Protect your family and community by learning how to handle and store fuel properly . Learn more about safety guidelines for vehicle refueling to help you avoid potential problems with refueling and static electricity. Here's some information about octane to help you answer that question. Octane measures a fuel's resistance to engine knock. The right level of octane prevents engine knock and ensures optimum performance.
Engine knock is uncontrolled combustion associated with using gasoline with too little octane.
The knocking or pinging sound may be more noticeable when accelerating or climbing hills. If you hear knocking, it could, over time, damage pistons and other engine parts. If your car has a knock sensor, it will compensate by slowing spark timing. Your engine will be protected, but possibly at a slight and sometimes noticeable loss in power and acceleration. Roughly half of today's vehicles are equipped with knock sensors.