Benefits of using higher octane?

[Russell]

Originally Posted By: Capa
The premium I buy contains no ethanol---thank God. Therefore I get better gas mileage than the grades mixed with that ethanol junk.


Wish I could buy E0 here in ky. Everythng seems to be E10 and we do not require pump labels to indicate level of ethanol.

 

[Capa]

Yeah, unfortunately every state is different. Some require the labeling like Oklahoma and then you know for sure whether it has ethanol or not. However, several gas stations here that sell "pure gas" charge too much for it. It's a fact that you lose between 3-5% mpg with E10. Therefore, I am willing to pay up to about 5% more. Luckily, a Conoco (top tier gas) charges just 5 cents more per gallon for premium vs E10 premium and so I am all over that! My car requires premium. However, only their premium is ethanol free and I have yet to find a gas station that sells 87 octane at a reasonable price and so the van gets E10.

 

[Jaymus]

You may notice an increase in mpg. If I put 93 in my wife's Eclipse 2.4 SOHC 4 cyl, I can notice a loss in performance. They run rich from the factory, and 87 gives it the best performance.

Now, when I run 93 in my 1986 F150 5.0 EFI, I do notice more power. Maybe the timing is advanced, I dunno, haven't checked, but it's the truth.

But overall, if you are driving a newer model vehicle and it calls for 87, 87 will more than likely perform the best in that engine.

It doesn't hurt to experiment, though.

With all exceptions aside, leaner = more power. Unless your engine is designed to NEED a higher octane, you should get more power from an 87 octane if that's what it calls for.