THE BEECHMONT CREST AUTOMOTIVE LEARNING ZONE
OCTANE NUMBERS
Gasoline octane numbers, or octane ratings, are indicated on gas station pumps. Regular gasoline has an octane rating of 87. Premium gasoline has an octane rating of 93.
The octane rating is the measurement of the gasoline’s ability to prevent engine knocking, or engine ping. The higher the octane rating, the higher the anti-ping resistance. Therefore, regular gasoline (octane 87) is more prone to pinging than premium gasoline (octane 93).
High-octane gasoline should be used in high-compression performance and turbo-charged engines. However, 87 octane gasoline is adequate for most vehicles.