In any given week, more than 100 customers are stepping to the cash register at an AutoZone store with the hope of saving a little on the cost of gasoline.

They are buying fuel additives, octane boosters and other products that purport to save gasoline.

With the cost of a gallon of unleaded regular knocking over the $4 mark, it’s no wonder the store has a big display of Lucas fuel stabilizers, treatments and boosters right near the register.

And the promises can be eye-catching. A bottle of Lucas fuel treatment says, “It’s a tuneup in a bottle (and) increases power and miles per gallon.”

“It’s been steady,” AutoZone store manager Joe Sharpe said of sales of fuel additives.

But do any of the products really work? A study released two years ago by the Federal Trade Commission said emphatically “no.”

“The EPA has evaluated or tested more than 100 alleged gas-saving devices and has not found any product that significantly improves gas mileage. In fact, some ‘gas-saving’ products may damage a car’s engine. No government agency endorses gas-saving devices for cars.”

At AutoZone, the most popular products are fuel-system cleaners, like the Lucas fuel-injector cleaner, Gumout and STP gas treatment, Sharpe said. The products range from $1.49 to $11.99, depending on size and brand name.

Given the even higher cost for premium gasoline, some drivers may be tempted to use lower-grade gasoline and hope to bump the fuel to another level by adding an octane booster.

“The octane boosters actually work the opposite of the way many people believe,” said Al Mannato, fuel issues manager for the American Petroleum Institute.

Octane boosters are often composed of a large percentage of alcohol and are designed to give the driver more power, not better gas mileage, he said. If there is 10 percent alcohol in an octane booster, then there can be as much as a 3 percent loss in fuel economy.

Bennett Greenwood, a mechanic and owner of A Mobile Car Doctor car-repair service, said that some of his customers admit to using lower-octane gasoline than recommended.

“Some cars are more finicky than others,” Greenwood said. A lot depends on the type of driving and the type of car, but he recommends following the owner’s manual.

When a higher-performance engine burns the wrong octane gas, the engine can knock, Mannato said.

Using engine cleaners can improve fuel economy as part of preventive maintenance, said Barry Bronson, a spokesman for the Valvoline division of Ashland Inc.

Bronson said Valvoline products can reduce the need for higher-octane gas, but he also said it’s not a good idea to go against manufacturers’ recommendations.

Sharpe said drivers also have worries that extend beyond the pump.

“More than buying fuel additives,” he said, “people are buying locking gas caps … to keep people from siphoning gas.”

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By Braden Lammers
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH