Octane what does it mean

Sidney Bowen. B's Moon Glow Charles A. Formula: C 8 H 18 See also isooctane. Any of several hydrocarbons having eight carbon atoms connected by single bonds. It is commonly added to gasoline to prevent knocking from uneven burning of fuel in internal-combustion engines. Recent Examples on the Web The high- octane offense was on full display as the team went on to defeat the Red Storm to remain undefeated on the new turf fields at Holiday Park. First Known Use of octane , in the meaning defined at sense 1.

History and Etymology for octane International Scientific Vocabulary. Learn More About octane. Time Traveler for octane The first known use of octane was in See more words from the same year. Style: MLA. English Language Learners Definition of octane. More from Merriam-Webster on octane Britannica. An octane rating is simply a measure of how heat resistant a fuel is in order to prevent knocking.

If you hear knocking, you could be using the wrong octane for your ride. Which octane rating should you use? You should always use at least the minimum octane rating recommended by your vehicle manufacturer. Using a lower-octane fuel than required can cause knocking and will prevent your vehicle from meeting its stated fuel economy. The greater the compression allowed then the greater the knock resistance, and a higher octane rating is earned.

Initially, the octane rating scale was created on a metric. Today, with various racing fuels, you can find octane ratings over Cetane is a rating applied to diesel fuel. Here we're not looking at knock resistance but rather the ignition delay of the fuel.

It's similar to knock resistance but it's measured in a different way. You can find a cetane number by figuring out the amount of time it takes for diesel fuel to ignite once it enters the combustion chamber. A long delay results in a lower cetane rating, while a shorter delay provides faster combustion and a higher cetane rating. These numbers are useful to car and truck owners because they allow you to choose the proper fuel for your engine. The average modern gas-drinking car has a computer and air-fuel system that allow it to optimize engine performance regardless of which octane fuel is dumped into the tank.