Go to nearly any American gas station and you’ll see that there are different octane ratings. Octane ratings from 87 to 92 are there for customers, but numerous don’t know which choice is best. Reading your vehicle’s manual helps, but have you ever wondered why one octane is better for car than one more? Thanks to our friends at About.com, here’s a brief summary to help you sort out the octane rating puzzle.
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Knocking is essential here, as a gasoline’s octane rating tells you about just how much knocking is addressed. A knocking sound occurs when your internal-combustion engine’s gasoline-air mix ignites prematurely instead of burning smoothly and efficiently. The octane rating is determined after a gasoline is compared to isooctane and heptane. The previous compound has 100 octane, while the latter has no octane rating at all. According to About.com, untouched gasoline has an octane rating of about 70 (70 percent isooctane, 30 percent heptane). Lead used to be the way that fuel companies cut down knocking and pinging, but current environmental standards have barred that practice, so more costly methods of bumping the octane on unleaded gasoline have exchanged the practice.
Is higher octane the clear answer?
Old engines regulated the fuel mix with the carburetor, and they benefitted from higher octane rating gasoline. The introduction of sophisticated electronic fuel injectors in the mid-1980s made going for the higher octane rating unnecessary in most cases. At that point, the octane rating standard in the U.S. became 87 octane. This worked well with the new engines and didn’t risk damaging the emissions system.
And what of mid-grade gasoline?
There’s a common misconception in the U.S. concerning standard-, mid- and premium-grade gasoline. There isn’t a clear delineation between 87/89/92 octane ratings and gasoline grades; the categorization varies from state to state. In one state, 92 octane might be premium, but in one more, it could possibly be 90. Again, paying attention to the owner’s manual and yellow octane stick is important.
Is premium octane gas for you?
If this is the case, you probably have a high-performance engine under the hood. High-performance engines are highly efficient, unlike lower grade engines that waste more fuel. If you live in a large city with a low air quality index, reformulated gasoline may be required. This kind of gasoline is oxygen-infused and burns more cleanly. Just do not drive with too little fuel in the tank; that’s muck up the valves and filters. Running within the muck destroys the fuel injector over time.
Find a lot more data here:
http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistryarticles/a/which-gasoline-to-buy.htm
http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistryarticles/a/which-gasoline-to-buy.htm
