2.95 Hess Regular in Jersey this morning. I'll ride by the station on the way home & see what it is. :'(
Who the hell uses regular here? I pay between $3.19 - $3.25 at the stations by me. That is about to change though with BP taking the largest US oil field offline for repairs.
I use Regular. Thought it was all marketing hype. Shivam's now telling me I've got it all wrong, and the V10 actually makes use of the Premium fuel. -
Someone didnt read their owners manual. I still got a picture of the FERRARI and lamborghini gas caps as Vik filled with 87 octane. Yes, im biased (for now) About the gas prices.. I havent driven mine since the poker run. A quick jaunt to Classic Coach for oil service. Dats it. Before that, i remember paying close to $50 from empty. Those who know me know im ALWAYS on empty for some reason.
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/autos/gasoline-faq/part3/ Most importantly: 6.13 Can higher octane fuels give me more power? On modern engines with sophisticated engine management systems, the engine can operate efficiently on fuels of a wider range of octane rating, but there remains an optimum octane for the engine under specific driving conditions. Older cars without such systems are more restricted in their choice of fuel, as the engine can not automatically adjust to accommodate lower octane fuel. Because knock is so destructive, owners of older cars must use fuel that will not knock under the most demanding conditions they encounter, and must continue to use that fuel, even if they only occasionally require the octane. If you are already using the proper octane fuel, you will not obtain more power from higher octane fuels. The engine will be already operating at optimum settings, and a higher octane should have no effect on the management system. Your driveability and fuel economy will remain the same. The higher octane fuel costs more, so you are just throwing money away. If you are already using a fuel with an octane rating slightly below the optimum, then using a higher octane fuel will cause the engine management system to move to the optimum settings, possibly resulting in both increased power and improved fuel economy. You may be able to change octanes between seasons ( reduce octane in winter ) to obtain the most cost-effective fuel without loss of driveability. Once you have identified the fuel that keeps the engine at optimum settings, there is no advantage in moving to an even higher octane fuel. The manufacturer's recommendation is conservative, so you may be able to carefully reduce the fuel octane. The penalty for getting it badly wrong, and not realising that you have, could be expensive engine damage. 6.14 Does low octane fuel increase engine wear? Not if you are meeting the octane requirement of the engine. If you are not meeting the octane requirement, the engine will rapidly suffer major damage due to knock. You must not use fuels that produce sustained audible knock, as engine damage will occur. If the octane is just sufficient, the engine management system will move settings to a less optimal position, and the only major penalty will be increased costs due to poor fuel economy. Whenever possible, engines should be operated at the optimum position for long-term reliability. Engine wear is mainly related to design, manufacturing, maintenance and lubrication factors. Once the octane and run-on requirements of the engine are satisfied, increased octane will have no beneficial effect on the engine. Run-on is the tendency of an engine to continue running after the ignition has been switched off, and is discussed in more detail in Section 8.2. The quality of gasoline, and the additive package used, would be more likely to affect the rate of engine wear, rather than the octane rating. 6.16 What happens if I use the wrong octane fuel? If you use a fuel with an octane rating below the requirement of the engine, the management system may move the engine settings into an area of less efficient combustion, resulting in reduced power and reduced fuel economy. You will be losing both money and driveability. If you use a fuel with an octane rating higher than what the engine can use, you are just wasting money by paying for octane that you can not utilise. The additive packages are matched to the engines using the fuel, for example intake valve deposit control additive concentrations may be increased in the premium octane grade. If your vehicle does not have a knock sensor, then using a fuel with an octane rating significantly below the octane requirement of the engine means that the little men with hammers will gleefully pummel your engine to pieces. You should initially be guided by the vehicle manufacturer's recommendations, however you can experiment, as the variations in vehicle tolerances can mean that Octane Number Requirement for a given vehicle model can range over 6 Octane Numbers. Caution should be used, and remember to compensate if the conditions change, such as carrying more people or driving in different ambient conditions. You can often reduce the octane of the fuel you use in winter because the temperature decrease and possible humidity changes may significantly reduce the octane requirement of the engine. Use the octane that provides cost-effective driveability and performance, using anything more is waste of money, and anything less could result in an unscheduled, expensive visit to your mechanic. I am pretty sure lambo as well as many other high end cars take advantage of higher fuel grades. I used to think it was a gimic until I saw dyno plots
Not to drag this out, but I know for a fact being an X-Owner of a Jag S-Type 4.0, that that engine (in the owner's manual) stated it "REQUIRED" an octane of 91 or higher. NOTHING less was clearly spelled out. Since Ford owns Jag, I know it to be true in a few of the Lincoln models (obviously the LS as its the same car as the S-Type). Think the Corvette manual might have the same. Been a long time since I read one.
Exactly. I cannot tell if you guys are showing sarcasm or not but I would figure sophisticated engines such as yours would require a higher grade fuel. My 11.5:1 motor requires 91+ (stated in the manual and gas cap area).
F 308QVs require RON 91. Premium on LI ranges now from the high $3.40s to $3.60. Last week when I was in Tennessee premium was $3.09. Very little upper level imported cars there. I am guessing F & Ls are quite rare out side the larger cities.
I know of a couple of cases where car companies have voided warranties because of excess buildup due to a lower grade gasoline.
Super at the Lukoil in Oak Ridge - $3.199... What was interesting once is my brother in law told me about a guy on a chat board he frequents where someone with a 911 turbo complained about how lousy his car ran -- bad acceleration, ran rough, etc... the guy kept filling his car with 86 octane gas, once in a while filling with 87, when 86 wasn't available....
3.45 for premium in queens at a Gulf station right off the LIE around exit 25. Pretty cheap, I usually pay over 3.50 a gallon for premium
It says 91 is strongly recomended though the car will run on the cheap stuff albiet with reduced power.
My '83 308Qv (no so-fist-i-kat-d engine management system on-board) can use regular. I've gone years on hi-test and years on regular with no significant gain or loss (measured in MPG at every fill) using regular, hi-test, or supreme. I believe the salient pieces are; 1) I did my measurements on the East Coast 2) The gas stations I used were hi volume resellers (no stale gas) 3) addititives probably do play some role in the engine besides marketing so buy a bottle of that chevron Techron occationally. 4) The engine needs to be "tuned" or adjusted for the octane being used. But mine is an '83. It'd be really nice to grab a hold of some engine design engineers and see just where the "Hi-Test" recommendation came from. The Oil companies maybe???
To save a few bucks? If you really look at it, the difference is less that $5.00 to put premium versus regular and is most cases it is a lot cheaper. Example: Regular $3.00 & Premium $3.25 and you have a 20 gallon tank, the difference is only $2.50! I figure if we can own these, we should be able to afford gas, especially since most of these cars are driven only on weekends or nice days.
You're right Keith. I use Regular so I can save myself the 5 bucks a month from my twice-monthly gas trips - I switched to Regular because there seemed to be no noticeable difference between Premium and Regular. I took away the following from the post that Shivam linked to: FYI, there is no sustained audible knock. To me, the only interesting part of that article is the following: So theoretically the question is, by using 87 / 89 grade gas, am I running at an octane that is "just sufficient," or one that meets the "optimal" requirements. Haven't had a chance to check the owner's manual to see if there is a minimum octane recommendation - will do so this evening.
