Does using low octane impact fuel economy, or just peak power?

Asked by dbooksta Mar 13, 2017 at 03:56 PM

Question type: General

For a modern car that specifies "premium" gasoline, what are the
consequences of using lower-octane fuels?  I understand that the ECU will
retard timing if necessary to avoid knocking, but does this reduce fuel
economy, or does it just reduce the maximum power that the engine can
produce?

2 Answers

Retarding the timing would reduce both power and economy.

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