Octane booster use

icj_45e · 10-17-2022, 05:52 PM

Hi all, curious what the general opinion is on octane boosters? Any short or long term issues?

I've read that BMW recommends 91 and permits 89 for the 45e, and I plan on using 91 if I can. Two perks of my job is a car allowance and gas card. IF the equipment manager gives me a hard time for buying premium fuel, can I use 87 at the pump and supplement with a bottle of octane booster per tank? Thanks

weinerbarn · 10-19-2022, 05:32 PM

Octane boosters are rough on plugs. They’ll end up covered in an orange coating and I’m sure will give the dealer some questions if you need engine related warranty repair. I haven’t done the math but I’m guessing it will be just as expensive to add booster every tank versus just paying the difference for premium. Premium would cost you an additional $5 per tank and I bet that booster is easily that much. Add to that the cost of more frequent spark plug cost and labor.

nZtiZia · 10-19-2022, 06:23 PM

$5 is conservative! where I live, the difference between 87 and 93 is $1/gallon. fill up an 18-gallon empty fuel tank, that's $18, so ~2-4x the cost of adding octane booster to 87 fuel.

OP, he made some good points as to what the booster will do to the plugs, so you'll have to weigh the pros and cons. BMW recommends 89 and 91 for a reason. personally, I would heed their recs

weinerbarn · 10-19-2022, 08:10 PM

Boostane and VP Octanium are both $18-19 per 16oz can (1 tank fill-up) so there's your $18 "saved" in fuel prices except now you have other issues down the road. You said you get a gas card from work, can you not just pay the difference out of pocket somehow when doing your expenses?

Shllshck · 10-19-2022, 09:24 PM

icj_45e You just got an awesome new ride. IMO not worth messing with lower octane fuel and octane boosters. Plus you got a 45e. If you do a lot of city driving, you might not need to fill up all that often.

icj_45e · 10-20-2022, 09:09 AM

Thanks for the replies. I intend to use 91 gas, I was just curious if octane boosters could be safely used IF I get a hard time for spending a few extra bucks on the company gas card during each fill up. The extra $$ for 91 gas is negligible to the company fuel budget (half my co-workers are driving their HD trucks 100+ miles a day commuting....), but some people take their job way to serious and might get hung up on that fact that I am using premium fuel which may be technically against policy, when I am spending way less when you consider my usage vs. my co-workers

10-17-2022, 05:52 PM	#1
icj_45e Private First Class 108 Rep 125 Posts Drives: 23 X5 45e Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: SoCal iTrader: (0)	Octane booster use - any negative side effects? Hi all, curious what the general opinion is on octane boosters? Any short or long term issues? I've read that BMW recommends 91 and permits 89 for the 45e, and I plan on using 91 if I can. Two perks of my job is a car allowance and gas card. IF the equipment manager gives me a hard time for buying premium fuel, can I use 87 at the pump and supplement with a bottle of octane booster per tank? Thanks
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10-19-2022, 05:32 PM	#2
weinerbarn Unapologetic Tool Hoarder 734 Rep 964 Posts Drives: 2020 X5 M Competition Join Date: Nov 2020 Location: Missouri iTrader: (0)	Octane boosters are rough on plugs. They’ll end up covered in an orange coating and I’m sure will give the dealer some questions if you need engine related warranty repair. I haven’t done the math but I’m guessing it will be just as expensive to add booster every tank versus just paying the difference for premium. Premium would cost you an additional $5 per tank and I bet that booster is easily that much. Add to that the cost of more frequent spark plug cost and labor.
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10-19-2022, 06:23 PM	#3
nZtiZia Major General 4654 Rep 8,694 Posts Drives: eVeRyOnE mAD! Join Date: Dec 2020 Location: neither here nor there... iTrader: (0) Garage List 2021 BMW X5 xDrive 45e [9.88]	$5 is conservative! where I live, the difference between 87 and 93 is $1/gallon. fill up an 18-gallon empty fuel tank, that's $18, so ~2-4x the cost of adding octane booster to 87 fuel. OP, he made some good points as to what the booster will do to the plugs, so you'll have to weigh the pros and cons. BMW recommends 89 and 91 for a reason. personally, I would heed their recs
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10-19-2022, 08:10 PM	#4
weinerbarn Unapologetic Tool Hoarder 734 Rep 964 Posts Drives: 2020 X5 M Competition Join Date: Nov 2020 Location: Missouri iTrader: (0)	Boostane and VP Octanium are both $18-19 per 16oz can (1 tank fill-up) so there's your $18 "saved" in fuel prices except now you have other issues down the road. You said you get a gas card from work, can you not just pay the difference out of pocket somehow when doing your expenses?
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10-19-2022, 09:24 PM	#5
Shllshck Lieutenant 217 Rep 436 Posts Drives: 2016 428i GC, 2023 X6 40i Join Date: Jul 2022 Location: California iTrader: (0)	icj_45e You just got an awesome new ride. IMO not worth messing with lower octane fuel and octane boosters. Plus you got a 45e. If you do a lot of city driving, you might not need to fill up all that often.
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10-20-2022, 09:09 AM	#6
icj_45e Private First Class 108 Rep 125 Posts Drives: 23 X5 45e Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: SoCal iTrader: (0)	Thanks for the replies. I intend to use 91 gas, I was just curious if octane boosters could be safely used IF I get a hard time for spending a few extra bucks on the company gas card during each fill up. The extra $$ for 91 gas is negligible to the company fuel budget (half my co-workers are driving their HD trucks 100+ miles a day commuting....), but some people take their job way to serious and might get hung up on that fact that I am using premium fuel which may be technically against policy, when I am spending way less when you consider my usage vs. my co-workers
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