Author Topic: Gasoline differences? (Read 1533 times)

texace · « **Reply #45 on:** March 02, 2005, 01:14:16 PM »

Hell I use 92+ in my car all the time and I notice a difference between 87 and the higher octane ratings. I started biting the bullet and buying the premium because Chrysler desgned these engines really wierd. You run them on 87 and they run all right but the PCM pulls timing and you lose HP and MPG all across the board. Been using 92+ for some time now and the car gets amazing milage (comapred to 87 at least) and runs a bit better and a bit cleaner.

But, that's just my car...it may not be the same for everyone.

lasersailor184 · « **Reply #46 on:** March 02, 2005, 01:56:54 PM »

Supply and Demand. The bigger places have a lot more supply and can make more of a profit by even selling it less.

rabbidrabbit · « **Reply #47 on:** March 02, 2005, 02:25:14 PM »

Tex,

From what I understand, you will notice a more significant benefit as your compression ratio increases. If your car runs 10:1 or better you might notice some significant benefits but from my experiements the benefits don't outweigh the additional cost from a monetary perspective. On a higher than 10:1 compression ratio it may well turn out to make economic sense. How about doing some mileage tests with 87 then 92 octane fuel? Best to quantify your costs.

According to motortrend

http://www.motortrend.com/features/care/112_0306_cc/index.html

"· Fuel-injector cleaners, such as Chevron's Techron, clean injectors almost as well as professional-grade products. Clean injectors alone can account for up to five-percent-better fuel economy.

· Don't waste money on a higher-octane level of fuel than is recommended in the owner's manual. Under most conditions, you get nothing in return."

texace · « **Reply #48 on:** March 02, 2005, 02:31:37 PM »

Motor's not quite stock anymore. I've not run compression tests on it but I'm getting about 5 MPG or so more with 92+ than I was with 87. I tested it with all octanes plus the difference between an ATX and a MTX transmission. Results are like night and day. But, as I said, that's for my car and it's not the topic of the dicussion.

On that note, I have noticed better overall quality from Chevron's gas.

LePaul · « **Reply #49 on:** March 02, 2005, 05:18:28 PM »

That's a good point, Texace.

Ive got an '04 Dodge Stratus, 2.7L V6. 20k for miles. I commute about 55 miles total, every day. I think I'll try 92 oct for 2 weeks, along with the usual bottle of Techron every month and see if I notice any real difference in mileage

The biggest hit to my mileage this time of year is letting it warm up (Im in Maine). Idling for 13-14 mins aint helping...but it beats sitting in a frozen car!

mora · « **Reply #50 on:** March 03, 2005, 02:57:39 AM »

There's something wrong with the fuel and the oils over there if you need to use additives. You guys do use synthetic oils, right?

beet1e · « **Reply #51 on:** March 03, 2005, 03:08:13 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by mora
There's something wrong with the fuel and the oils over there if you need to use additives. You guys do use synthetic oils, right?

I take it you mean 3rd party additives - the stuff in small bottles you add yourself? If so, I agree with you. My car maker (VW) makes no recommendation to use such additives. I use a high performance oil designed for diesel engines, and buy it right from the VW dealer so that I know I'm getting the right thing. There probably is a slightly cheaper alternative, but I've only had to add 1 litre in 28,000 miles (45.000km.) so I don't worry about the cost. And I just use the standard diesel - no premium rate gimmicks.

mora · « **Reply #52 on:** March 03, 2005, 04:33:13 AM »

Regarding oils... I've heard that most people still use mineral oils in the US because it's so cheap over there, like $2/gal. When synthetic is 5 times more expensive people don't use it, even when it can be used for 2 to 3 times longer. In rest of the world no manufacturers haven't even allowed the use of mineral oils for the past 5 years at least.

Airhead · « **Reply #53 on:** March 03, 2005, 10:02:41 AM »

There is a difference in octane ratings.

If I huff regular all I get is a headache, and if I huff premium I see colors and get dizzy and fall down.

I use Premium only.

Sixpence · « **Reply #54 on:** March 03, 2005, 10:13:07 AM »

When you drive behind someone burning cheap gas, you will know

FUNKED1 · « **Reply #55 on:** March 03, 2005, 01:27:40 PM »

My car needs 91 or better to run at full boost, and if the fuel is less than that, the ECU detects impending detonation and reduces boost and retards spark timing. It's very obvious when this is happening, because you can feel the loss of power. In effect I have a pretty decent octane measuring device and I can tell you that Costco and Safeway and a few local mom and pop bargain stations are selling fuel that is no up to spec.

FUNKED1 · « **Reply #56 on:** March 03, 2005, 01:28:30 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by mora
There's something wrong with the fuel and the oils over there if you need to use additives. You guys do use synthetic oils, right?

Nothing but synthetic in my cars.