What is High Octane Gas? Does your car need High Octane Gas?
First thing first. The octane rating is a measure of the auto-ignition resistance of gasoline (petrol) and other fuels used in spark-ignition internal combustion engines. It is a measure of anti-detonation of a gasoline or fuel, where the engine compresses a cylinder-full of air and gas into a much smaller volume before igniting it with a spark plug. Amount of compression is called the compression ratio of the engine and a typical engine might have a compression ratio of 8-to-1.
Knocking can damage an engine. The octane rating of gasoline tells you how much the fuel can be compressed before it spontaneously ignites. When gas ignites by compression rather than because of the spark from the spark plug, it causes knocking in the engine and it is not something you want to have happening. Lower-octane gas, like “regular” 87-octane gasoline, can handle the least amount of compression before igniting. Octane ratings measure a gasoline’s ability to resist engine knock, a rattling or pinging sound that results from premature ignition of the compressed fuel-air mixture in one or more cylinders.
Switch to a higher octane level only if your car engine knocks when you use the recommended fuel. Unless your engine is knocking, buying higher octane gasoline is a waste of money.
Benefits of using High Octane gas. Using a higher octane gasoline than your owner’s manual recommends offers absolutely no benefit. It won’t make your car perform better, go faster, get better mileage or run cleaner. The octane rating of gasoline is not consistent across the country, one state may require a minimum octane rating of 92 for all premium gasoline, while another may allow 90 octane to be called premium. To make sure you know what you’re buying, check the octane rating on the yellow sticker on the gas pump.
Listen to your owner’s manual. Determine the right octane level for your car by checking your owner’s manual. Some cars with high compression engines, like sports cars need mid-grade or premium gasoline to prevent knock. In general, regular octane is recommended for most cars. There is no reason to use and pay for expensive high octane gas, unless your car was designed for such gas. It will not improve gas mileage and not improve power output as well.
Conclusion. If your car is explicitly designed for high octane gas, use it. If your car has engine knocking problems and your car manual says it’s okay, use it. Basically, where you buy your gas than which grade you purchase, the quality of gasoline and the additive package usually affect the rate of engine wear more than the octane rating.
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