octane booster
 

So i've heard a lot of old school guys mention using moth balls in the gas tank to boost octane in carbeurated vehicles. Does this really work and would it work for the 5.4's? Not sure if this has any negative effects on the motor.

Nope....it dont work....

Just to expand on that a little more:

Increasing the octane level of the fuel by itself will do NOTHING in terms of performance (on a carburetted OR fuel injected vehicle) and in many cases will actually cause a LOSS of performance if no other steps are taken to take advantage of the anti-knock properties of higher-octane fuel.

Octane has NOTHING to do with the quality of the fuel or the power-producing qualities of the fuel. It burns slower....THAT'S IT.

Speaking of fuel quality. Is it just me or does it seem that over the coarse of the years, the quality of gas has gotten worse?

The problem we're seeing with fuel quality is not that octane has changed, but that most gas stations are regularly running the allowable maximum of 10% Ethanol. Ethanol has a lower BTU count than gasoline and produces less energy. The only advantage is that Ethanol also has a higher octane, although the gasoline companies use this little fact to sell cheaper quality fuel and bump the octane a smidge by the addition of Ethanol. Ultimately, what you end up with is garbage compared to the gasoline that was available 10 years ago.

Some places still sell straight gasoline, but it's usually considerably more expensive... and that's if you even lucky enough to find any. The only fuel around here (N.E. GA) that I can purchase straight gasoline from is basically any place that sells VP Racing fuels. There isn't a gas station anywhere around here that doesn't sell "gasahol".

What a load of crap... :(

Makes a lot of sense. I know back in high school my old 69 ford truck ran great. These days it just does what it has to do if you know what i mean. I know of a few places here on the other side of Atlanta that sales the real deal but like you said, top dollar stuff!