2006-07-25 10:44:05 · 8 answers · asked by Jay 1 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
The higher the octane the slower it burns.
No matter what the octane is, there is a fixed amount of energy in a gallon of gas. Some engines in the right configuration can get a little more energy (more efficient with the longer burn cycle) at the higher octane but this little bit is not worth the extra cost.
If you have an old (really old car) that knocks, or are traveling through a hilly area you might want to try the higher octane fuel but in most cases you can burn 87 octane with no problem.
Newer cars that say burn the higher octane fuels have an onboard computer than will self adjust to run on the lower octane with no problems. It really is a big rip off.
Best thing to do is make sure tires are at the right pressure and car is tuned up for best performance.
2006-07-25 10:48:34 · answer #1 · answered by ic3d2 4 · 5⤊ 1⤋
If you vehicle does not need a higher grade fuel, you are wasting you money if you buy higher octane gas. The higher the octane, the less likely the engine will ping. Vehicles with higher performance engines and turbo charged engines will almost always call for premimum fuel to combat detonation. That is all the higher octane fuel does.
2006-07-25 11:31:34 · answer #2 · answered by crazytrain_23_78 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The difference is in resistance to premature combustion -- which sounds like & so is termed"knock," and which can damage an engine. If you can't tell the difference that means the engine runs okay on the lowest octane number & so you are wasting money buying anything with a higher number.
2006-07-25 10:56:48 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
your PCM is tuned so if you use less than 91 octane, it reduces timing in order to stop detonation (explosions inside your motor due to too low of an octane). octane SLOWS DOWN combustion. since the LS1 is a high compression motor, it combusts faster. it blows up inside on less than 91 octane because the compression is so high...unless the PCM retards the timing, resulting in a big loss in power.
you need 91 octane to keep this from happening. so what happens if you go 93? will you see better mpg and more horsepower? no. octane is NOT a power adder, it's a detonation supressor. there is no point in buying above 91 octane unless you need it (unless it knocks with 91 octane). anything above 91 octane is a waste of money. that being said, if there's no 91 octane in your area, 93 is dandy too.
2006-07-25 11:16:33 · answer #4 · answered by Legend 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Nor will you. The octane difference will not give you more power. It related to how efficiently the fuel is burned in the combustion chamber. Listen to your car or bike with the 87 octane. If you don't hear any engine pinging, it's fine to run in your engine.
2006-07-25 10:50:32 · answer #5 · answered by armored_dillo 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The difference is related to your compression. Higher compression requires higher octane. It is related to burning, but the higher the octane, the more energy that will be released with higher compression.
If you were to realize a difference, it will be heard as a "ping" coming from your valves. Higher compression engines will ping with lower octanes.
2006-07-25 11:20:06 · answer #6 · answered by mgremlin 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is really not much difference. The higher grades are for newer and luxury cars, I think. I still use the higher grades, just by habit, but I too, see no difference.
2006-07-25 10:48:36 · answer #7 · answered by kid_rock 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
check your gas milage
2006-07-25 11:06:02 · answer #8 · answered by mike L 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋