Does 93 Octane Make More Power Than 87? Or Just A Scam?

On this episode we dive into a 5th gen Camaro SS that we put headers and an intake on, only to find out come dyno time that she had a tank full of pump 87 octane which begged the question, is 93 worth it or can you run 87 with no problems? Lets find out!

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[thecarse]

to shorten the story if you have a high compression performance engine use 93, if the engine can run on 87 running 93 will not add power you’re just spending more on fuel

[sassyquin]

Higher octane prevents pre-combustion in the cylinder due to high heat/compression (think performance cars). Next video: how painting your car red adds 10 hp!

[prodrvr]

It's not about HP, it's bout pre-ignition/detonation.

[scottinWV]

If you are running a factory tune, use the factory recommended fuel.

[TheCamper]

Many new ECU's can automatically adjust (tune) for power with better fuel. Higher Performance cars especially those with Turbos now make timing adjustments "on the fly"!

[joesmith]

Octane is used to settle pre ignition and detonation problems. The extra power comes from getting it right.

[jeremy]

I always wondered why 4-valve engines like the older 16, 24&36 valve engines that took 87oct seem to run alot better on 93

[ericb.]

No high octane fuel is NOT a "scam" but unless your engine compression and ECU fuel map is not set to take advantage of the higher octane using high octane is a wast of money.

[tracyfoor]

My 64 Buick Skylark knows the difference between 93 and 87 octane, if I run 87 it' harder to start the car and it will diesel when You shut it off, but with the 93 octane it fires right up and When You shut it off it doesn't diesel.

[gba]

Octane rating has nothing to do with horsepower. It is a rating of a fuel's resistance to pre ignition also called detonation which you normally hear as a pinging sound under load.

[jamesradcliffe]

higher octane enables you to build a motor that makes more HP. High octane gas actually has less bang per given amount. It is LESS explosive so you can have a chamber with higher pressures. Alcohol actually has far less bang per given amount. Thats why you have to run alcohol in far greater quantities versus gas. But you can build a killer motor to run on alcohol.

[mikem.]

Just bcuz you have a sports car doesn’t automatically mean you need to jump to higher octane. Your vehicles manual will tell you exactly what number octane to run. Get a Dyno tune for more horsepower.

[JDJD-mwrr]

I always get sad when people put 93 in cars with regular low compression engines because they think it's "better" gas....sigh

[douglassopa]

my old classic gets 93 regardless. cuz my girl gets the best and she likes 4 more degrees of timing you will feel the diff-

[kennygardner]

My Challenger is a six speed manual and it calls for 93 octane. I had to put 87 in once and it doesn’t run as well. I have the 3:92 gearing as well so it revs higher and likes the octane. Happy car!

[thgenZ]

Wish you would have done this test on a factory tuned car. Reason I say this is the 5th gens computer is setup to run on 87 if need be by the computer changing the parameters. So if you put 87 in the car and start driving the computer changes so you can safely drive with that has in the car. If you decide to go back to 93 you have to reset the computer, take the power off of it for a while and then put 93 in the car and you will be back to the 93 tune and all is good. So for the person that said their car doesn't run as good now after putting in the 87, reset your ecm and you should be back to where you was originally before adding the 87.

[hightechredneck_]

Love how you talk about actual timing and AFR numbers. Subd because of that. Would love to see the timing curve. Does it follow the torque curve?

[brandonh]

Sal's long lost brother from Impractical Jokers

[mojo]

I got a 93 tune on my Mustrag and my highway mileage went from 26 to 32mpg. So you have to figure in that on your cost.

[PlymouthBarracudaVHemi]

I use Dyno-tab Octane Booster, P//N 45456. No need to tune for low octane, car do it by itseft. To reset back to high octane you need to remove 2 fuses and wait several hours