Originally posted by my csvt:
engine knock
engine knock
engine knock, by stanford with pictures
You should remove the link to the how stuff works page. The octane rating is not a rating of compression ignition it is a rating of how fast the flame front spreads. Gasoline engines do not run on the compression ignition principle because the ignition point is at too high of a temperature unlike diesel engines.
What the problem with low octane fuel is as compression ratio goes up the fuel burns more quickly. The SVT has the same compression ratio as the non-SVT, so can technically handle regular gas. But to get more out of each combustion the spark event is started sooner. With the regular gas this early spark can cause the combustion to reach higher pressures sooner causing engine problems. When the Ford manual says that the computer will account for it it means that it will adjust the spark later in the stroke.
It was nice to see that nobody (in this thread) has referred to there actually being octane in the gasoline.
1998 Contour SVT Black w/ Blue interior
Torsen LSD updated shiftforks
Lightened Flywheel, HD Drivelines
Optimized Thottle Body
2003 3.0L engine upgrade (Soon to be)
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