Quote:
Originally Posted by COLVERT
Yer.--- 
Now for the chemistry lesson: Oil is a hydrocarbon fuel, meaning the individual molecules contain carbon and hydrogen atoms chained together. Modern petrol is blended according to various recipes, the active ingredients for which include about 200 different hydrocarbons, each with a spine of between 4 and 12 carbon atoms. One of them, isooctane, consists of 8 carbon and 18 hydrogen atoms (C8H18) and is exceptionally resistant to exploding spontaneously when exposed to the heat and pressure found inside a typical combustion chamber. Another, n-heptane (C7H16) is highly susceptible to such self-ignition.
These two compounds are therefore used to rate the knock resistance of all petrol blends. Petrol that resists knock the way a mixture of 87-percent isooctane and 13-percent n-heptane would is rated at 87. Racing fuels with octane ratings over 100 resist self-ignition even better than pure isooctane. The octane ratings for regular-grade fuel range from 85 to 87, mid grades are rated 88 to 90, and 91 and higher is premium. |
None of what you or Marinabrian says means that a car that is tuned (i.e. optimised) to run with a certain RON or Cetane fuel will not benefit from a higher rated fuel. The reason is that there are always multiple variables under consideration when optimising any thermal or physical process.
You need to do some real-world tests instead of trying to baffle members with atomic structures of hydrocarbons.
It appears that some members may speak with their trousers full
