Octane is the weirdest subject to search the net for. While our manuals state 87 octane... I have a question - maybe I just don't understand engines enough... My probe gt had a compression ration of 9.2:1 I believe - and was required to use premium fuel. The mustang is 9.36:1 how come if the compression ratio is higher - does the v6 mustang use 87? I imagine its due to the differnces between 2.5L and 3.8L.. but I have been unable to find anything difinitive. Just curious if anyone understands octane enough to answer this for me.
I've wondered the same thing (I also had a Probe GT). It probably has to do with the shape and volume of the combustion chamber. The room that the flame front has to work with has an effect on octane requirements besides basic compression ratio. The 2.5L DOHC was prone to carbon fouling (and thus carbon knock), and also had variable valve timing, which might have had an effect on octane requirement too. I always ran 87 in my Probe. If the knock sensor ever dialed the timing back, I could never tell. It seemed to make the same power no matter what I put in it.
each engine has different quench and different thermal characteristics. octane's only function is to increase the cumbustion temp of gas to prevent detonation (ignition of fuel before spark timing) if your car doesn't knock with 87 it will gain no power with any higher octane rating. octane is rarely used. variants of heptane are commonly used to increase combustion temps of gas instead of true octane naptha or moth balls was commonly use by old timers to do the same thing but they didn't realize the naptha sublimes from a solid to a gas with no liquid state so mixing with liquid gasoline was minimal. it still helped but only to a small degree diesel or kero can be added to gas in small amounts to do the same thing. or cetane but Cetane is hard to obtain here is some home brew "octane" increasing recipies http://www.gnttype.org/techarea/misc/octanebooster.html
