Octane is a measure of a fuel’s ability to resist knocking in an internal combustion engine. The higher the octane number, the more resistant the fuel is to knocking. Knocking is a condition that occurs when the fuel in the engine ignites too early, causing a loss of power and efficiency. Boosting the octane of a fuel can help to prevent knocking and improve engine performance.
There are a number of ways to boost the octane of a fuel. One common method is to add an octane booster to the fuel. Octane boosters are typically made from hydrocarbons, such as toluene or xylene. These hydrocarbons help to increase the fuel’s resistance to knocking. Another way to boost octane is to blend high-octane fuels with low-octane fuels. For example, a mixture of 93-octane fuel and 87-octane fuel will have an octane rating of approximately 90.