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Junior Member
 
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Last Login: 11/4/2008 8:16:40 AM
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| I found an interesting article on the MIT website last week about researchers investigating how a regular spark fired gasoline engine can mimic a diesel engine under certain conditions. http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2007/engine-0723.html Diesel fuel has a lower octane rating than normal gasoline since autoignition is desired, but I wonder how autoignition in a normal gasoline engine can be controlled without damaging the engine?
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Starting Member
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Last Login: 8/23/2008 6:54:11 PM
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I wonder how autoignition in a normal gasoline engine can be controlled without damaging the engine?
IIRC Rudolf Diesel wondered the same thing when searching for a fuel that would work in his engines. The resulting explosion injured Diesel and killed one of his techs. He ended up using peanut oil.
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Advanced Member
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Welcome to the forum Lago. I love history and that is an interesting little tidbit about Diesel.
Torqueman
Battle Creek, MI
V-Strom 06
Goldwing 03
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Starting Member
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Last Login: 11/3/2008 6:07:21 AM
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Rootie (7/15/2007)
Just talk to anyone who is running a BMW airhead from the seventies. They were high compression engines that required a MINIMUM octane rating of 98. The first thing that was tried was advancing or retarding the timing slightly to allow for the difference in octane. You'd retard the timing to make up for the low octane fuel. Rootie (7/15/2007)
Then they came up with double plugging the cylinders which worked better than fooling with the timing and allowed an even lower octane to run in the bikes. Dual plugging required that you retard the timing and limit the amount of ignition advance. With dual plugs, and now two flame fronts cutting down on the combustion period, you needed to make those adjustments. Another mod was the thicker base gasket to lower compression. And the bottom line is, a higher octane does not produce more power. Its the engine that requires the high octane (because of its design) that enables you to realize all of its potential power. So sticking Sunoco 94 in there actually produces less power unless your engine calls for the highest octane. I sometimes use high octane gas because of increase low speed loading and high cylinder head temperatures due to a lack of air cooling.
All the best,
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