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Pontiac General Discussion/Questions

Discuss or ask questions on any Maintenance, Modifications and Garage topics that don't fall into any category.

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July Pontiac of the Month
1. Keane165's 1970 Lemans

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Octane! Are all things equal? Does it matter?

I want to start this post with an explanation as to why so many things get perceived wrong. More than 17 years ago I was asked to write a paper detailing suspension design, myth & fact! If you ask nearly every car guy who wants a car to handle better than the factory setup & you inquire what they will do to achieve that? They will say nearly to a man, lower the car! This not only is categorically wrong, but the complete opposite! There are a few exceptions where a double wishbone is involved, but that carries a big caveat to do so & Macpherson struts have no exceptions for lowering! Yet to this very day this still dominates the mentality of those looking for a more aggressive handling car. Because those that don’t know or don’t have a clue as to how to accomplish such a task say it’s so! Then the followers who have no clue & looking for the easiest way, buy into it, because they don’t know either & have no interest in finding out the actual fact! Which takes a lot of work & math.
So how this applies to the subject of this post; OCTANE! Do you know what octane is: it’s chemical structure? Do you know how many formulations there are? Do you know how many different octane rating systems there are & why does it matter?
Recently there was a conversation about dieseling, timing & how one of the components that can cause this is octane. It won’t take you much research to find out how much damage low octane fuel & barreling down the road, you know blow out the carbon, can cause! Especially if you ignore what might be there, but can’t hear it! Can detonation occur without you knowing? Can detonation shorten the life of your engine?
To these questions there are these answers. Octane is a hydrocarbon with a chemical formula. Its purpose is to resist an engine's ability to knock or pre-ignite. It also has an impact on the power output, AKA energy output, of gasoline. There are 18 different formulations of octane. In short they are all either methylheptane, dimethylhexane, ethylhexane, trimethylheptane or diethylbutane. All of these have different formulations that give the 18 different forms.
There are three different octane rating systems. This is where the separations start to impact fuel quality. There is the RON system. This stands for research octane number. This system is the most used worldwide. Then there is the MON system. This is used by the industry such as petroleum refiners, car manufacturers, engine builders & fuel marketers. Then there is the USA! We use the AKI rating system! This is an average of the RON & the MON! This is actually superior to the RON system, I will explain why in a bit, but this is why it matters!

By Last Indian · 24 minutes ago24 min
2027 Forever Pontiac Calendar Contest Enter Here

By Jack Leslie · 38 minutes ago38 min
Roadkill Nights 2026 - August 8, 2026 - Pontiac Michigan

Need to figure out where we will be parking and go from there. Hope we can all meet up.

By JUSTA6 · 3 hours ago3 hr
2027 Forever Pontiac Calendar Contest Enter Here

My 1960 Pontiac Ventura Sport Coupe under the cherry tree.

By Rick Pumphrey · 3 hours ago3 hr
Hot Rod Power Tour 2026

That’s the spirit Fitzy!
You could even say that you could eat their shit! And die…happy!

By Frosty · 16 hours ago16 hr

Rev up your passion for Pontiacs and join our vibrant community of enthusiasts!

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