Two (2) fuel related questions for a first time 328 owner: 1. Should premium gas (91 or 93 octane) be used, or does it not mater with these older engines? 2. Should non-ethanol gas be used to prevent unnecessary wear/degradation of fuel lines?
Non ethanol is always the right choice regardless of age model etc .. especially if you can get it Octane ..i do not recall what the 328 calls for in user manual ..what ever it says is fine ..if it was tuned for premium then use premium ..if tuned for regular from factory use regular More important is to buy top tier gas (more additives) that will be better for the whole system in the long run ..i personally use shell ..but of course Mobil Exxon BP chevon etc all fit the bill Sent from my moto g power using Tapatalk
Depends on what version 328. Ferrari's recommendation is shown in your 328 OM (but can be a little confusing because Ferrari specifies the R.O.N. octane rating of the fuel while US fuel pumps are labeled with the A.K.I. octane rating): Euro 328 OM = 98-100 R.O.N. fuel = about 93-95 A.K.I. fuel in the US US 328 OM = 95 minimum R.O.N. fuel = about 90 minimum A.K.I. fuel in the US
Remember, premium gas is not "better quality" than regular gas. It just has a higher octane rating which may or MAY NOT be needed depending on the engine. As Steve pointed out, whatever the manufacturer says re octane rating is what the car should get. Putting a higher octane gas in an engine that doesn't need is just wasting money. I've driven my '89 328 across the US three times, using gas with octane from 89 to 93 and, the first two times couldn't tell any difference in the way the engine ran. OTOH, when I changed the Microplex timing curve from the US to the Euro setting (very easy per info from RifleD on this site) some years ago, 89 would sometimes "ping" (detonate) if accelerating from low speed in a relatively high gear. 91 works fine. FWIW, there is a noticeable difference in low-end acceleration with the Euro timing which has more bottom-end ignition advance than the US timing.
That is strange Doc Shell has Ferrari’s in there adds all the time and then the don’t sell it in one of there biggest markets
Key thing to remember... Ignoring additives that a particular gas station puts in their own flavors: Lower vs Higher octane gas isn't cleaner, more efficient, nor offers more power. Higher octane gas simply takes more effort to combust. The rest of the 'savings' (efficiency, power) are due to the specific engine's own requirements. An engine designed to burn 89 gets no benefit from 93.
FWIW, the only fuel I've ever used in my 328 since I bought it in '08 is normal (ethanol-added) gasoline at whatever gas station showed up when I decided I wanted to refuel. On interstate highway trips, priority went to service areas with a Subway sandwich shop! For long term storage I add StaBil to the gas. I have stored the car for up to 7 months that way with the battery disconnected. It's always been "stored" for at least 4 months every year since purchase. Nowadays, it's stored for 6 months every year since we are in the UK for that period. Upon re-connection, car starts as if it had been running the day before. IMO there is no need to be concerned about ethanol in gas for normal use of the car but I realize that some folks have the opposite view! The important thing is to do what you are comfortable with!
Are the 328s equipped with knock sensors? Is there a function to automatically retard the timing in the event of detonation?
No. So unlike a modern car, if you use fuel with an octane that is too low, it can detonate under high load conditions whereas a modern car will just retard the ignition (and perhaps the valve) timing to accommodate the fuel with an appropriate reduction in max power.
Their products are different in different markets all over the world. Some products are designed for a specific market an many states and countries with reformulated fuel restrict what can be in them.
I use 101 VP racing fuel at the pump , my 89 328 runs great. For these high performance older engines, the more efficient ( slower )the explosion in the cylinder, the better. With this fuel , I can hit 120 MPH in forth gear without a problem , much better than the crappy 91 at the pump here in California .Im fortunate that the gas is available right down the street from where I live . My 89 has a 104,000 miles, and runs like it did with 20,000 miles. Thank you ,
I have a carbed 308 and only care that it is ethanol free. One station has 89, the other is a 91. Both work just fine. Just remember that the best gas you could get in 1989 is still probably not as good as basic 89 today….again aside from the ethanol.
Re Gino's comment... An OEM 328 motor might produce a bit more power using non-ethanol gas because a greater volume of ethanol gas is required to produce the same HP as non-ethanol gas. Since the 3x8 fueling system was designed before ethanol gas , it provides the volume of fuel (based on straight gasoline) per the volume of air signaled by the MAF sensor. The 3x8 does not have an engine management system that can sense or perform adjustments that would increase the volume of ethanol gas or adjust timing/whatever to compensate. I have no idea of the actual performance difference between ethanol/non-ethanol gas in a stock 3x8 but it would be easy to test on a dyno. I suspect it's very small...
Pure ethanol contains 30% less energy per volume than pure gasoline. So an E10 mix (typical pump fuel) will have 97% of the energy of pure gasoline per volume or per volume flow rate. Thing is, older gas engines are only about 30% efficient, so the minor loss of chemical energy with E10 is probably peanuts by the time the engine converts the chemical energy to mechanical power and loses 70% along the way.
It’s not performance I am concerned about but the rest ethanol affects these cars hoses,Carbs,aluminum parts moisture absorption , just take something simple like your lawnmower it will gumm up the carb after time with ethanol gas every time
"it will gumm up the carb after time with ethanol gas every time" Yes - it will if left undisturbed for an extended period. OTOH, I have never had any problem with normal operation using ethanol gas in my 328 and that's all I've used since I bought it in '08. If the car is not being driven some fuel stabilizer like StaBil or similar will prevent any problems with gumming up, etc for at least 7 months in my personal experience though StaBil claims much longer protection than that. If the car is regularly driven, I've seen no evidence that 10% ethanol has any bad effect at all. Heck it used to be common to add a can of "gas drier" (which was alcohol) to a tank of fuel. Now you don't have to; it's already there!
If you've been around long enough you will have seen pure gas gum up and varnish parts in a fuel system. Ethanol adds new issues, but that is not one of them. The biggest problems I have seen with ethanol is the way it deteriorates hoses and rubber parts in older fuel systems. It has been especially problematic with older marine fuel systems. I have seen many problems with the inner lining of fuel hoses collapsing or getting hard/brittle due to ethanol. It can be quite a project to replace the fuel lines and parts with modern ethanol-tolerant parts. Many rec boats have fuel tanks and plumbing under the floor deck, and access is challenging (sometimes the floor has to be cut open and then repaired afterwards). I am guessing that most folks with 308/328 cars have by now replaced fuel hoses just due to age, and hopefully used modern products that will tolerate ethanol. If you must use ethanol fuel, don't let it sit -- be sure to cycle it through the system within a few months. If I have to let fuel sit in any of my vehicles, boats, or power equipment, I always use non-ethanol fuel. It is not readily available here, and I have to travel about 20 miles with a transfer tank to a fuel supplier to get some (same place I buy off-road diesel for my larger equipment). For engines getting regular use, ethanol fuel has been OK for me. Last time I fueled up my 328 at the pump I put in E10 93 octane, about 10 gallons (I never fill up all the way since it's a pleasure car with limited driving). About a month later I added 5 gallons of non-ethanol 89 octane from the fuel supplier, mindful that it was below the recommended AKI 90 octane level so I was mentally blending with the previous 93). I cannot find higher octane non-ethanol fuel in the area, otherwise I'd prefer to use that exclusively in my 328. I have had good luck with ValvTect-treated marine fuel when I fuel up my boat at a local marina. It is E10 with ValvTect blended in by the supplier. I since started buying ValvTect additive bottles to use with portable gas tanks, for both pure gas and E10. Like many of these products, it's anyone's guess whether it works or is snake oil, but it's been encouraging that the marina sells this stuff pre-blended and there haven't been any problems reported among that large customer base.
