Walk down any auto parts store and you will see shelves stacked double-digits deep with fuel additives touting hybrid-like mileage, hydro-carbon-based scrubbing bubbles and the ability to transform pump fuel into a 200-octane race gas for pennies on the dollar.

But is there a basis in reality for the functionality of octane boosters? We touched base with Ian Lehn at Boostane and he made some very down-to-earth points about what Boostane is and what it is capable of doing.

“Basically, we are an octane concentrate,” said Lehn. “We give people the convenience to have a case of our product in their trunk and whenever they need, they can transform their pump gas into whatever octane they need.”

Every bottle of the concentrated octane booster features a mix chart, much like 2-stroke oil bottles, that gives the end user the ability to tailor their desired octane level to the size of their tank.  Boostane also offers a downloadable app that calculates the proper mix ratio for the desired octane rating.

While Lehn honestly admits that Boostane doesn’t create horsepower on its own. He explains it does provide tuners the tools to increase boost, timing, and possibly compression. All three of those parameters dramatically contribute to  increased power. Boostane also represents a substantial cost savings over conventional race fuel. Especially for a double duty street/race car.

“Up to a 107 octane race fuel, we are the cheapest route to high octane,” said Lehn. “One case of our product costs $80 and treats 60 gallons of fuel.”

Thats an attractive price when compared to 12 5-gallon cans of race fuel.

Lehn also mentions that many OEM engines, such as BMW and Ford’s Ecoboost line, that are capable of operating on 87-93 octane, will pull timing at the first hint of knock. But when they do not detect knock, they actively add timing back into the motor. For that reason, they have found Boostane to generate increased horsepower output in those applications with no other modifications.