitor to prevent premature detonation (No Jokes Please). Think of "dieseling" or the way older cars (and even a few new ones) continue to run after shutting off the ignition. Also the knocking/loss of power older members here probably remember well from the 70s is another sign of premature detonation (again, NJP). And modern engine management systems are flexible enough to run on any commercially available grade of gas at least for short (1-2) tankful intervals.
Believe it or not, octane boost = less power as octane is a combustion inhibitor. Octane boost would do nothing performance-wise the help a G6 (and may even damage something/void your warranty) or any vehicle built to run on regular. Any motorcyclist will tell you his (carburetted) bike runs stronger on lower octane. It is harder to notice performance gains/losses in a car using your ass-meter, but on a sport bike, you can really feel it.
That's an overview. I didn't get into altitude, computers, etc. so let the flaming begin, but a rule of thumb is to go by the owner's manual (it is unlikely that the aftermarket/oil companies will know MORE about the car GM made) and when the warranty is up, use the lowest grade of gas that doesn't cause dieseling or knocking.

lol @ ass-meter...

So than what your also saying is that its better for your car to gas up on 87 rather than 89 or 92? Somehow that doesnt sound right.

Depending on the type of engine (pushrod, OHC, eg) and the compression ratio, AND the individual manufacturer's specs (preferences, tolerances, etc) the manufacturer decides on the optimum fuel grade for that particular engine. The electronic engine management is set accordingly, but all modern systems have the ability to advance/retard spark to accomodate fuels ranging from low to high octane. What the manufacturer reccomends is what I use. And if they say no additives, I believe them. When my girlgriend wants to treeat herself, she buys lipstick. When I want to indulge myself, I want to give my cars a little treat. I used to put all kinds of additives in my tank, especially octane boost. But after a lot of reading over the years, I have now concluded that the manufacturer knows best, low-octane fuel is not inferior (has the same refinement and additives/cleaning agents) to hi-octane fuel. Because it is more expensive, we automatically assume premium gas is better/more powerful. That's not the case at all. You will do no harm generally by putting more octane/higher grade gas in a car designed to run on Regular. However, higher end and more complex engines (eg BMW) are designed to run optimally on 91+ octane. Although you can certainly run them on 86-87 octane, BMW et al do not recommend doing so for long periods of time. Compensating for the lower-octane fuel over time, according to my BMW manual, can cause premature engine/component failure. Read: Big Bucks.
To me that means I might get 160K out of the BMW instead of 175K before a repair/rebuild/new car is necessary. With todays high fuel prices, I am sometimes tempted to put a lower grade in it, and when I've been out west at altitude, all that's available is 85-87-89 octane, so I have no choice. But the BMW is still relatively new, and I resist the urge to go lower unless 89 is the highest I can get. The car will compensate, but over time it "might" cause engine problems.
And to answer your question, Yes, even though it sounds illogical. If the car is designed to run on 87, that's better. You are not "spoiling" your G6 by using a higher grade. And since additives are a no-no according to the owner's manual and "may void the warranty" I happily don't use them and spend the $ on other nice stuff for the car like $8 car washes. I know that if I had an engine problem with the G6 and I inadvertently told the GM steal...er...dealer "I don't understand- I use octane boost with every fillup," he would, my luck being what it is with warranties and insurance, tell me they were not responsiblefor the repair. Of course they wouldn't know if you didn't tell them, so do what you think is best. I can only say that I've read a lot about fuel grades in the technical columns in car magazines, and this is what I've learned. Hope that gives you something to consider

Is there an award for longest post? LOL I just looked at what I just posted... Question for 2007 GTP owners- what grade of fuel does the manual reccomend the new 3.6L? GM is pretty good about designing their cars to run on regular fuel, but I am wondering because the new OHC is a more complex engine than many of their pushrod/OHV engines. Lovin' using 87 octane, saving money, and not feeling guilty!

Mike

I understand what your saying, but what im saying is i dont think using 89 octane gas is the same as using an octane booster that has a octane rating of 102 or higher. Maybe my car wont run better on 89 than it will on 87, but the fact that it will run with less efficiency on 89 than 87, i just cant buy that.

Premium gas means it has a higher octane rating, that's all. It is not a better gas. if your car don't need, don't put it in. You are wasting money and your car will not run better. If you car recommends it, then use it. Simple as that.

Having said that, premium gas generally have more cleaning agents to keep your fuel system cleaner. So that is a lesser chance of foul fuel injectors and other similar problems. Again, if your car doesn't require it, using premium gas is not cost effective.

You want to use the lowest octane you can without seeing any kind of knock. As mphred say, octane is a combustion inhibitor, meaning it slows down the burn and increases the fuels resistance to detonation which is why cars with higher compression ratios and boost usually require higher octane fuels. But most automakers realize that most people don’t want to put premium fuel in their cars so they tune the engines to run on regular(Not true in all cases), and when the engines turned to run on regular there's really no point in putting higher octane fuel in.


Why do you want to run the lowest octane possible???? Because, you want the most efficient quickest burn possible WITHOUT seeing knock, and as I said octane slows the burn.

I can go on for a long time about this but its late and I think you’ll get the idea.

Johns77- A few octane points such as the difference in 89-87 is not going to affect the engine all that much, but when we're talking about full on octane boost, you'll defiantly lower engine efficiency.

Blackrider said it best without taking up a whole page. :cheers: And mrslcom is incorrect about the additives- they are the same. Thare is no difference in the refinement process or additives, only the octane, which is titrated afterward to the same fuel stock.

OK so octane ratings aside, if there is no differance between any gas, how is that a no-name station like git-n-go can charge $2.65 a gallon and a place like Mobil or Chevron can charge $3.15 for the same 87 oct. Are these gasolines the EXACT same? And if so why do people choose more expensive gas over cheap crap? Cuz ill tell you right now, right or wrong, i dont put no-name gas in my car and if i HAVE to i make sure its 89 octane, i just dont trust those gas stations that charge like 0.40 less per gallon, how do they do it if its the SAME gas?? :)

I can only say that chains like Mapco sell cheaper, and that they get their gas from one of the major suppliers-I forget which one, maybe Conoco or Shell. I don't know how they sell it cheaper, but I do know it is the same gas being sold at the oil company's station. I'll ask a manager I know at Mapco where they get their gas and post if I find out.
I have read that in any local area, although there may be 8-10 different retailers, they are only selling gas from 2-4 different (major) suppliers. Golden Gallon, Mapco, Spur, and 7-11, for example, certainly don't manufacture the gas sold at their stations. I always have used Mapco- it's convenient, cheaper, and my cars have never had a fuel related problem (except for my FIAT spyder, but that car had issues all around :( )

I'll probably just skip them, ive never used them before, no reason to start now i guess. I do however use a concentrated fuel injector cleaner ever 3-4000 miles. I think thats about the only thing I ever put in my car. Hey just out of curiousity, what are fuel treatments and what are they good for?

Fuel treatments are usually isopropyl alcohol and some have detergents. Heet is one, the alcohol removes water from the fuel (actually acts as a kind of antifreeze more than remove water) to prevent fuel line freezing in extremely cold weather. Same with STP gas treatment, although I believe it has some cleaning agents, too. A few others are lead substitutes with alternative lubricants for older cars that were built to run on leaded gas.
And re additives, I do use FI cleaner every 5K miles or so. I'll post back with the brand I use- I forget, but it costs about $14 a bottle if I remember right. But it got really good reviews, and I believe it's good for 2-3 tankfuls. I have never had an injector foul with or without using a FI cleaner. I've read that if you keep your spark plugs in top condition, todays fuels are so good and combustion is so complete that fuel injectors rarely foul like they used to.

and most octane boosters only raise your octane by like 3 or 4 points, and i think it takes 4 points to make your level to go up one number...( for lack of better words?) which means if you are running 87 it might bump it up to 88 octane

If your car is pinging..adding an octane booster is NOT the proper way to solve your problem.

I would like to add an analagy to this thread;:rolleyes:
If gasoline is a hammer and combustion is the hammer striking the cylinder, then octane rating would be the force of the hammer.
Imagine the hammer hitting the cylinder really quick! "BAM" a fraction of a second and the force/energy is gone. This would be a higher octane.
Now imagine the hammer hitting the cylinder slower but w/ the same amount of energy! "BAAAAAAAAAAAAAM". This pushes the cylinder down farther. The energy is spread out over time with lower octane, thus more force at the tire. The downfall of this slower burn is residue from an incomplete burn. Chemicals are added to the fuel to speed up the burn (or inhibit detination) and reduce the emmissions. This mixture is the "octane rating". Some engines are designed for peak performance with high octane ratings for example, Jet engines use very high octane because they require as close to a complete burn as possible where as an automobile's engine requires a slower burn for more horse power. The difference between an octane rating of 87 vs 93 are minor but the higher number will help keep you emissions lower and your combustion camber cleaner. I use the higher octane often but not all of the time.


If you are wondering, I work at one of the top 5 oil refineries world wide. This is a test I have seen for myself.
Hope I didn't confuse the hell out of anyone.:confused: