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As was just mentioned, higher octane burns slower and is less explosive. This is why it is better for high compression cars that run 10:1 like the trans am i had, even 89 made it ping. withouth high octane it is more prone to detonate. however, my trooper has a 9:1 compression so 87 actually matches the compression ratio better.

The contradiction is that higher octane usually still feels like the car has more power, maybe because they have more ethanol which releases more oxygen.


Man, you guys are way mistaken here....
All grades of gas have the same amount of stored energy. Octane has no bearing on anything but the fuels resistance to detonate. Once you detonate, all gas releases the same amount of energy. Octane is an additive, not a fuel. Higher compression and higher RPM engines require higher Octane because 1. they generate more heat, which can cause pre-detonation, and 2. If you pre-detonate at 8000 RPM, then your killing your engine. The speed at which the fuel burns depends on the combustion chamer, the fuel spray, and the spark, not the grade of gasoline. Also, it is well known that running E85 in your engine will give you less MPG becuase ethanol stores less energy than gasoline. Some engines can compensate for this lack, i.e. add more fuel to the engine, making the switch "more transparent" but I've never heard of somebody saying ethanol gave them more power. Maybe your thinking of methanol?

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'00 Rodeo LS 4x4; "K&N" cone filter; S/S Manik Front, Rear, & Nerf; 'Modest' sound system; 1.5" R'ooper lift, 265/70/16 Dunlop RVxt, Skyjacker Hydros, OEM LSD (sans G80 code)