What about gasoline?

[isail1]

OK, Porsche recommends 93 octane gasoline for my new Boxster.... a fuel grade that is unavailable in California. I'm sure that the 91 octane is just fine, but what about the other grades, such as 89 or even 87 octane?

Other than "zippier" performance, is there any significant difference from the higher grade to lower? If a lower grade gas is used, could this actually damage the engine? Or... will this cause tsunamis or worlds to collide!

Word of technical wisdom are appreciated

[Tool Pants]

I am in California and have had my car for almost 5 years. I have used all 3 grades with no issues. We have knock sensors. If the motor does not like the octane it will retard the timing a bit. This is a common feature on many other cars.

[Moogle]

in california, 91 octane is fine

there are some stations more inland that offer 93 though, but as i said, 91 octane is fine,

anything lower than 91, the engine will begin to lose power (but will NOT be damaged)

it says in the manual that the engine has EKC, electronic knock control, that will automatically retard timing, etc to compensate for gasoline quality. thus, you can't really damage the car with 89/87, but it is not recommended for anything resembling optimum performance.