Hi, today we will talk about gasoline and what Octane is best for your car. Is it all about the price? Is the higher number octane better for my car? Will I damage my car using the wrong octane gasoline?
Is there any difference? All good questions. The simple answer is yes it does matter. The bottom line is that your car is designed to run specific octanes.
All of this is dependent on the performance level of your engine. If your car is designed to run on 87 octane, that is the fuel you should use (note: your proper octane can be found in your owner's manual or on the inside of the gas door).
Higher octane gasoline is designed to resist ignition and is therefore used in performance engines with a higher compression ratio than is typically found in your average family car. This resistance to ignition is to prevent PING or SPARK KNOCK from happening inside the engine. High performance engines usually require an octane of 93 or above. Running a lower octane fuel in these engines can cause engine damage, and, in some cases, may void your vehicle's warranty. Likewise, engines designed to run on a lower octane fuel will not derive any real benefit from running a higher octane fuel.
If your car makes a knocking sound when you are using the recommended octane fuel, there may be a problem with the emission control system in your vehicle. At any rate, it would be a good idea to have that problem evaluated before any real damage is done. As indicated above, ping or spark knock is premature ignition of the fuel, which is what causes engine damage. The use of higher octane fuel in a vehicle that does not require it will not correct the problem. Getting to the root cause of the problem and correcting it before serious damage occurs will save you from an expensive repair bill and possibly a new engine. Hope all of this was helpful. If you have any questions or would like to learn more, reach out to us!
Thanks,
Joe @ ASM Auto