just wondering about fuel types.

[little-red-supr]

What kind of gas does everyone run and what kind of setup do you have? im wondering if the 89 with etanol in it is hurtin my cars performance and engine.

[MA67hatchyback]

I only run 91 or higher and NEVER use corn gas (Wal Mart gas...HA!). Im old school :} Oh! And BTW this is my first time responding to something on this forum

[vdkk]

Depends commuting the cheapest I can get 87.. Racing 93 + some octane booster for good measure ahaha

[1982 Dragon]

I run 91 or 94. But people have been telling me to just put the cheap stuff in. I hope running high octane fuel has nothing to do with idles...

[auto_cran]

I run Chevron Super Unleaded with Techron in all my vehicles. Here in the Dallas area, Chevron SuperUnleaded is 93 octane.

I know the it's probably overkill in some cars, like my stock '86 Supra, but the high octane is needed in the turbo cars. And I have been a big fan of Techron - I have never had a fuel related problem in any of my cars.

Chris
(auto_cran)
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1986 Toyota Supra MKII
1987 Toyota MR2 MKI
1983 Delorean DMC-12
1989 Pontiac Turbo Trans Am #760 (1986 miles)
1988 Chevrolet Corvette 35th Anniversary #1941/2050
1986 Mustang SVO
1986 Pontiac Fiero GT
1974 Porsche 914 1.8
2006 Pontiac GTO - wife's ride!
1985 Kawasaki ZL900 Eliminator

[cmdeshon]

i have yet to put anything but 93 in my MK-II sense i boosted it. i would really like to go back to the cheap shit but i am afraid too. probably never will...

[lacrssgus14]

The higher octane fuel is used to combat pre-ignition, also called detonation, which can occur on high compression engines, forced induction engines, and any engine running a ton of timing. If your engine is non of these, (IE stock) then you are not helping your engine in anyway, you are just pissing away money.

Now to comment on running ethanol, it is a band aid additive to fuels and is partially to blame for ruining our economy. It will ruin any fuel system manufactured before 1980 and requires twice the amount to make equal power, negating the cost savings of using it. Yes, I dislike it.

[Road Ripper]

We can't get any gas here in MN that doesn't have some alcohol in it, so I wouldn't know how pure petroleum gas would make the car respond. I have heard of people in other states who can get gas without ethanol in it, getting better fuel economy and power. I've always ran the cheap 87 octane on stock engine/timing and never had any issues. I will sometimes get 89 (super unleaded) if I can get it at the same price or am just feeling thrifty. Plus, having something with a knock sensor helps to negate any pinging under normal circumstances.

[lechner]

Ethanol is great for high compression or turbo cars that are tuned specifically for it, but if the amount of fuel injected is set by a factory computer that expects 100% petroleum gas, you will make a little less power on an ethanol blend. If you run too low of an octane, the computer just adjusts the timing to compensate and again you make a little less power but seldom really hurts anything (as long as you don't have any pinging on cars without a knock sensor). So many little things can play into this and change things over time as the engine wears and carbon deposits build, so best thing to do is to monitor your fuel mileage and, if you get significantly better mileage with the higher octane, use it.

[msgsupra84]

Gas with ethanol ruins piston rings in our cars and other older cars, ruins the mileage and creates a lot of deposits. You get less power and a higher chance of gathering water in your gas (alcohol absorbs water). I've ran my car on 100% gas and it was the same on response and power, but after a couple rev limiter hits and hitting 130 at wot, the car ran better, cruising and high speeds, and idled a lot more smooth. If you can get 100% gas, do it. Try to look around yacht clubs and marinas, as that's what boats use, being marine vehicles and not wanting the ethanol gas to snatch up water.