octane rating and engine performance
In Texas, the minimum octane rating is 87. On a recent trip to Glacier, I noticed a lot of the fuel in states like CO, WY and MT, the octane was 85, and you had to buy the mid-grade to get 87 and abov...
Forum Discussion
mich800 wrote:
Really, no different than the timeless debate between gas vs diesel.
Well yes it is different.
When an engine maker "recommends" high octane fuel, they know that under some circumstances it might be possible to stress the engine enough to cause compression knock and engine damage......but the likelyhood of that is slim.
If the engine design makes in more likely that bad things will happen with low octane fuel, then the manual will indicate that higher octane is REQUIRED.
In both cases, the owner can choose to ignore what the engine makes says......at his own risk.
In general, if you notice a BIG difference either in performance or gas mileage when trying "regular", then it is probably not a good idea to do that.
