If it does this too readily it preignites or detonates.
What's stoiciometric or optimum is that it gets ignited rather by the spark and burns away in a flame front from the point where the spark happens.
When a manufacturer tries to optimize the usage of this, they can change the shape and tolerances of the parts to require higher octane.
Higher octane fuel resists vaporizing till a higher heat value exists.
Lower octane fuel will vaporize more readily at a value where the heat is less. (lower compression= lower heat value exists for the most part)
If your car is stock then your owners manual will specify what fuel to use. Or if adjustment can be made and run a different fuel when your supply in your area may require it.
Other cars can sense and adjust accordingly and although you wont be out there with your slide rule, it will still get you to where you are going without too many driveability problems lets hope.
Lots of nearly right answers. Liquids don't burn (ever see a liquid flame), but instead the liquid vaporizes to form a flammable gas. The temperature at which it starts doing that is the liquid's "flash point" and for gasoline that is around -40F. The fuel is atomized in the carburetor or at the fuel injectors to speed up the vaporization process. Even atomized fuels below their flash point will not burn... it is still just finely dispersed liquid.
It is not a gas in the engine. It is still a liquid gasoline. Fuel injectors (I modern day vehicles) spray a mist of fuel into the combustion chambers for your spark plugs to ignite the fuel, pushing your pistons down, and therefor turning the crankshaft
Gas is 'American slang word for gasoline (petrol in UK) which is its proper name and yes both petrol and diesel fuel cars are liquids not a gas. Unlike a butane or Liquid Petroleum Gas converted car the LPG goes in as a liquid under high pressure and is changed to a gas by it being heated by the cars heating system under start up.
Inorrect! When the fuel injector nozzles spray very fine liquid fuel behind the intake valves which open it enters the combustion chambers as very fine liquid droplets. Air also enters the combustion chambers from the throttle body. When the piston compresses the fuel droplets it mixes with compressed air until the spark plug fires the mixture.
It's not a "gas". When people refer to a "gas engine" they are just using the short form of the word GASOLINE. Gasoline is broken up into tiny droplets and mixed with air through the carburetor or fuel injectors, but it is still a liquid form.
It's not a gas in the engine. It's atomized liquid.
It isn't, the fuel is mixed with air and goes into the cylinders as a mixture of air and gas; a very fine spray.
You have electric "lighters" in your engine that spark in turns,this makes little explosion - that's the gas
Gasoline is mixed with air and sprayed in as a vapor.
It is still liquid but in vapor form.
