# Octane booster **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [October 1, 2013, 7:41pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/octane-booster/81602 "2013-10-01T19:41:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![alphonse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c4cdca/32.png) [@alphonse](https://community.cartalk.com/u/alphonse)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 7:41pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/octane-booster/81602/1 "2013-10-01T19:41:38Z")
I have a 2013 Shelby Mustang. The book calls for minimum 92 octane. The highest I can find is 90. I don’t think it’s mathematically possible to add enough booster to achieve 92, but it got me wondering; do octane boosters really work? What’s in them anyway? ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 8:00pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/octane-booster/81602/2 "2013-10-01T20:00:33Z")
I would think they work, higher octane means more resistant to combustion, so there are chemicals that will do that. Are you in Denver or some other high altitude place? 90 octane won’t hurt, that’s premium in your area. Anyway, I think premium is ‘recommended’, not ‘required’ for the Shelby, right? ---
**Author:** ![JosephEMeehan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecc23a/32.png) [@JosephEMeehan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/JosephEMeehan)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 8:02pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/octane-booster/81602/3 "2013-10-01T20:02:18Z")
I would pump the 90 into your tank and mix in some booster. I am guessing that would be fine, but I would also do exactly what you did, you asked. Good Luck. ---
**Author:** ![alphonse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c4cdca/32.png) [@alphonse](https://community.cartalk.com/u/alphonse)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 8:13pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/octane-booster/81602/4 "2013-10-01T20:13:07Z")
“Premium” is required; 92 is the minimum recommended. Across the country I’ve seen premium range from 90 to 94. There is actually a fairly large difference between 90 and 92 based on what I’ve seen online and adding a can of booster to a tank of gas only raises the octane to something like 90.5, which is why I’m questioning it. I live near sea level, but in a short drive can be 4,000 to 5,000 ft above sea level: Anchorage, AK. Thanks. Alphonse ---
**Author:** ![Whitey](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/whitey/32/24680_2.png) [@Whitey](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Whitey)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 9:18pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/octane-booster/81602/5 "2013-10-01T21:18:16Z")
@alphonse, do you live in a high altitude area, where the octane numbers on all three fuels show lower numbers than in low altitude areas? If so, that 90 octane fuel you’re buying works as well as 92 octane fuel does at sea level, so it should be fine. You shouldn’t need any octane booster. ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 9:45pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/octane-booster/81602/6 "2013-10-01T21:45:56Z")
@Whitey - he’s at sea level. But I very much doubt that 90 would be an issue in the Shelby. Easy for me to say… ---
**Author:** ![Whitey](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/whitey/32/24680_2.png) [@Whitey](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Whitey)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 10:13pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/octane-booster/81602/7 "2013-10-01T22:13:35Z")
In that case, I find it strange that 90 octane gas is the highest octane fuel he can find. ---
**Author:** ![FoDaddy](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/fodaddy/32/717_2.png) [@FoDaddy](https://community.cartalk.com/u/FoDaddy)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 10:19pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/octane-booster/81602/8 "2013-10-01T22:19:36Z")
From the owner’s manual "OCTANE RECOMMENDATIONS Premium unleaded gasoline with an (R+M)/2 octane rating of 91 or higher is required. SVT recommends using unleaded gasoline with octane rating of 93 or higher for optimal performance of this vehicle. Recommended fuel is an important part of the proper maintenance and optimal performance of this vehicle. The use of gasoline with an octane rating lower than 91 can lead to severe mechanical damage to your vehicle, may degrade vehicle performance, and may affect your warranty coverage." ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 11:22pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/octane-booster/81602/9 "2013-10-01T23:22:22Z")
Sounds like 90 plus two bottles of octane enhancer would do the job. But @alphonse - how did those folks on line figure out that adding one bottle increased the octane from 90 to 90.5? ---
**Author:** ![alphonse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c4cdca/32.png) [@alphonse](https://community.cartalk.com/u/alphonse)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 12:30am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/octane-booster/81602/10 "2013-10-02T00:30:50Z")
texases - it’s a complicated calculation and depends on which chemical is in the booster. As I understand it, the booster raises octane by 10th’s of a point. ---
**Author:** ![alphonse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c4cdca/32.png) [@alphonse](https://community.cartalk.com/u/alphonse)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 12:31am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/octane-booster/81602/11 "2013-10-02T00:31:30Z")
Texases, I’ll try 2 bottles next time. ---
**Author:** ![gdawgs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/258eb7/32.png) [@gdawgs](https://community.cartalk.com/u/gdawgs)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 1:13am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/octane-booster/81602/12 "2013-10-02T01:13:15Z")
If you are racing, go for the additives. If you are enjoying that beast and having fun at 90 Octane, with no pre-detonation (ie pinging) and any rpms…don’t complicate your life. life is short, fill up with 90 and don’t sweat the little stuff. ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 5:19am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/octane-booster/81602/13 "2013-10-02T05:19:15Z")
Very interesting that OP can’t get 91 in his neck of the woods Around here, we have 87, 89 and 91 ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 5:31am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/octane-booster/81602/14 "2013-10-02T05:31:30Z")
The Anchorage area is a small market with a local refinery. Guess they don’t see the need to sell greater than 90 octane. ---
**Author:** ![DrRocket](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/drrocket/32/2603_2.png) [@DrRocket](https://community.cartalk.com/u/DrRocket)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 5:36am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/octane-booster/81602/15 "2013-10-02T05:36:28Z")
If you’re using the car for competition purposes, you might want to consider buying a drum of 110 octane racing gas from a company like VP Fuels, installing a hand pump on it, and mix it with your 90 at a oh, 1 to 3 or 4 ratio. My son did that with his turbo Eclipse hot rod (Engine on steroids!!) and it really made a difference. ---
**Author:** ![Caddyman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/caddyman/32/23_2.png) [@Caddyman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Caddyman)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 6:42am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/octane-booster/81602/16 "2013-10-02T06:42:35Z")
How many miles of paved road are there in Alaska? Enough to keep a Shelby Mustang happy?