What are the power gains with using higher octane?

 

Using higher octane gas will not automatically add extra power to your car. If your car requires a higher octane then what you are using, it is most likely costing you power. By using the correct octane rating, you are simply recouping whatever you are normally losing.

 

Octane has nothing to do with power, unless it enables you to run the engine with a combonation of timing and A/F ratio that produces more power. A stock CR engine is not going to see more power with very high octane fuels. Anything over 93-octane (at sea level) is overkill. And, octane requirement is reduced with increasing elevation (that's why they don't pump 93 in Denver), colder intake air temperatures, colder coolant temperatures, richer A/F ratios, higher humidity, etc.

Octane has nothing to do with energy content or burn speed. Its simply a measure of how well the fuel resists knock (detonation) and ping (pre-ignition).