Ask HN: Do Fuel Tabs Work?

2 points by bikamonki 4y ago ↗ HN

With soaring gasoline prices I see a lot of people recommending switching to lower octane gas and add fuel tabs to compensate. But I found this online: https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2013/11/marketers-who-claimed-fuel-additive-could-drastically-increase-fuel-economy-reduce-emissions-settle

Is this only this one brand or all are brands are scamming?

1 comment

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PaulHoule 4y ago ↗

These are all scams. Every time since the 1970s when the price of gas has gone up scams like this have been a problem.

Most cars run fine on low-octane gas. You only need high octane gas if your car has a high compression ratio (especially a turbo or supercharger.)

My understanding is that high-octane fuel is a little less energy dense than low-octane fuel and gives slightly worse fuel economy.