Posted on 1/19/2012
One of the questions I’m asked a lot is whether you can use regular gasoline in a vehicle that was designed for premium. The short answer is no. The engineers who design engines and their control systems are very careful with the timing of what is called the power stroke.Years ago, when you could tune engines, one of the critical adjustments was ignition timing. Ignition timing, like most other “tuning” tweaks, are no longer adjustable in modern cars.To understand ignition timing, imagine pushing a kid on a swing. The timing of each push is important. If you push too late, you are just pushing air (which can be compared to late or “retarded” timing in an engine). But if you push the kid too early, you will slap his back or maybe push him out of the swing. The perfect timing is to push the child gently in the beginning or forward stroke and continue until the peak of the swinging motion.The same goes for a piston’s power stroke. If it’s too early, the engine “pings” – its version of sl ... read more