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What octane to use??....this disturbs and confuses me....

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Posted by: CE1235

Good Friday evening all, (why am I home?

)

I have been following this type thread on another Mark site but decided to post my opinions here....This may draw a bunch of flak from the 93+ church but I currently own a 1998 Collector's Edition w/61K......... http://www.geocities.com/jcatelotti/classic_blue.html and always run my car on 87 regular gasoline.

Now don't shun me from the group for saying that but I have yet to see any vehicle in my 37 years of life that crapped the bed because the owner didn't want to pay top dollar for the top grade of gas.

Of course I have tried the different octanes and I actually do see a little bit of a difference in performance and a little bit of difference in
gas mileage but not nearly enough of either to prompt me to wanna throw an extra 6-8 bucks in the tank for every fill up.

My last 3 cars are as follows: 1989 Buick Regal Gran Sport (3.1): 1993 Buick Regal Gran Sport (3.8); 2001 Chevy Malibu LS (3.8).

The '89 went 264K before Mr.6-point buck met Ms. Grille....the '93 went 241K and was a trade-in on the Malibu and the Malibu (which my wife is currently driving) has 109K. This is 614K miles total running on 87..... ALL WITH NO PROBLEMS RELATED TO WHAT FREAKIN' GAS I WAS RUNNING......

Am I lucky?....maybe.......am I roughly $17,000 wealthier in the last 10 years?.....absolutely.

Look, my Mark will never be spotted at the track and with 87 octane has more than enough juice to spook the young ricers so I guess all I am asking is why???....... If your Mark VIII is just your daily driver with no salt flats expectations what are you all really getting from spending your extra hard earned cash??.......someone please throw me a great reason or 2 to start using premium and I will buy stock in Ultra94 tomorrow.

Thanks for letting me vent guys!
Enjoy your Marks and your weekend!

Greg

Posted by: brentalan

Well, the factory says to use premium only, these cars are tuned for 93 octane. Use 87 and the computer will retard the timing and run in a "safe" mode to prevent knock.

Posted by: MrWilson

you CAN, but its not good...i did in the summer when i ran out of money, i didnt have any problems...cept it felt like 40 horses less.

Posted by: ERIC1

93+ no exceptions

Posted by: Sifrino3

91 + Additive
Its the highest I can get around here. . .

Posted by: MrWilson

dang, only 91...wth is wrong with az? Every station has atleast 93 arround here, the one i go to has 94! 91's just insane, they are still living in the 80's

Posted by: 94m5

I made the mistake to throw a tank of 89 octane in my "new" 95'

Jeremi told me 93+ ONLY. I believe him now, the car feels like a DOG right now with the gas thats in it. As soon as it's time, a full tank of 93 is goin in.

Posted by: 94_Linc_mk8

There is a Certified station 5 miles from my house that has CAM 2, which is 110 OCTANE!!!!!. I haven't put any in the mark, but I think I will.

Posted by: 94m5

Quote:

Originally Posted by 94_Linc_mk8

There is a Certified station 5 miles from my house that has CAM 2, which is 110 OCTANE!!!!!. I haven't put any in the mark, but I think I will.

You gonna carry your bank with you?

Posted by: 94_Linc_mk8

Quote:

Originally Posted by 94m5

You gonna carry your bank with you?

It's only $2.99/gallon, Thats only a dollar more than premium around here.

It varies from $1.79-$2.25/gallon, for premium, and the CAM 2 stays at $2.99.

Posted by: Joeychgo

Quote:

Originally Posted by 94_Linc_mk8

There is a Certified station 5 miles from my house that has CAM 2, which is 110 OCTANE!!!!!. I haven't put any in the mark, but I think I will.

I would be interested in knowing how that works out

Posted by: unstoppable

Quote:

Originally Posted by 94_Linc_mk8

It's only $2.99/gallon, Thats only a dollar more than premium around here.

It varies from $1.79-$2.25/gallon, for premium, and the CAM 2 stays at $2.99.

I wouldn't be surprised if the car actually slowed down with 110 Possibly loading up and running like crap.

Heres a quick lesson in octane and how it burns in a internal combustion engine.
The higher the octane the slower the fuel burns.So an engine that has a lot of compression ratio or forced induction has higher temperatures from the added compression.So they have a tendancy to ignite the fuel too soon, which the technical term is preignition.
Most people know this as detonation.
Now technically the ONLY reason you would need to use a higher octane fuel is if you are having a problem with detonation.
Now most of us on the board wouldn't know detonation if it hit them in the face,but it kinda sounds like popcorn popping inside your engine.Most newer cars today have knock sensors that listen for detonation and when they "hear" it they retard the timing so as not to damage the engine.
It's been my experience that in the winter you can get away with running lower octane fuel but in the winter it is highly reccomended.

Okay I'm off my soap box but if anyone has any questions feel free to ask.

Posted by: Moes8

Quote:

Originally Posted by brentalan

Well, the factory says to use premium only, these cars are tuned for 93 octane. Use 87 and the computer will retard the timing and run in a "safe" mode to prevent knock.

I am pretty sure the factory says "premium recommended"
not "premium only"

The computer doesnt run in "safe" mode,it just runs a little less timing (which can maybe hurt your Mpg)

i dont have a an opinion on what octane you should use,but i agree you will never hurt your car if its running right and your not racing it or anything.
i would probably run hi octane just to know the extra power is there,but to each his own

Mike

Posted by: ERIC1

110 may really do damage. the car isnt setup to run that stuff . you may fould up your plugs and stuff. now a gallon or 2 mixed with the 93 wont hurt even a lil alcohol (drygas) is good for it now and then. and btw cam2 here is 550 a gallon. so unless your 93 unleaded is 1.00 a gallon id be real leery of it.

Posted by: ERIC1

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moes8

you WILL foul the plugs eventually. a recommendation from a car company about fuel is like a paper bull. they want you to just do it i have said this 100 times if you can afford a lincoln(or caddy) in the first place do the right things with it and put the better gas in it. if you are concerned about saving money on fuel sell the lincoln(or caddy) and buy a hyundai.

Posted by: ERIC1

o and btw
If you've read How Car Engines Work, you know that almost all cars use four-stroke gasoline engines. One of the strokes is the compression stroke, where the engine compresses a cylinder-full of air and gas into a much smaller volume before igniting it with a spark plug. The amount of compression is called the compression ratio of the engine. A typical engine might have a compression ratio of 8-to-1. (See How Car Engines Work for details.)

The octane rating of gasoline tells you how much the fuel can be compressed before it spontaneously ignites. When gas ignites by compression rather than because of the spark from the spark plug, it causes knocking in the engine. Knocking can damage an engine, so it is not something you want to have happening. Lower-octane gas (like "regular" 87-octane gasoline) can handle the least amount of compression before igniting.

The compression ratio of your engine determines the octane rating of the gas you must use in the car. One way to increase the horsepower of an engine of a given displacement is to increase its compression ratio. So a "high-performance engine" has a higher compression ratio and requires higher-octane fuel. The advantage of a high compression ratio is that it gives your engine a higher horsepower rating for a given engine weight -- that is what makes the engine "high performance." The disadvantage is that the gasoline for your engine costs more.

Posted by: 94_Linc_mk8

Well, I would never put a full tank of it in, because it's LEADED. I have used it in my Challenger several times, and it's good stuff. My friend uses it in his 12 sec. LeBaron, every time he goes to the strip.

Posted by: Sifrino3

Damn 110, ill take some of that!

Posted by: CE1235

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moes8

Thank you Mike,

"i agree you will never hurt your car if its running right and your not racing it or anything."

and c'mon Eric, all of your extra money is "eventually" going to give you cleaner plugs than me??...

......like I said, please give me 1 or 2 good reasons why I need to run 93 and I didn't get any......

Everyone here that runs 93 must also change their oil every 1000 miles, right?......what?!?...you don't??...wouldn't it be better than every 3000?
Of course not, that would be a waste of money.

and regarding the Hyundai comment, I'm not concerned with saving money, just not a big fan of wasting it.

Greg

Posted by: driller

Quote:

Originally Posted by CE1235

...
Am I lucky?....maybe.......am I roughly $17,000 wealthier in the last 10 years?.....absolutely.

Man, I'd like to do the math on this.

$17,000 divided by 10 years equals $1,700.

$1,700 divided by 52 weeks per year equal $32 per week.

Using published data of US price averages, let's say regular(85-87 octane) is $1.904 and premium(91+ octane) is $2.088 for a difference of $0.184(eighteen point four cents per gallon).

$32 divided by $0.184 equals 173.9 gallons!

174 gallons divided by 7 days equals 24.8 gallons per day!!

24.8 gallons at say 21 miles per gallon equals 522 miles per day!!!

522 miles per day times 365 days per year equals 190,530 miles per year!!!!

Posted by: ERIC1

Quote:

Originally Posted by CE1235

i bet your the kinda guy that keeps the same brake fluid in your car for 6 years in a row aint ya? and as a matter of fact i change my oil every 1500 miles. trans every12000 and all i can ever say is this i have NEVER had a mechanical breakdown. i have never had water pump sieze from corrosion and i have never changed a spark plug in any car i have ever had that i couldnt have just put back in and use again. and when the detonation melts your piston and it will "eventually" you will know what i meant.i have taken the heads off cars where the owner had a mentality just as yours and all i can say is they cried all the way to the atm when it came time to rebuild there motor. if 93 wasnt better than 87 it wouldnt be there. and as for the cam 2 i would never suggest using it in a car with cats unless you like replacing them evey 10,000 miles.
Eric

Posted by: ERIC1

Quote:

Originally Posted by 94_Linc_mk8

Well, I would never put a full tank of it in, because it's LEADED. I have used it in my Challenger several times, and it's good stuff. My friend uses it in his 12 sec. LeBaron, every time he goes to the strip.

and what does lead do? ok everyone ready it clogs catalytic converters and renders them trash in about 10,000 miles if not less. if you dont believe me try it let me know how it works out 4 ya.

Posted by: ERIC1

Quote:

Originally Posted by driller

exactly my point its so insignificant that there is no reason y not to put the correct fuel in your car.

Posted by: 94_Linc_mk8

Quote:

Originally Posted by ERIC1

and what does lead do? ok everyone ready it clogs catalytic converters and renders them trash in about 10,000 miles if not less. if you dont believe me try it let me know how it works out 4 ya.

I have never even put any in the mark before, so don't worry about what i'm doing.

Posted by: ERIC1

Quote:

Originally Posted by 94_Linc_mk8

I have never even put any in the mark before, so don't worry about what i'm doing.

hey listen i couldnt givin a flying sh1t less what your doin i wrote that so that some guy that has a gas station 2 blocks from home that sells cam 2 doesnt put it in their car and fry up there cats. i wasnt lookin at you per say.

Posted by: ERIC1

now go get your shine box

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