Octane

[nu2prelude2]

I know that with domestic (V-8s) anything above 9.0 compression needed higher octane gas to do anything besides put-put around town. Is the same true for my prelude since it has 9.4 compression. I have been alternating 87 and 89 filing up every half tank to keep the octane just above 87. Is it O.K to run 87 in a 9.4-1compression import motor?

[spiffyguido]

Do you live at sea-level? If you live in at higher elevation, I'd say 87 is just fine. If you are at sea level, I'd run 89 at least in it, just to make sure you don't have any chance of pinging. No matter the elevation it will always be better to run higher octane fuels in you car, but you can get by with the lower levels, particularily if you are at higher elevation. I run 91 in mine most of the time, but I have run 87 in it many times without a trouble.

[nu2prelude2]

I live 2 miles from the beach in sunny Florida (8ft above sea level). My 'lude doesn't ping at 87 but I don't drive it hard at all. I noticed that it was alot more "rev happy" with the 89 octane. Today I opened it up for the first time chasing a nutjob who was going psycho running people off the road on I 95. He did it to me and I pulled out my cell phone to call the PO's and he ran. He didnt know that a Jeep Cherokee will NOT outrun a prelude, even an old one. I called 911 as he tried to run but he could not get away so I reported him to the PO's and that was the end of that. During that episode, I took the Lude over 95mph and it was just as stable as it is at 50. That was an exciting way to open up the lude for the first time, but that loon was going to get somebody killed.