Waste of money or effective? Preferred brands?

 

It depends on the additive and what you are trying to accomplish.

 

I'll use Techron periodically as in once or twice a year for maintenance.

The best experience I've encountered was with BG44 but it is hard to find. The results were fast and dramatic on a mechanical fuel injection car.

 

Actually, the forum doesn't have an opinion on anything. But the members are not short of opinions. I have a 75 Olds that loves 87 octane and I mean loves it. Lots of it. So I really don't have an opinion to share. Stay tuned because you will get a truckload of them.

 

My first go-to is aviation recip fuel at 100 octane low lead. It is accessible, not diluted and not much more expensive than the local run of the mill petroleum. Not Race fuel per-se, but not a watered down version of what these older cars were designed to run on. Maybe another station offers non-ethanol 87??? This would also make a reasonable option at a lower price point. Please keep us posted on your progress.😄

 

Seafoam is the Swiss Army knife of fuel additives.

 

If you're talking about octane boosters IMHO VP Fuels Octainium is very good. It will increase octane by 10 points in 10 gallons of fuel. A quart does 10 gallons and is about $20 a quart.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/v...waAm-VEALw_wcB

 

One of the best and cheapest is just buy 100ll aviation fuel.

 

I’ve tried a bunch of additives. Here are my opinions over a few decades compressed:

1) Octane boosters help, but you need 2 bottles to move the needle in our 20-25 gallon tanks. If I recall that’s more or less $20 per tank. Or I can turn the timing back a tick and save $20 per tankful. Thanks, I’ll turn the timing back a bit.

2) I like Seafoam and Techron o.k., but haven’t yet really felt a difference. Here & there randomly on faith, I throw a bottle in the tank just to see if I feel anything. So far, I haven’t but I still try here & there randomly.

3) Up until a few years ago you could get Xyline in gallon cans. Xyline and Tolulene raise octane. I was looking for a cheap octane booster. It worked, but just as I figured out the recipe - more or less 1/2 gallon to 1 gallon of Xyline per tank, CA outlawed the chemical. You can’t get it in Nevada these days either, I looked. Rats. Well, it’s toxic anyway so best I don’t get too close too often.

My most successful upgrades have been mechanical:
1) set up your valves for unleaded gas with hardened seats and bronze guides
2) build to a compression ratio today’s alcohol-gas won’t ping on in street use
3) get a distributor from Progression Ignitions that allows you to tune the advance with a timing map instead of a vacuum can, springs and weights.

Like all the rest, I’m running an informal experiment. These are my observations.

I’d hesitate to call them conclusions, but that’s my $.04 ($.02 x 2 for inflation!)

Cheers
Chris

 

Seafoam cleans and stabilizes. I think "octane boosters" are snake oil. I've run Torco before in a pinch to bump up 91 on the road, but it's all about resistance to detonation, not performance.

 

x2

 

I used a SeaFoam throttle body cleaner on my 96 98 that seemed to do a good job. I don't put additives in the tank of the 71. My diesel Ford truck clatters less when I add ATF or motor oil to fuel filter.

 

I've used SeaFoam and StarTron. The StarTron is my go to these days. (copied from the Seafoam thread)

For Octane Boosters, either Lucas or STP. But, do I feel a difference on these? I can imagine I do, that's about it.

 

I use Berryman B12 for cleaning the fuel injectors on my 2015 Mustang GT and to clean my 71 olds spark plugs. It did an amazing job smoothing out the jerky throttle response on the Mustang and cleaning plugs fouled black on the Olds when the carb froze up on a very cold day. I pulled the plugs before and after using Berryman and directly observed the difference.

 

I use a bottle of Lucas Oil Octane Booster each fill-up of 91 premium. I can't find 93 around here, so this prevents dieseling at shut-off. Don't know if there is any performance difference.

 

I have a '67 4-4-2 with an enhanced 400ci and 10.5:1 compression. I was getting minor detonation on 93 Octane. I tried Lucas Oil Octane booster and detonation immediately disappeared and the engine has more Umf! A 15 oz. bottle is around $8 or $9. Twelve ounces in a 20-gallon tank will raise the octane level about 3 or 4 points, so adding it to 93 Octane I figure I'm running 96 or 97 Octane. After an initial fill, .6 ounces of booster for every gallon of gas added will maintain the initial 3 or 4 point octane gain.

 

Dropped some sea foam in today

 

Marvel Mystery Oil. Add a small amount at each oil change, add at gas fill up, and take 2 table spoons in the a.m.

Don W

 

I use the STP fuel treatment in the same kind of metal can as Seafoam, I think it is better than Seafoam. The Kleenflo Combustion Chamber Cleaner is awesome stuff.

 

Does the lead additives work?

 

There has been quite a bit of debate on using a lead additive. If you have an Oldsmobile designed to run on leaded gasoline (73 and older) make sure you have hardened valve seats installed if you ever get machine work done on the engine.
​​​​​​
Check out post #3

https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...dditive-48854/

 

I think hardened valve seats started in 1971. I know they were used in 72.

 

Might have varied across the industry, as they weren't absolutely necessary until the switch to catalytic converters and unleaded gas in '75.

Another vote for Lucas octane booster here. In and of itself, it doesn't improve performance at all but it allows me to feel comfortable running a bit more advance and that's where any performance gain comes from.

 

Toluene 👍🏾

Kemco Octane Supreme 👍🏾👍🏾
(Don’t believe available any longer)

100LL 👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾
(If you can get access to it)

IF you happen to know anyone associated with an airport FOB, you MIGHT be able to get sump fuel that they have to otherwise pay to get rid of. I ran free 100LL for years along with Jet A in the house and diesel vehicles, just had to xfer & xport it, then pump it into the appropriate filler neck.

If your car is still factory engine specs, I wouldn’t think you have a need for it. If you’re building something, spec it to run on 91 octane pump gas as 93 is not available everywhere. If you’re gonna build a real rip snortin engine, pay attention to this thread! Mixing additives or obtaining special fuel costs money and can be a PITA.

…

 

This debate is just like "what kind of oil is best". It gets old real quick.

 

I have used Royal Purple Octane booster in the past and still use Royale Purple Max-Clean in my engines. But as has been said or should be said stay away from Ethanol Base Gas for your classic car.

 

I'd agree with you altogether but for one small thing: when I don't use an octane booster I can hear detonation, when I use an effective one I can't.

 

I will agree with your enthusiasm, but this particular thread is targeted towards petroleum fuel, (yes, I know that oil IS petroleum!). The fuel question has become a hot issue with caretakers of these old cars, and rightfully so. The quality of fuels has been diluted and diminished substantially since the cars were built. I agree that there are good additives (Seafoam/Berryman) for reducing the adverse affects of corn-fuel, but being saturated in an aviation environment (and the industry’s safety regulations) makes me a proponent of 100LL. Regarding lubricants, yes it is exhausting. I have an Amsoil dealer license and run the brand in most of my vehicles, but still use conventional Dino-oil in my ‘40. I do not subscribe to oil threads here because the opinions can be overwhelming.

 

I stopped at Walmart this afternoon to fill my Expedition. The 87 octane unleaded was 3.15/gallon. They also had ethanol free 90 octane for $4.11/gallon. It was higher than diesel.

 

I wish I paid that, here in so cal I'm paying 5.45 a gallon

 

You use an octane booster now because you can't get the aviation gas anymore?

^^^THIS^^^

 

Just in case you missed it,I was making an analogy about how debates about oil ,fuel additives ,tires, etc. are all the same.

 

Maybe I did, my apologies bud.😀

 

No problem & no apology needed.

 

I can only speak for my 55' Super 88 which has hardened valve seals. I use 93 octane premium gas, and several times a year add some seafoam or octane booster to the gas tank. Lastly I use conventional name brand motor oil with zinc already in it or add a zinc additive.

 

No, I use an octane booster because I never could get aviation fuel and even if I could it would be illegal around here.

You might want to do something about that.

 

So I have an 1984 Olds 98 with 307 that has a hard time passing smog..

Watched a Scotty Kilmer youtube, and he likes Chevron Techron.

So before the smog I dumped a whole can in, ran the **** out of the car to a show 100 miles away and back.

Next day, ran **** out of it, then went into smog right away hot..

Car NEVER smogged better in the 24 years I've owned the car, with 133K miles..

I am a believer..

Fred

 

I have heard good things about Techron for a long time now. Unfortunately you can't buy it as a stand-alone additive where I live, although Chevron does still claim they put it in their gas.

 

FWIW, you can purchase stand-alone Chevron Techron additive via Amazon.

 

Not sure if they'll let it into Canada, but I will investigate. Thanks, Norm.