Friday, July 2, 2010

Octane rating and what it means for car

If you’ve ever taken a car to a gas station, you’ve noticed multiple octane choices for fuel. Diesel, 87, 89 and 92 octanes are most common at standard American gas stations, but not everyone knows which fuel is right for their car. You are able to read the owner’s manual for car, but do you know why one octane is best for your car? According to About.com, there are numerous things to consider, so enjoy the following summary.

Source of article: Know which octane rating puts a tiger as part of your tank by Car Deal Expert

What octane rating are you dealing with?

The octane rating of gasoline is a measure of that gasoline’s resistance to knocking. A knocking sound occurs when your internal-combustion engine’s gasoline-air mix ignites prematurely instead of burning smoothly and efficiently. The number associated with the octane rating comes when gasoline is compared to the substances isooctane and heptane. The previous compound has 100 octane, while the latter has no octane rating at all. About.com says that untreated gasoline is 70 octane (which means it’s a mixture of 70 percent isooctane and 30 percent heptane). Adding lead to gasoline used to be the common method for combating knocks and pings, but that was exchanged by unleaded gas with more expensive anti-knocking compounds.

Is higher octane the clear answer?

Older car engines depended upon the carburetor to control the air/gasoline mix, so higher octane rating gas was helpful. The introduction of sophisticated electronic fuel injectors within the mid-1980s made going for the higher octane rating unnecessary in most cases. The standard unleaded fuel in the U.S. became 87 octane. This worked well with the new engines and didn’t risk damaging the emissions system.

89 octane rating gasoline – How about that?

Understanding octane rating standards in the U.S. is important here. Depending upon the state, the matching grade designation for the octane number varies. In one state, 92 octane may be premium, but in one more, it could be 90. Again, paying attention to the owner’s manual and yellow octane stick is important.

Ready for premium blend?

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. As an addendum, it should also be noted that some large cities require reformulated gasoline. Oxygen-infused and environmentally conscious, this fuel burns in a cleaner fashion. Simply stay away from driving with too little fuel within the tank, as that will dirty the intake valves and filters and hamper efficiency. Nobody wants that.

A lot more data about this topic at these websites:

http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistryarticles/a/which-gasoline-to-buy.htm

http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistryarticles/a/which-gasoline-to-buy.htm



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