Do injector cleaners really work?
An automotive engineer I talked to swore injector cleaners are nothing more than "piss in a bottle." He claimed they did not work and were not regulated by EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) standards. To set the record straight, I asked Wusz what he thought about the name-brand injector cleaners sold on the market. He stated: "Aftermarket additives are not regulated. The regulated additives are the ones that the oil companies put in at the refinery or at their bulk plant. There are test requirements for injector cleaners and for IVDs-intake valve deposits. On the backside of an intake value you'll see some buildup, and there's a standardized test for that. There's also a standardized test for the injector cleaner. The test is an industry-accepted, industry-wide standard. You can't just piss in a bottle. I don't know where that engineer came up with that assumption, but it's very inaccurate. The injector test was developed because there had been a bunch of problems within the industry. A couple years later there were problems with injector cleanliness. Companies started putting in more additives to keep the injectors clean, but this ultimately added to the problems with the intake values and the deposits. A typical 10,000-mile on-road test has a particular cycle. You use standard bad fuel to dirty up the injectors, and then you add your cleanliness additives and run it to clean the valves up. If you start out with a gasoline that has a detergent additive in it that will keep the intake valves clean, then you never have to clean them up, because you're keeping them clean from the start. That is required certification through the EPA."
Sneaking past emissions with a higher-octane fuel?
You've managed to drive your shit box to the smog station while bombarding drivers behind you with a plume of smoke. Most likely you'll fail the emissions test, but wouldn't it be amazing if your vehicle passed after a using a higher-grade unleaded fuel? Wusz states it is a possibility. Don't think the octane was the main culprit in passing your test. The truth is higher-octane fuel has a very low endpoint on the distillation curve. The endpoint is the temperature at which the last hydrocarbon boils off or vaporizes. Typically, 100-octane gas boils at 260 to 270F. In a typical street gasoline, it boils at 400F (California has a 320F maximum at the 90-percent point.) The temperature differences within street and 100-octane make a big difference in how well the hydrocarbons vaporize and burn even at light loads. In some cases you can pass the emissions test by going to the higher-octane gases. But if you've got an engine that's out of tune or if the carburetor is too rich, it may make an improvement but it won't fix your oil-belching time bomb.
What ingredients are in octane boosters?
Depending on a specific company, the contents vary. While some may use Toluene because it has a high, natural octane number, there are drawbacks such as overdosing a gasoline with Toluene. Even though you raise the octane number you can ultimately have some problems such as a "lazy" burn condition. Oxygen aids like Ethanol or Methanol are some-what effective and increase octane, but these ingredients have a negative side as they will tend to raise the Reid vapor pressure, which in high doses can cause vapor lock.
Do octane boosters really work?
When I asked Wusz his opinion, he replied: "If you start with an 87-octane and you put something in it, you might raise the octane slightly. When I worked in research we never saw any of the products work as effectively as they claimed." Let's say you're using a 91-octane gasoline and need more of a higher-octane cushion. Most people think adding octane boosters in the tank will raise the octane reading a few octane number percentages higher. Wrong buddy! Sorry to burst your bubble but you won't gain numbers anywhere near what the booster's manufacturer claims, because you're already starting out with a high-octane gasoline. The lower the octane numbers of the base product, the greater the chance of obtaining more octane. When you put an octane booster in an 80-octane gasoline it might be good for a 5-octane boost, but if you put it in a 90-octane it may only be good for only a 1- or 2-octane boost.