Premium Gas

[AZN GTR]

Would premium gas be any better than regular for normal driving?

[black0ut]

It could be worse.

----

Notice how I gave just about as much info as you did? &nbsp;<img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=''> &nbsp;What type of gas you get depends on your compression ratio, mods on the car, etc. There's no one greatest type. In fact, my stock car feels stronger using the lowest octane than the highest. How old is the engine, is it turbo, etc. It all depends on the car. &nbsp;<img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=''>

[240sxracer]

depends, if your car is stock then its a waste of money
if your car is modified then it would be a good idea(higher octane rating less chance of detonation)

[AceInHole]

not necessarly.... although you might suffer from slightly less performance than with premium.

premium grade fuel (higher octane) has more burn resistance, so it's less prone to pinging from advanced timing or detonating from high compression. &nbsp;basically, you can expect a "better burn" in a high performance engine using higher octane fuel. &nbsp;
for normal driving, where you aren't necessarily trying to get the most performance out of your engine, you should be fine with normal grade fuel, although in a sense, premium would be "better".

[sykikchimp]

Nevermind the Owners Manual says use premium gas.

and I quote:
"Recommended fuel:

Unleaded premium gasoline, at least 91 AKI number (RON 96)

If unleaded premium gasoline is not available, unleaded regular gasoline with an octane rating of at least 87 AKI (Research octane number 91) can be used.

However, for maximum vehicle performance, the use of unleaded premium fuel is recommended."


All I have to say is RTFM!

[transient]

Actually, 89-90 models will have this in their owners manual:

Recommended Fuel:

Unleaded gasoline with an octane rating of at least 87 AKI (RON 91)*1

[twofortysx]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (sykikchimp @ Mar. 21 2002,4:02)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Nevermind the Owners Manual says use premium gas.

and I quote:
"Recommended fuel:

Unleaded premium gasoline, at least 91 AKI number (RON 96)

If unleaded premium gasoline is not available, unleaded regular gasoline with an octane rating of at least 87 AKI (Research octane number 91) can be used.

However, for maximum vehicle performance, the use of unleaded premium fuel is recommended."


All I have to say is RTFM!</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
LOL, I made a post about this a while back. &nbsp;I was noticing decreased performance in my car when I switched from 91 to 87 and found that blurb in the owners manual. &nbsp;I wish the damn search function was working.

[sykikchimp]

yeah. this should be in the FAQ


edit - thanks transient. &nbsp;I knew someone would fill that in..

[tnord]

get ahold of the newest issue of european car, it shows the benefits of high octane fuel, car and driver, european car, or SCC did a tech article on the reasons to run high octane as well a few months back

you have never seen a smoother dyno pull than the turbo M3 on 104 octane

[onebadm5]

as some other forum members pointed out, higher octane content relates to how fast the fuel burns. high octane fuel use is only justified for high compression or forced induction applications, especially under boost, cause higher octane also resists pre ignition or detonation which is prevalent as the boost increases.

[DrDubbleB]

Doesn't lower octane gas also contribute to more condesation in your gas tank? &nbsp;Condesation would = dirty fuel system, and less performance, also would heighten the chance of detonation I would think. &nbsp;I don't know, I heard that somewhere, I'm probably just speaking out of my ass, I don't know much about fuel.

[Tuck&Poke]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (onebadm5 @ Mar. 21 2002,7:04)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">as some other forum members pointed out, higher octane content relates to how fast the fuel burns. high octane fuel use is only justified for high compression or forced induction applications, especially under boost, cause higher octane also resists pre ignition or detonation which is prevalent as the boost increases.</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
actually the octane has to do with how easily the fuel ignites not how quickly it burns. &nbsp;the higher the octane the harder it is to accidentally ignite it. &nbsp;it was found that on some cars using higher octane fuel when lower was recomened reduced preformance. &nbsp;it happened on a dodge ram and a honda accord. &nbsp;some cars got better hp though so it depends

[whateverjames]

where i live, there is only 87, 89, 93. i've used 93 since i've had my car, and when gas prices went up, i went to 87 with a 1/3 tank of 93. throttle response increased 'barely' at lower RPM. then the next gas price inflation came...on my second tank of 87 octane my car was pinging like crazy! i had to drive to the gas station at high rpm to keep the motor from blowing. the SOHC motors do not have a knock sensor so it will not alter the timing. i am forced to use 93 octane and i don't have a problem with it.

[fridexter]

................

[200sx]

Ok folks.. heres some food for thought: &nbsp;An old (93 or so) VW mag I read had an article about premium/regular gas comparisans. &nbsp;There was an Audi (I think) that was running poorly, but no mechanical/electrical problem could be found. &nbsp;When the dealer called Germany, the german tech said something like "Ya, is dat Dishwasher Soap you use for &nbsp;gasoline over there." (or something to that effect). &nbsp;I have heard this kind of thing from others too. &nbsp;Basicaly, a higher octane rating is a CLEANER and LONGER burn. &nbsp;Yes, that means the same amount of premium gas will last longer that regular. For example, a table spoon of regular will burn for say... 10 seconds. &nbsp;The same size spoon, with premium, will burn for 15 seconds. &nbsp;(not exact here, just trying to explain the concept) &nbsp;Premium will also leave less residue and deposits in the cylinder head/pistons, in turn prolonging the life and power of your engine.