Gas.. What to do..

[daveagogo1]

Originally Posted by 2010SS2SS

Always understood the higher the octane the more complete the "burn" in the cylinders.
If that is true than even if your car doesn't "require" it, it could make for longer engine life with less residual left on or in cylinders and valves

It's a good theory except it's a DI engine as i am assuming the Op has a V6 since they were told cheap stuff is just fine. 87 is plenty fine and being that is is DI. The fuel burns better , more complete and more efficiently and is injected directly to the cylinder.

[Jnlcamaro]

Ok.. Thanks everyone.. lesson learned for me !

[Supercharged Red]

Does Higher Octane Gas Improve Mileage?

By Rebekah Richards, eHow Contributor



Choosing a higher octane gasoline will not improve the gas mileage of most cars, according to the Federal Trade Commission. Check your owner's manual for the recommended type of gasoline for your car to get the best results.

[Supercharged Red]

More found on the internet and I realize that it may or may not be true. But I believe!

High octane gas is expensive - Is it worth the money?
In my post Is Cheap Gas Bad for Your Car, I discovered that in the U.S., gas is gas. The only significant difference between cheap gas and brand name gas is the price. But what about octane rating?

• Does using a higher octane gas improve mileage or fuel economy?
• Does higher octane gas give my car more power?

The answers may surprise you.

High Octane - Simple Definition

Technically, an octane rating measures the proportion of isooctane to heptane in a fuel. But as a practical matter, a fuel's octane rating relates to how much energy it takes to ignite that fuel.
The higher the octane number, the more energy it takes to ignite the gas.
Does High Octane Gas Improve Gas Mileage?

No. Unless your car is explicitly designed to run on high octane gas1 (it's rare, read your car's manual), using a high octane gas will NOT give your car better mileage. That's because the rating refers to how much energy it takes to ignite the gas, not directly to how much energy the gas puts out.
Does High Octane Gas Give More Power?

No. Unless your car is explicitly designed for high octane gas (see your car's manual), using a high octane gas will NOT improve the power output of your engine. Again, the octane rating relates to how much energy it takes to ignite the gas, but NOT directly to how much energy the gas puts out.


Exception 1 - By Design

One exception is with engines or cars designed for high octane gas. In that case, using high octane gas WILL improve performance and mileage. The reason has to do with the compression and ignition timing characteristics of the engine. Those specially designed engines will only perform efficiently with higher octane gas. Most engines are not designed this way.
Exception 2 - Engine Knocking

The second exception is if your car has a lot of engine knocking or pinging. This is a sign that the gas is not igniting when it should. This reduces the power and efficiency of the engine. Assuming your car's manual says it's okay, using a high octane gas can help. Does High Octane Gas Reduce Engine Knocking?
Yes! If anything, high octane gas will help reduce engine knocking in most cars (assuming your car's manual says it's okay to use such a gas). The reason follows from the fact that octane is related to how much energy is needed to ignite the gas. If the gas ignites too easily, it can ignite before it's suppose to, which causes the engine knocking or pinging sound. Using high octane gas can reduce and even eliminate that knocking, and help your engine run more efficiently.
Conclusion

In most cases there is no reason to use and pay for expensive high octane gas. Unless your car was designed for such gas:

• High octane gas does NOT improve gas mileage
• High octane gas does NOT improve power output

Exceptions: If your car is explicitly designed for high octane gas, use it. If your car has engine knocking problems (and your car manual says it's okay), using high octane gas may reduce the knocking

[Mr. iNCREDIBLE]

Originally Posted by Jnlcamaro

Arco.. 87% .. I was told when I bought the car at the dealership to only use "the cheap stuff".. was that bad advice?

Originally Posted by SabotAndHeat

It pays to read the manual.

^ THIS ^

Originally Posted by Birm

You can get Torco or STP Octane Booster to finish off that tank, but I would not put cheap shit in my car. For the few extra cents a gallon it runs so much better. Why go cheap on gas when you are talking maybe 2$ a tank when all is said and done?!?

bingo, basic math skills. this is also the reason I don't use thrifty gas like Arco, BP, or Valero (or any mom and pop cheap gas station) and stick with the top tier brands, yeah they are a nickle cheaper, so I save what $2 a tank maybe, but in the long run their gas will cause build up on the motor, and in most cases the offset of saving $2 a tank is lost by reduced MPG causing more frequent fills.

[TooCool5]

Just add a bottle of Isopropal dry gas and you will be fine.