Quote:
Originally Posted by NewCar
This article was helpful for me.
http://www.imakenews.com/tomballford...bFcFg,bcRJCqRP
and I do think it is a bit rude to tell people who are asking this question they do not need a performance car. There are several reasons for asking what will happen with 87 octane. For instance, if they plan on using recommended but run into a hard time financially unexpectedly, or if They like 400 hp more than 304 but can live with 400 instead of 422 (a decrease but still much better than the V6). Or more importantly, if they let their sister or father borrow the car and they don't even ask what grade it takes and just fill it up the way they will, The owner will want to know if these people will actually damage their car. I know my father would use 87 even if I told him not to. I am glad to know he will not actually damage my car if I buy the LS3. This is some peace of mind and a good reason to ask this question.
But the price difference per year really isn't that much considering if I drive 10k miles per year (and I do even commuting) then with a car that gets 13/20 (like the LS3 G8 GXP) say I average 17mpg, then with a 30 cent difference, that only equals a total yearly DIFFERENCE in cost of 176 dollars and forty seven cents. Thats far less than the difference in cost between the 26mpg v6 and the 20mpg v8 just due to fuel economy even if they both used 87. |
that link is an interesting one... esp this part...
Quote:
|
That’s good news, but what if your owner’s manual recommends Premium grade fuel? The key word is ‘recommends,’ which really means it’s okay to use Regular under most driving conditions. Virtually every expert – even those from oil companies and auto manufacturers – say that using Regular will not harm engines, but you’ll probably not get the ‘advertised’ performance. In other words, you may add a second to the zero-to-60 mph time a reviewer said you should expect from your car. Again, using Regular gas will not damage the modern engines of most of today’s cars.
|
the "advertised performance" isnt always just the 0-60, but also the MPG. regular gas wont (or at least shouldnt) damage modern engines. but it might not always save you $ at the pump. esp if you are having to fill up more often with the cheap stuff.