Gas Premium or regular?

[AJPG]

Maybe and just maybe some people on this forum are on a low "octane" diet and their brain is pulling timing!

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by wparsons

You're kidding right? I have 4 stations within 2km's of home that have 93 or 94 octane. Three petros and one esso. Both are only 2-3 cents more per liter than 91 octane at the same station.

Before you claim London has fewer stations with 94, this is all the petro stations in the London area that have 94.

http://www.petro-canada.ca/en/locati...PC=+&R=50&B=UL

GEEEZ take it easy there big fella! I will clarify if it makes you feel better. None of the stations I USE have it. Have only put Esso 91 in since got the car. Still no crickets, smooth idle and runs like a dream so not going to mess with that!
If I start racing will go looking for 94 but until then 91 does me just fine.

[wparsons]

Run a few tanks of 94 through it and you'll notice the difference. I would bet that you're getting enough knock on 91 to drop the multiplier (even on the stock tune) to the point where you're losing a noticeable amount of power.

I ran Shell 91 for commuting and Petro 94 for lapping/autox until I started really looking at the logs on 91 (stock tune or modified tune) and saw just how much midrange part throttle knock I was getting. My multiplier was down at 0.5 all the time. Now with Petro 94 on a 93 octane tune I have no knock and the multiplier stays at 1.

[drewbot]

Originally Posted by wparsons

Run a few tanks of 94 through it and you'll notice the difference. I would bet that you're getting enough knock on 91 to drop the multiplier (even on the stock tune) to the point where you're losing a noticeable amount of power.

I ran Shell 91 for commuting and Petro 94 for lapping/autox until I started really looking at the logs on 91 (stock tune or modified tune) and saw just how much midrange part throttle knock I was getting. My multiplier was down at 0.5 all the time. Now with Petro 94 on a 93 octane tune I have no knock and the multiplier stays at 1.

What's sad is that the difference in price between 91 and 94 is 15 cents/L for me. That Costco has discount is too good. I wonder if adding some additive can still be more cost effective than Petro 94.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[HunterGreene]

Originally Posted by rs999

Yes but on a stock 86 nothing will be damaged if you run lower octane even if you race, autox, or drive aggressively.

Also, the lower performance is very subjective, 99% of the drivers (both forum and regulars) wouldn't know the difference if the car was filled with 87 vs 91/93.

As I stated above you only feel and require higher octane once you are tuned, otherwise it really is optional.

Provide your evidence, please. Your sentiments are almost entirely opposite of anything else I have seen or read so far.

And the language in the manual would have read "93 octane *recommended*" instead of *required* if our cars were ok to run on 87.

[wparsons]

Originally Posted by HunterGreene

Provide your evidence, please. Your sentiments are almost entirely opposite of anything else I have seen or read so far.

And the language in the manual would have read "93 octane *recommended*" instead of *required* if our cars were ok to run on 87.

The stock ECU is very good at saving the engine. You won't get catastrophic knock events, and the ECU will pull back all kinds of timing to save things.

It will run poorly and be very down on power, but it won't explode.

[wparsons]

Originally Posted by drewbot

What's sad is that the difference in price between 91 and 94 is 15 cents/L for me. That Costco has discount is too good. I wonder if adding some additive can still be more cost effective than Petro 94.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

I bet as soon as you look at the cost of additives it will be way more expensive. 15c/L is like $6/tank, I think octane booster is more expensive than that.

[HunterGreene]

Originally Posted by wparsons

The stock ECU is very good at saving the engine. You won't get catastrophic knock events, and the ECU will pull back all kinds of timing to save things.

It will run poorly and be very down on power, but it won't explode.

I understand that, but I still regard 87 as "emergency use only" fuel.

[carma143]

Originally Posted by drewbot

What's sad is that the difference in price between 91 and 94 is 15 cents/L for me. That Costco has discount is too good. I wonder if adding some additive can still be more cost effective than Petro 94.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

So far I plan to get premium gas from Costco normally, and then once a month get premium from Chevron (with Techron) because it apparently keeps the insides all clean, lubricated, and sparkly :P

Does anybody think this idea is a bad one?

[strat61caster]

Originally Posted by carma143

So far I plan to get premium gas from Costco normally, and then once a month get premium from Chevron (with Techron) because it apparently keeps the insides all clean, lubricated, and sparkly :P

Does anybody think this idea is a bad one?

There is literally thousands of pages of arguing if gasoline additives are of any use, no real consensus.

Nothing wrong with your plan though, personally I'll be surprised if you or any subsequent owners of your car will notice the difference even hundreds of thousands of miles down the road.

[continuecrushing]

diesel. All the commercials I see advertising diesel vehicles get good mpg, so I don't see why we wouldn't get better mpg on diesel.

And a lot of those commercials are for "turbo-diesel" and we dont have a turbo, so our engine is under less stress, which means diesel is probably just way overkill. Probably equivalent to like 2 or even 300 octane

[drewbot]

Originally Posted by carma143

So far I plan to get premium gas from Costco normally, and then once a month get premium from Chevron (with Techron) because it apparently keeps the insides all clean, lubricated, and sparkly :P

Does anybody think this idea is a bad one?

Gas station additives are like smoke and mirrors.

In Canada at least, the Costco local to my work repeatedly says it buys Shell fuel. But, the additives (not ethanol) are proprietary to Costco - "Kirland" additives

[Ubersuber]

There are very few refineries in Canada. Gasoline is a commodity. You have no way of knowing where the gas in your local service station has been manufactured regardless of posted brand.

Additive packages, however, are proprietary and added to the tankers at the refinery gate. Again, you have no way of knowing for sure what additive package your local gasoline has added although branded gasoline will have that brand's additive package.

At high elevations high octane fuel is unnecessary (94 or 93 is as good as 91 at 1,000 meters) unless your engine is forced induction. You will only notice a slight difference between 91 and 93 at sea level or close to it.

[sklimo]

Wait these aren't two strokes?? FML