It's always been my understanding that the basic energy content of pump
gasoline is pretty close to the same through the normal octane range.
Higher octane numbers indicate a higher flash point, which may actually
indicate decreased power output with higher octane gas (all other things
being the same). The big thing with high-octane gas is that you can
typically increase the ignition advance, and that will make more power
(up to a point).
My personal experience with running a variety of fuels (in an engine
that didn't need premium: a Toyota 4A-G fuel injected twincam) is that
higher grades of pump gas equate to reduced fuel mileage, given
more-or-less equal driving conditions.
You should check your distributor to make sure the timing is set
correctly throughout the RPM range.
Theo
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-tigers@autox.team.net [mailto:owner-tigers@autox.team.net]On
Behalf Of Sage
Sent: December 10, 2003 8:03 PM
To: tigers@autox.team.net
Subject: All Gassed Up
<snip>
Is this my imagination, or could
the lower octane gas result in slower acceleration?
Steve Sage
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