QUESTION FOR MIKE T:

If the Superchip requires 92 octane min. What happens to your engine if you run 87?

Second, whats the difference between running 87 with Superchip or running 93 stock?
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If I remember correcty, Mike T says you will do severe damamge by using the chip with the incorrect octane rated fuel.

Common sense tells me you have the same situation if you run 93 in a stock engine tuned for 87 octanes?

Either way your fuel and spark are not synchronized!

Lets ask ourselves the question:

What is happening to the inside of our engine if the spark and fuel are not synchronized?

Interesting point Rand. I was always of the belief that higher octance (within reason) might not help performance if the vehicle wasn't designed for it. Could it actually hurt?
My thought is that it could produce less than optimum performance, but unlikely that it would cause any engine problems.

Ok..... where's all the experts that can give us a better answer here?

Apparently with today's engines it can do some damage. At least this is what the expert Pat Goss says and it makes sense.

Todays engines are getting more and more sophisticated. Each year building upon the next in technology. Just about everything has a sensor and feeds data back to the brain (computer).

Running the incorrect octane can have a "domino effect."

The fuel is burning slower and is producing gases that have unburnt fuel. The exhaust gases effect the oxygen sensors which send signals to the computer. The computer makes adjustments to air/fuel mixtures, timing, etc...

From my understanding the computer can make minor adjustments and adapt to slight changes. However, a 6 point increase in octane is NOT a minor adjustment. Hence, you might cause the engine to run too lean because the computer is getting information saying that its running too rich becuase we have unburned fuel in the exhaust.


I am not an expert about this situation. But I do listen to the experts who say its a bad thing to do with the way the engines are designed to run by sensor.

Lastly, I would think that you might end up with your oil getting dirty faster?

It would be nice if someone with credentials in this area could help explain.