Additech

"Rainbow" (rainbeaux) 09/02/2015 at 09:35 • Filed to: None

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I need to fill up my car today, and out of curiosity I was thinking I’d give it a tank of premium. It’s designed for 87, but I know it can’t hurt to use a higher octane than necessary. (That is true, right?) That said, I’m also curious about that stupid stuff that gave me headaches when I used to work at Kroger... “Why does my receipt say $7.99 right here?! What is this?!” “Sir, you must have agreed to purchase Additech.” and then we’d go back and forth for five minutes until he finally understands that I can’t refund the stuff when it’s already in his tank, and he needs to learn not to press the “yes” button without reading the damn screen.

But anyway, yeah. I’m not going to add the full amount, but there’s a $1.99 option for just a little bit. I’m wondering whether that will make a difference at all, but before I try it, I want to be sure that it won’t hurt my car.

Also, feel free to talk me out of this. It’ll be like $5 more for the premium gas, and that’s money I could probably use for more important things, considering I’m already sure it won’t make a difference at all...

Nibby > Rainbow 09/02/2015 at 09:37

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Waste of money.

Put diesel in your car instead.

iSureWilll > Rainbow 09/02/2015 at 09:42

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Waste of money. A higher octane rating is just a fuel’s resistance to burning. A higher octane fuel will not ignite at the same temp as a lower one, hence why turbo cars and high compression motors use high octane to prevent pinging (or detonation). A higher octane fuel in an engine that requires 87 octane is just a waste as there is no need to prevent detonation.

wiffleballtony > Rainbow 09/02/2015 at 09:43

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Ultimately if your car isn’t designed for premium you’re not going to see any benefits. If I remember correctly the octane rating is a measure of the consistency of combustion of the fuel. Which then relates to engine timing.

miadaman? yes please > Rainbow 09/02/2015 at 09:46

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Waste of money.

Put NOS in your car instead.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > iSureWilll 09/02/2015 at 09:47

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Counterpoint:

The higher octane fuels often have more cleaning agents in them. You know, for when it’s just too much effort to go buy a bottle and put it in yourself. Anyway, one tank once in a while isn’t a bad idea.

Some engines are designed to run on 87 but can only produce max power on 89 or 91. Basically VVT and spark advance/retard systems have enough play in their ranges to allow this.

McMike > Rainbow 09/02/2015 at 09:52

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Putting high test in your car would be like a big fat guy wearing expensive running shoes. It won’t hurt him, but it’s not going to make him run any faster.

iSureWilll > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 09/02/2015 at 09:54

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That is true. I would just run 87 :)

jariten1781 > Rainbow 09/02/2015 at 09:56

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Higher octane is a waste of money unless you’re experiencing detonation.

Additech is a detergent package somewhat similar to those premixed into name brand gas. There’s arguments about whether they’re worth anything and I’ve never seen a definitive study. Additech is owned by Afton Chemical which is a big player both with OEMs and in other industries so I doubt it's harmful in any way...just may not do anything.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > iSureWilll 09/02/2015 at 09:59

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That’s what I do, myself. Once in a while I might pop in a tank of 89.

One thing I do notice—different brands of gas seem to affect the power/economy. My truck doesn't seem to like Shell too much. Does OK on Esso. Ran a bit of Esso 89 in the winter, MPG's popped up noticably. Never worked out whether it was worth it. I stopped as soon as the $ started to rise again

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Rainbow 09/02/2015 at 10:15

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Occasionally adding some premium fuel from a good gas station can put some extra cleaners in your car and be a good thing. Just remember to drive hard during this time to get some heat and help break apart deposits and whatnot. The italian tune up is a real thing for many engines.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Rainbow 09/02/2015 at 10:18

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Most modern (read: fuel injected) cars are able to adjust their own timing and air/fuel ratios to compensate for different fuel grades. That said, premium fuel only makes a real difference in high performance engines. You likely will not notice any effect if you put it in your car.

needMORv8 now with more V8 > Rainbow 09/02/2015 at 10:58

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What do you drive? depending on the car (read very modern turbo car) you can pick up a SLIGHT bit of HP for example something like a ford 1.6 ecoboost, rated for 87, but will learn into some better timing if you run 93.

Chasaboo > Rainbow 09/02/2015 at 15:13

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Only use Premium if you need it. Save the kaysh.