Is it necessary to use 95 octane gasoline for the Bora 1.4T?
1 Answers
According to the official car manual recommendation, the Bora 1.4T should use 95 octane gasoline. In addition to checking the appropriate gasoline grade in the car manual, the Bora 1.4T can also be checked on the fuel tank cap, which will also indicate the recommended grade. Generally, the gasoline grade can also be determined based on the engine's compression ratio. Cars with an engine compression ratio between 8.6-9.9 should use 92 octane gasoline, while those with a compression ratio between 10.0-11.5 should use 95 octane gasoline. However, with the use of some new technologies nowadays, the gasoline grade cannot be solely determined by the compression ratio. High compression ratio engines can also be tuned to use lower octane gasoline because, apart from the compression ratio, other factors such as ignition timing, turbocharging technology, and Atkinson cycle technology also play a role. Generally, the higher the gasoline octane number, the higher the octane value and the better the anti-knock performance. 92 octane gasoline contains 92% isooctane and 8% n-heptane, while 95 octane gasoline contains 95% isooctane and 5% n-heptane. If the Bora 1.4T occasionally uses the wrong gasoline grade, simply switch back to the correct grade after consumption. However, long-term use of the wrong gasoline grade may have the following effects: For vehicles recommended to use lower octane gasoline, using higher octane gasoline will not cause damage, but the increase in octane value will alter the fuel's ignition point, leading to delayed combustion in the engine. This means the engine's power output and thermal efficiency will decrease, resulting in poorer performance as experienced by the driver. For vehicles recommended to use higher octane gasoline, using lower octane gasoline may cause engine knocking. Because the octane value is much lower, the gasoline's ignition point decreases, causing it to ignite prematurely during the compression stroke. If the gasoline ignites before the spark plug fires during the compression stroke, resistance will occur during the upward stroke. This resistance will make the engine run very unstably. If the knocking is imperceptible, it will only increase noise without significant damage to the engine. However, if noticeable knocking occurs, it indicates severe engine conditions, affecting not only driving stability but also causing abnormal wear on the pistons and cylinders, and in severe cases, cylinder scoring.
