[flash968]

if you notice every early on, i said "if you have the compression and timing"

it is also still true that the engine is rated at the highest fuel specified - octane levels below that result in lower output - take it to a dyno - i did - you'll be depressed - i was

timing curves are controlled by the DME - this adjusts advance based on load, rpm, temp, etc - lower octane fuels result in less advance, and therefore less power

advancing timing, within limits, does not necessarily mean doing any harm to the engine - it does require that everything be up to snuff, but i've advanced timing on countless engines without damage - 4 degrees is usually pretty darned safe - i wouldn't go much past that though without modifications

what i meant by "higher octane fuel burns hotter" was perhaps a misstatement jumping to the result - they burn longer, therefore causing the engine to run hotter - come on over and i'll take you for a spin and you can watch the gauges and see just how much of an effect it has - i tried some straight 100 - not good - got really hot really quick

the 944 at 10.6:1 is definitely "high compression" - even the 9.5:1 US version is high compression - high compression has typically been defined as anything over 9:1

by the way, i was quoting the 163 of the ROW version, which is more affected by octane, as the higher the compression, the more affected