Since the first internal combustion engine was put in a car in 1885, various types of fuel have been used to propel cars forward. Originally, petrol had lead in it, in order to deliver a higher octane rating, but since the 1970s the most common type of petrol has been unleaded.
In this blog, we’ll explain what octane rating is, which octane rating is ideal for your car and how to improve the octane rating of your petrol using specially designed products.
Octane rating definition
The octane rating is the industry standard rating that determines the petrol’s ability to withstand compression.
Low octane petrol is susceptible to pre-ignition, which is when the air and petrol mixture ignites from the pressure before the spark plug fires. This can lead to holes being burnt into the sides of the pistons, which will kill the engine almost instantly.
A higher octane rating can also help to reduce knocking in the engine, which is the tapping sound caused by petrol burning unevenly in the engine’s cylinders.
What are the octane ratings?
The higher the octane rating, the more stable the petrol is, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get better performance from that petrol.
In the UK, you won’t be able to find anything less than 95 octane petrol, since E10 became the standard petrol in September 2021.
The rating, which is measured by a Research Octane Number (RON), can go as high as 99 with some retailers offering super unleaded premium options for those with cars tuned to perform better with higher octane petrol.
How to choose the right octane rating for your car
A higher octane rating is more stable, so that means it’s better and will be best for every car, right? Not quite, so let’s have a closer look.
When a modern car leaves the factory, the manufacturer will apply an ECU map to the car’s computer which dictates a huge range of factors, including compression ratios and ignition timings.
For a car to perform better with higher octane petrol, it must be tuned to perform better.
If a car is tuned to use 95 RON, using 97 RON won’t damage it, but using 95 RON in a car tuned to use 97 can cause damage through pre-ignition.
In your owner’s manual, the manufacturer will specify which octane-rating petrol you should use in your car. For most cars, 95 octane petrol is more than high enough for your car to run perfectly.
Having said that, higher octane petrol can contain additives that can help the longevity of your engine and its performance over time by cleaning things such as injectors.
Improving the octane rating of your petrol
There are many reasons why you might not be buying premium petrol, whether that be price or the availability of that petrol in your area. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy the benefits of high-octane petrol.
Thanks to additives such as Redex Petrol Power Booster, you can boost the octane of your regular unleaded to unlock some extra performance and cleaning properties.
This is a brilliant way of increasing the RON by up to 1.5 numbers, whether you’re used to using premium or regular petrol.
If you’re looking for car maintenance products that not only maintain the health of your car, but help to improve the power output of your car, head to Redex’s product page.
Additives are available for petrol, diesel, and hybrid cars.
