Is RON97 ok?
 

so just about every petrol station round here only sells RON95 fuel,

but a couple do RON97?

The sticker by my fuel cap says use 98!!

Im no Octane expert (clearly!)

will my engine be OK running just under, or should I search further afield for better fuel!

I don't want to wreck my engine

thanks

jeez I hope so cause the best we can get in Canada is 94. Most stations only carry 93. I think the manual says 94 or 95 here in Canada.

My manual says 98

I did see 105 (or something like that) but only once!

You cannot compare european numbers to numbers in Canada or US. They advertise a different type of rating in Europe

"Occasionally, some filling stations will confuse these different octane numbers in a bid to embellish on their octane rating claims, and advertise their fuel’s Research Octane Number, which is higher than the Road Octane Number. In many European countries, the Research Octane Number is advertised on pumps, so a much higher octane value is common when travelling in certain countries."

"Petrol or gasoline is assessed, categorised and sold by an octane rating. Generally, in most areas of the world, the Research Octane Number (RON) is used, but in North America, the Anti-Knock Index (AKI) is used. Conventional 'standard' "Premium Unleaded" petrol in the United Kingdom, Europe and Australia has an octane rating of 95 RON, and in North America it is AKI/RdON/PON 91-93 (RON 96–98). However, higher octane "Super Unleaded" - often formulated with higher quality additives, is usually set at around 98 RON in mainland Europe; but this can vary by market. Most oil/petroleum companies now 'market' their own Super Unleaded petrols under a unique name - and the current name for Shell Super Unleaded fuel is "V-Power". Like most Super Unleaded petrols, V-Power also contains higher concentrations of detergents and other additives to help clean the engine and smooth its operation.

In the United Kingdom and Denmark (where Super Unleaded must be a minimum of 97 RON), V-Power has a rating of 99 RON[citation needed] (whereas V-Powers' predecessor Shell Optimax was rated at 98 RON). There is one other 99 RON fuel available in the UK, namely Tesco MOMENTUM99"

wow! thanks for that Brian.

Never mind - beaten to it

To answer your question, your car will run great with 97 RON, on 95 RON the ignition timing will be retarded enough to prevent preignition spark knock so it will lose a little power & gas mileage.

And be thankful for an ECU that adapts to whatever fuel you put in. Sometime in the middle of nowhere you can only get 85 (RON+MON)/2

On mainland Europe it is also reasonably common to find 102RON.

The power output difference between 95 and 98RON is negligible, I have tested it on my car on a dyno. Most people here buy a higher RON for the feeling that they will make more power, the marketed superior additives and cleansing properties and the minor upside on fuel consumption offsets the higher cost.