Octane, measured in research octane number (RON), is an indicator of the ability of fuel to endure the forces of compression. In essence, octane boosters make the gasoline more resilient. How octane boosters are to be able to do this is because these additives are essentially blends of other hydrocarbon fuel compounds and are better than gasoline at not detonating. It manifests in form of engine knocking or pinging because of the rattle of the metal components. When this happens repeatedly, it can have widespread add-on effects on other parts of the engine like cylinders. In such scenarios, gasoline actually combusts by detonating, resulting in shocks being sent through the engine. If one of them, say temperature, goes a bit awry it can have a domino effect on the compression acting upon the fuel. Gasoline is a highly volatile substance which needs very specific external stimuli to work. Octane boosters solve one of the most critical problems the engine can suffer, namely that of detonation.