Octane at altitude

[miles213]

I live in Denver and have heard that mid-grade gas burns like premium at higher altitudes. Has anyone else heard this. What is the truth?

[boschmann]

All modern cars will adapt their fuel mixture to elevation (atmospheric pressure), so your elevation will make no real change. It basically comes down to if you want to try to run regular while your VW reccomends higher octane, a fairly common debate. You can give it a try & see if the performance is acceptable. Your car has a knock sensor that should prevent any damage, the worst that could happen is it will run poorly & possibly eventually set a check engine code. Personally I say put in what VW suggests, people need to look at the fuel requirements before buying the car.