No scientific evidence, just anecdotical. It just idles and accelerates flawlessly. Sounds like a low mileage engine, although it it has 185,000 miles on it.
Using a lower octane fuel than recommended
- Thread starter The Critic
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Is it really that cheap to make? I was thinking it was 10% more to bump to mid grade, so that's like 30 cents right there. Both bumps could be 20% and that's 60 cents. I mean, for tools, tires, and whatnot, going up a grade is often 10% or more. But I have no idea what it takes to bump octane (other than octane or octane-like components in the fuel).
I know ethanol can bump octane but adding that so as to bump is like shooting yourself in the foot since it costs btu's.
Gotta hand to to Mazda engineers for pulling that off. My son runs 87 in his without any issues.
Interesting question. My 2021 Kia Soul 2.0 manual says 87 is the minimum octane it should use. So that begs the question “ if i use more than minimum octane, what are the benefits?” Of course there’s no answer, but with gas prices going up with no end in sight the hamster is digesting 87 period. Doesn’t seem to matter either. Just for fun I tried a tank of 91 and found little difference. The engine does have a 12.5:1 compression ratio but it’s an Atkinson cycle mill so what’s the actual comp ratio it’s using at any given time? It’s altered via valve timing but I’ve yet to find out if it’s a fixed valve timing or adjustable, octane dependent. FWIW it never pings that I’ve noticed.
Mine did fine too but on a couple of hills near me I could tell the engine needed some help. The reality is that I could run 87 just fine and one those hills use the Sport Mode as I do now.
The issue I had noticed was that on these hills which are long and winding I usually get behind slower traffic. That tended to bog the engine down. Sport Mode keeps the RPMs up and it’s easy to toggle on and off.
How much does each bottle of that cost you ?
I believe the computer will adjust for any variances.
Years ago while traveling through Utah I filled up with 85. That seems to be a normal octane grade at higher elevations. I had no issues either. This was with a 2000 Mitsubishi 3.0 V6
Do you see premium fuel being priced $1.10/gallon higher than regular ? $0.60 is the norm in southwest Ohio although I know one station that does charge $1 more.
I never use a fuel below the recommended minimum octane rating. Some manufactures give HP ratings for high and low octane fuel and allow both to be used depending on whether or not you want the extra power. Neither of my current vehicles do this and so they both get 87 octane as required by the owners manual. I'm busy and important and do many important things so I don't really put too much thought into it beyond the manual...
...and I guess also writing about it on BITOG.
...and I guess also writing about it on BITOG.
Ah, okay. Similar to my old 1MZ-FE at 457,000 miles which has never used any sort of fuel additive
.60 is most common sams or costco .30 to .50, but some stations such as shell .80-1+ often.
First thing you notice is the throttle response is terrible, and then during light acceleration feels like a hesitation, almost like the spark plugs are toast.
I've noticed the same.
edyvw
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Costco has 91 here cheaper than regular on any gas station, so all three cars get premium. Our regular is 85 due to elevation, and even my Toyota doesn’t like it.
Zee09
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I looked it up. One gallon is about $27 and treats 400 gallons of gas or diesel but it isn't a octane booster.
I feed my N52 engine 93 octane throughout the summer, but now that temps (and therefore IAT's have dropped) I have tried a couple of tanks of 89 octane (mid grade). From what I understand the mid grade fuel is just a mix of the premium and regular, and 89 is the minimum octane rating. So far, no noticable difference in performance, but that is also just judging seat of pants, so take my findings with a grain.
I switched back to using 89 and my Ram definitely feels a bit peppier off the line. It also seems to go into/stay in MDS a little more since I got my new tires as well.
I am like some others who have already commented. Mid-grade (89 R + M) makes my cars run better. I was told by a supplier that hauls for local QTs that 87 regular is really 85-86 most of the time due to oxy blended additives. He said it rarely tests as 87 that is published on the pump.
Looks like Missouri Ag department tests fuel's octane ratings (and they do this at the pump, not at the supplier) so I'd be skeptical of what you were told. The same thing will happen with higher octane fuels too.
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