87 octane gas - no choice (Hurricane Harvey). Could use some advice

[driftguy]

I'm in San Antonio currently. Not a single station has gas within about 10 miles from me. I know this because some trolls are ruining Gas Buddy and updating all the stations saying they have gas, while I make my way around the neighborhood finding NONE of them do. So now I can't trust the info and just have to hope for the best. Currently sitting with about a 16th of a tank and thoroughly annoyed.

[Dake]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

All ok with you otherwise? The news coming out of there is brutal.

Yes thanks for asking. We were some of the fortunate ones, stayed dry the whole time. It's truly staggering.

[lowlevel]

Originally Posted by skelly3030

Hello, forum. I'm new here, but have been driving and loving my 2014 FR-S (automatic transmission) for the past 3 years. I've never put less than 93 octane gas in it before, and I understand that using 87 octane gas is wasteful, stupid, and really just a bad idea all around. I've read those threads, so we can skip that part.

Thanks in advance, everyone. Looks like you've got a great forum here.

Dealer here told me 87 is fine for everyday driving... I was entering my gas receipts into fuelly a few weeks ago and noticed one was for 87 ... woops! But honestly didn’t even notice/would not have known had I not seen the gas receipt after the fact...

[mazeroni]

Did 87 once because of that pipeline fire a few months back sent everyone into panic mode and created an artificial shortage.

I was waiting to hear "knocking" or whatever (wouldn't even know what to listen for), but the car drove normal. My butt dyno didn't notice a difference when redlining it.

The one thing I did was around 50%, I filled it with 93 when I found it. I assumed that it would mix and create 91 or something. Then I ran that down to empty and filled with 93.

[bababooey]

its likely some new cars fresh off the lot have 87 from the dealerships. the world goes on

[Cal3000]

It's going to knock initially, but the ecu will start to pull timing. Just don't full throttle. 100% load is where the danger is.

[paulca]

The car likes premium because it has an aggressive advanced ignition and high compression ratio.

However if you put basic gas in it it will retard the ignition and run perfectly fine, minus a few horses, only a few mind.

Direct quote from the manual:

If unleaded gasoline with an octane rating of 98 RON is not available,
unleaded gasoline with an octane rating of 95 RON may be used with no
detriment to engine durability or driveability.

https://carmanuals2.com/toyota/gt86-...s-manual-55554 Page 89

I have used 95RON on a number of occasions, needing to refuel far from a sensible garage at a local country place with no premium. To be honest I didn't notice any difference. The engine did sound a little odd the first few rev ups, but that might just be confirmation bias.

[extrashaky]

Originally Posted by paulca

However if you put basic gas in it it will retard the ignition and run perfectly fine, minus a few horses, only a few mind.

Direct quote from the manual:

If unleaded gasoline with an octane rating of 98 RON is not available,
unleaded gasoline with an octane rating of 95 RON may be used with no
detriment to engine durability or driveability.

The OP didn't ask about 95 RON. 95 RON is equivalent to 91 AKI, which is still marketed as premium fuel in the US and is actually the highest grade you can get in some states. The US manual has that same paragraph translated into AKI and says, "unleaded gasoline with an octane rating of 91 AKI (95 RON) may be used with no detriment to engine durability or driveability."

OP asked about 87 AKI, which is low octane fuel. It's not a good idea to use low octane fuel with this motor except in emergency situations where there's nothing else available. There's a very good explanation for this written by a Ford engineer here:

http://oppositelock.kinja.com/the-re...ane-1785829176

[bababooey]

despite the loss in power, in theory, one with a flex fuel kit could put in USA 87 oct since the device & tune could alter the timing enough without detriment to the engine?

[PetrolioBenzina]

Octane debate aside, if you don't have a jerry can or two of emergency fuel for your car you are doing it wrong, especially you in the great white north where you can get Scepter cans.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by PetrolioBenzina

Octane debate aside, if you don't have a jerry can or two of emergency fuel for your car you are doing it wrong, especially you in the great white north where you can get Scepter cans.

What for? If I stored gas in cans for any period it will lose it's octane level since it does degrade over time even if sealed. You would have no clue what you were actually pouring in.

[extrashaky]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

What for?

Preparedness theater.

[PetrolioBenzina]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

What for? If I stored gas in cans for any period it will lose it's octane level since it does degrade over time even if sealed. You would have no clue what you were actually pouring in.

Fill car, fill Jerry can. Empty car, put Jerry can in. Repeat. What would OP do for five gallons of gas when the shitstorm was approaching?

[PetrolioBenzina]

Originally Posted by extrashaky

Preparedness theater.

Or common sense, your choice. I can either bug out of the city or watch zombies roam the streets for two weeks before I would need to consider eating a decaying hippy.