Scuderia Gasoline Question ... Is This True?

Could a Scuderia owner look this up? Is there anything in the manual or other documentation that states only 93 octane must be used in the car? 91 octane causes the car to ping and continued use could lead to warranty problems?

 

Octane rating is a measurement of the fuel's ability to resist engine knocking. Octane ratings vary from location, especially reliant on temperatures and altitude from sea level. For eg 93 Octane are offered at places like coastal areas and 91 Octane are offered at higher altitude areas. So Octane 91 is not usally available at warmer coastal areas like California, as they only offer higher 93-94 Octane fuel. The higher the Octane ratings, does not necessarily mean it is better as most perceive. You will only find 91 Octane in colder upper states and Canada. Octane 91 and 93 are basically same premium fuel, but they are modified fuel mixture to meet the requirements as according to geographical location, altitude and temperature that determines the knocking resistence. So to answer your question, no it will not cause pinging, if you purchase any Premium fuel available that is offered maximum Octane ratings in a specific area you are travelling in. The only time you will experience pinging is, if you purchase lower grade fuel than recommended Premium. In this case, it is definitely not a good idea to use less than 91 Octane on Scuderia.

Ferrari of course will know what type of fuel you are using by measuring the combustion timing and can determine whether to void warranty at their own discretion should any customers experience engine problems. We all know Ferrari only recommends Shell brand, which is of course a marketing hype, as they both are corporate partners. Authorized dealer service in relation to factors mentioned above (temp, alt, etc.) will use what premium fuel Octane ratings that are available at their location as a reference. For eg. Ferrari California = 93 Octane, Ferrari Canada = 91 Octane.

 

I do know the car runs much better with high octane race fuel than pump fuel. Do know this has been debated in the past but this is my view comparing 93, 103, 109 fuels. Probably more to do with the additives than the actual octane number though

 

Pg 28, US manual: Premium Gasoline (91-94 AKI)

 

Thanks everyone for the replies. I have a reliable source that tests cars for a living. They have put 13,000 miles a Scuderia. The car has been 100% reliable but the gasoline has been an issue. The car pings on 91 octane and the ECU will not adjust down because of the high compression ratio. I believe they have spoken to Ferrari about this and now Ferrari is saying use 93 octane. Using 91 may possibly void the warranty.

 

California's premium gasoline is 91 octane (although you can get higher octane race fuel from select stations).

Note that octane ratings in North America are lower than in Europe because America uses (R+M)/2 to calculate octane, while Europe uses just RON. So 91 in the US is probably equivalent to about 95 in Europe.

What is the Scud's compression ratio? If it's high enough, there should definitely be at least some advantage to using a higher octane than the minimum it's designed for. And using lower octane than it's designed for can indeed lead to pinging and engine damage over time.

 

It is safe to use VP Race fuel 103 oct for track days?

 

Sure, if it's unleaded.

 

The octane rating exists for a reason. 93 is more knock resistant and allows for more timing advance than 91. The 91 available in CA, where 93 is not available, is equal to the 91 available in other parts of the country where 93 is a choice at the pump. (there are some variables around cleaning agent additives which different states add which effect knock thresholds too...) My cars have been on the dyno in CA as well as other states that have 93 available and the timing maps were not the same in order to be knock free.

While I don't know first hand, but I assume that Ferrari's ecm has a dynamic timing table that relys on a knock sensor to retard timing. I would assume that it retards timing when the car is running 91 in order to make it safe.

As for the track, you probably aren't gaining anything from running 100+ unleaded fuel, but it won't hurt. The only thing I could see you gaining is more timing advance from the ecu, or more likely, less timing retard. This will give you a little more power and lower exhaust gas temps which would theoretically increase the longevity of your engine or exhaust headers.

Matt