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POLL: What type of fuel does your vehicle prefer?

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Originally posted by: C'DaleRider
Originally posted by: Eli

Remember, that using high octane gasoline when your engine wasn't designed for it is a waste of money.
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But this deserves a big AMEN!!!
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I agree, but the converse is also true: if you have a high compression engine designed for premium, thats what you should give it. Anti-knock sensors are meant to save your butt when your wife or gf goofs and fills up with the cheap stuff. Their not meant to be constantly working to save your engine because you are too cheap to spend an extra 2-3 dollars a tank on fuel for a $25K+ vehicle.

Just my thoughts now that I have a turbo. Of course this is a result of knowing an idiot in HS who's parents spoiled him with a very nice car. Even though it required 93 octane, he gave it regular and then complained when it ran rough.
 
Premium, and if it weren't for the compliments I get on my car at the pump, refueling would be a downright painful experience.
 
Originally posted by: Eli

Remember, that using high octane gasoline when your engine wasn't designed for it is a waste of money.
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I've even heard in some cases it can actually hurt certain low-compression engines, but I'm not sure on that.
 
Originally posted by: Mani
Originally posted by: Eli

Remember, that using high octane gasoline when your engine wasn't designed for it is a waste of money.
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I've even heard in some cases it can actually hurt certain low-compression engines, but I'm not sure on that.
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It isn't going to hurt antyhing, per se... as in damage, but yes... high octane gasoline actually nets less energy than does lower octane.. So you're going to lose performance in a low compression engine.
 
Originally posted by: C'DaleRider
Originally posted by: Eli
Originally posted by: yellowfiero
Originally posted by: jsbush
Whats up with ethonal fuel? What cars use that. I see a lot of gas stations in Ontario that have them but none in Quebec.
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I'd say that 1/3 of the stations here in MI have them.
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Pure Ethanol, or a gasoline/ethanol blend?

Ethanol = grain alcohol, ethyl alcohol, everclear, etc. 😉 In some states, they offer ethanol/gasoline blends, up to E85(85% Ethanol, 15% gasoline).

Preferrably, your engine is designed to use ethanol.. but any engine can be modified to use it. You cannot use pure ethanol in an unmodified engine meant to use gasoline. You can use Ethanol blends, up to 10% Ethanol, in any gasoline fueled engine.

It is also used as a gasoline oxygenate, usually in 10% concentrations.

It burns cleaner than gasoline. It is also made from 100% renewable resources. It supports the farming industries.
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By replacing MTBE with ethanol, the American public is being asked to continue paying more for fuel (because of the extra cost of refining and ethanol), support the corn farmers, have their fuel economy further reduced and receive no benefit for their efforts.

Oxygenated fuel doesn't help newer cars (10 years old and younger) run cleaner that have proper-working emissions systems. That would include most of the cars on the road. On the negative side, ethanol oxygenated gasoline may increase NOX (oxides of nitrogen) production, a big contributor to smog. It may have a small, insignificant effect on reducing VOCs (volatile organic compounds and CO (carbon monoxide), but it does nothing for hydrocarbon emissions which are already at levels that are nearly nondetectable. New cars, with high-tech, computer-controlled engines and catalytic converters run nearly pollution free, with or without oxygenated fuel.

Until recently, the production of ethanol created an energy deficit. In other words, it took more energy to make the ethanol than the ethanol could produce. Now ethanol can be produced with a small positive energy balance of about 25 percent. It takes the energy of 80 percent of a gallon of ethanol to produce one gallon of ethanol. If you compare that to gasoline, the factor is about 6-to-1 or more. The energy contained in a gallon of gasoline will produce 6 to 7 gallons of gasoline. Making ethanol is not a very efficient use of our energy supplies.

Ethanol by volume contains only 70 percent of the energy of gasoline. By mixing ethanol with gasoline at a ratio of 10 percent ethanol and 90 percent gasoline (the formula decreed by the EPA), the fuel mixture created will be 3 percent less efficient than straight gasoline. In other words, your mileage will be reduced by 3 percent and fuel prices will go up by 7 to 12 percent because of increased manufacturing costs. With ethanol, your fuel bills will go up by at least 10 to 15 percent over nonoxygenated fuel.

The bottom line is that you will pay more for less gas mileage for a fuel that does little, if anything, to reduce emissions. But it will make the corn farmers more money. And some people in government will think they have done something good. Others will relish in their new-found power. Any way you slice it, the road to hell is paved with good intentions and bad.
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Okay, I understand many of your points.. but MTBE is an oxygenate, too. If we're going to oxygenate our fuel, it would be much better to use ethanol than MTBE, which is highly toxic..

Ethanol doesen't have to be expensive. It could easily be cheaper than gasoline if we were manufacturing it at the rate.

Yes, Ethanol contains 70% less energy than gasoline - but because of its high octane rating(~108), you can make the engine more efficent by increasing its compression ratio. The end result is more power, slighly less fuel economy, and a happier engine. 😉

Alcohol was almost the fuel of choice for automakers. The oil industry won, though. Lucky they found tetra-ethyl lead, or gasoline may have went the way of the DoDo.
 
Just regular 87. My manual (2000 Durango) says not to use premium gas. I think that benefits older cars, or high-performance cars.
 
For all those that use Prem. please tell me what car you have and why you think you have to only use Prem? MOST cars are made to run off 87, and if your car knock using 87 and is ment for 87, then that is a sign you have a problem, not that you should use Mid or Prem gas and hope it gos away.

My parents have a Camaro Z28 and they have been using Mid gas in it to save money. It, like most newwer cars, can adjust the timing to run on a lower Octane, even if Prem is best. Mind you they might lose some power, but there car rarely ever gets to use it 300+Hp so using Prem is waste for THEM.
 
Originally posted by: Marlin1975
For all those that use Prem. please tell me what car you have and why you think you have to only use Prem? MOST cars are made to run off 87, and if your car knock using 87 and is ment for 87, then that is a sign you have a problem, not that you should use Mid or Prem gas and hope it gos away.

My parents have a Camaro Z28 and they have been using Mid gas in it to save money. It, like most newwer cars, can adjust the timing to run on a lower Octane, even if Prem is best. Mind you they might lose some power, but there car rarely ever gets to use it 300+Hp so using Prem is waste for THEM.
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compression ratio?
 
Originally posted by: MemnochtheDevil
Originally posted by: C'DaleRider
Originally posted by: Eli

Remember, that using high octane gasoline when your engine wasn't designed for it is a waste of money.
Click to expand...

But this deserves a big AMEN!!!
Click to expand...

I agree, but the converse is also true: if you have a high compression engine designed for premium, thats what you should give it. Anti-knock sensors are meant to save your butt when your wife or gf goofs and fills up with the cheap stuff. Their not meant to be constantly working to save your engine because you are too cheap to spend an extra 2-3 dollars a tank on fuel for a $25K+ vehicle.

Just my thoughts now that I have a turbo. Of course this is a result of knowing an idiot in HS who's parents spoiled him with a very nice car. Even though it required 93 octane, he gave it regular and then complained when it ran rough.
Click to expand...

Alot of people dont understand this (like Moonbeam). My brother tried to get me to use 87 in my 240sx. I actually did when I first got the car, because I could have SWORN the manual said to use 87. It felt very different when I put in the right octane.
 
I have a question though.. when timing is adjusted.. what does that mean? Spark timing? That's the only thing I can think of that can be changed by the ECU. How does changing the spark timing affect detonation? Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the spark plug fire after the piston has completed its compression stroke and has begun moving downward?
 
I know someone who used to have an old 2.3 turbo T-Bird. She'd put in 87 octane. When I said there was a good chance it needed a higher octance, otherwise you run the chances of pinging and pre-detonation. She said she heard the pinging often, but thought nothing of it....

My car requires 91 Octane, the choices in that area are 89 or 93...so you bet I'm giving mine 93 🙂
 
Originally posted by: WinkOsmosis
I have a question though.. when timing is adjusted.. what does that mean? Spark timing? That's the only thing I can think of that can be changed by the ECU. How does changing the spark timing affect detonation? Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the spark plug fire after the piston has completed its compression stroke and has begun moving downward?
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No, it fires before the piston is at TDC(Top Dead Center), because it takes a finite ammount of time for the fuel to burn and pressure to build.

If the timing is too advanced, and the fuel/air mixture is compressed too much, it can detonate.
 
Originally posted by: geno
I know someone who used to have an old 2.3 turbo T-Bird. She'd put in 87 octane. When I said there was a good chance it needed a higher octance, otherwise you run the chances of pinging and pre-detonation. She said she heard the pinging often, but thought nothing of it....

My car requires 91 Octane, the choices in that area are 89 or 93...so you bet I'm giving mine 93 🙂
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It's amazing she never blew the electrodes off her sparkplugs.
 
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