I know there are lots of different beliefs about which octane of gas to use. I for one believe in using the highest octane gas available for day to day driving to get the most out of my engine. But what about long highway trips where you're gonna be going a constant 80 mph with little acceleration? Is it ok to use 87 octane?

 

I wouldn't do it. There is a reason they state premium only.

 

Locally the difference between the 3 grades is about 7 to 10 cents. I always fill up at the 7 cent places....

So for 20 gallons thats a total of about 3 bucks for a full fillup over what it could cost me to go cheap. 4 bucks if you're at one of the higher priced places.

So when you're spending 40 for a fillup, why not spend 43 and get the good stuff....

Also I don't fun the thing dry. I tend to fill up around 1/4 tank. So the price difference overall is even less.

So why take a chance when the cost isnt too much more....

 

also...the higher octane will net you better gas mileage even while cruising at highway speeds.

 

1. Higher octane will not get you better gas mileage.
2. Some believe (Sport Compact Car for one) that the Z's knock sensor activates on CA "supreme" which is 91 octane. So, if it's already activating, does a little extra activation matter?
3. If you aren't pushing the engine, or revving high, you probably won't need the high octane, but who knows when you may need to accelerate out of some situation.

I put in the high octane just for peace of mind and because I routinely go to full throttle and therefore want the best performance I can get. However, I certainly don't think it is stupid or dangerous to use lower octane if you are not pushing the car (but I'm not sure how you can guarantee you won't need to power at some time during the trip).

-D'oh!

 

does the car ping on lower grade gas? Mine does not at all ever!

if not why run higher grade gas?
There is a rule on gas octain and the combustion engine .. I just forgot the rules, but I know there is No need to run a higher octain if the car does not ping, it will ignite quicker not buring all the fuel and leaving fules to exhaust pre maturely.

correct me if im wrong, but I do belive there is some truth to this.

 

Read this article and you'll realize you don't need premium.

But premium lovers are passionate. "I would simply curtail driving rather than switch grades"

Burning regular when the owner's manual specifies premium won't void the warranty, nor damage the engine, even the most finicky automakers say. "You're giving up perhaps just a little bit of performance that a customer wouldn't really even notice, it's so slight," says Furey.

All Porsche engines are designed for premium, too, but it's not available everywhere. "Our cars must be able to drive all over the world, and so we are able to run on regular," says Jakob Neusser, director of powertrain development at Porsche's research and development center in Weissach, Germany. "You don't have to feel that a mechanical problem or anything else will happen" using regular gas, even in the highest-performance, regular-production Porsches.

Premium, in fact, sometimes is worse fuel than regular. It resists knock because it's harder to ignite than lower-octane fuels. As a result, some engines won't start as quickly or run as smoothly on premium, notes Gibbs, the SAE fuel expert.

The only modern engines that should really need premium are those with superchargers, which force-feed fuel into the cylinders. "You're driving along and just tramp the gas and the knock sensor cannot sense the knock fast enough in some cases," because the supercharger boosts pressure so fast, says Bob Furey, chemist and fuels specialist at General Motors.

Automakers say they don't test premium engines on regular to check the difference, but some auto engineers estimate that power declines roughly 5%.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos...remiumgas_x.htm

 

YOU CAN'T PUT CHEAP GAS IN THESE CARS. WELL, THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS CHEAP GAS, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT I MEANT.

 

Liar. You can put whatever you want in the Z so long as it's unleaded, and you won't see much of a difference. Personally I'll keep putting 93 octane in when I'm at the pump, but that's because I drive it aggressively, and even if I didn't I'd want the option.

 

Liar my ***. Read the specs, It's said premium fuel only. Go check the come back and apologize.

 

I thought the higher the octane the faster it ignited?

 

I can't believe all the people that buy a $25,000 - $35,000 sports car, and try to save $2.00 - $4.00 on a TANK of GAS!

Get REAL people. You have a SPORTS CAR. It states PREMIUM fuel... I USE Premium Fuel, sure the car will run on 87 octane, but foe the piece of mind I get using the PROPER GRADE of FUEL, I'll spend the extra few dollars.

I wonder how many of you have less than $5.00 in you pocket simply because you are "Car Poor" and over spent without thinking about the true COST OF OWNERSHIP on a sports car. I hope you checked to see what a set of Tires is going to cost you!

Yes, gaas prices are on the rise, BUT... How many of you know that Gas is $3.00 - $4.00 dollars PER LITER in Europe?

Fuel in the US is CHEAPwhen compared to prices worldwide. If you can't aford the FUEL, maybe you shouldn't be driving the car!

 

Why waste money if you don't have to.

The premium-gas issue has changed over the past two decades. Since 1981, every vehicle includes an electronic device in the ignition system called a knock sensor, which slightly retards the vehicle's ignition timing if it senses pre-ignition. The timing change may result in slightly less performance or fuel mileage, but it won't hurt the engine.

"If you can't tell the difference, the car can't, either," said Mark Salem, a Tempe veteran auto technician and advice columnist.

"The reduction in performance can only be measured on a dynamometer. Most people, including myself, can't tell the difference."

 

Oscarmayer... I want to apologize before I even post. I amy offens you, but I hope not.

You post in EVERY Gas Forum about not needing premium fuel. You post about the Knock Sensor retarding timing, etc... I don't WANT my knock sensor to retart timing and keep my engine "safe" I want my engine to run at full performance and not need to rely on a "safety device" because my gas isn't good enough.

Every time I read your post I think to myself... "what a Tree Hugger".. I guess that's incorrect though because you still buy GAS, just not premium. Maybe I'll change my opinion to "what a penny pinching miser"....

I'm certain the airlines could use cheaper fuel than the high octane jet fule they use too, but I'll be damned if I want to save a few dolalrs on my plane ticket becaus ethey relied on a "knock sensor" of some sort to retard the timing so they can save money by using cheaper fuel.

Call me thick headed or even wasteful if you want. I'll pay the few dollars extra for Premium fuel... I have a sports car. I know the cost of ownership.

Oscarmayer... Do you even own a Z? (Forgive me, I didn't look into your profile.)

 

Hot Dog's point is correct, even if you don't agree. If you want to add premium for max performance, go right ahead.

However, the fact still stands that going to lower octane gas will not hurt the car, and may only hurt performance slightly. Now, if your car starts knocking and pinging all the time, then you'd definitely want to up the octane. Other than that though, it is simply what you feel comfortable with, and if you know that you will loose performance and occasionally incur additional knock, then go ahead and save some money.

-D'oh!

 

Well said, that's the point. If you want to add premium for max performance, go right ahead. The fact still stands that going to lower octane gas will not hurt the car.


Premium lovers are passionate, they would simply curtail driving rather than switch grades.