So were we all wrong?

[pits200]

Read the article, I am one who agrees with putting 91+ in my tank, but maybe I was foolish.

I figure that Big Oil would want more of our money by finding experts to back using higher octane but this article refutes that and now I don't know what to think.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08...itial

[zozoka1212]

I knew they going to bring the Genesis in this somewhere. I actually seen when the guy said about the 7 hp less with regular.

zozo

[gwoods]

the car is designed to run on 91 octane you will get the best performance and gas mileage with 91 octane. If the car was designed to run on 87 octane you would get the best performance and gas mileage from 87 octane.

[pits200]

Well they claim only a 2% power loss and no gas mileage decrease when going to regular fuel vs premium.

I mean 2% power loss, the temperature/elevation/humidity/extra person in car affect performance much more than 2%.

[mrsmithGrider]

Sorry i'll still use premium...maybe ill skimp on other cost saving measures such as instead of the usuall bottle of grey goose when i'm out i'll buy smirnoff

[SVTCOBRA]

My sedan goes PING PING PING on regular gas.........

My sedan does not go PING PING PING on prem. gas.......

Which do you suggest I use?

I know which to use.

I know which my buddy suggests and he has much more auto smarts than me - he's a master car/truck mechanic, retired from the City where he was a supervisor, now teaches at a community college.And, he brought me a bag of red tomatos from his garden today!!! Mine are all still green. Ate one in a mater sandwich and another in a salad.....I know....almost as exciting as debating octane....

GOT TO GO...Best of the Best is on and requires my attention...

[Tampa G35 Sedan 6MT]

Sorry i'll still use premium...maybe ill skimp on other cost saving measures such as instead of the usuall bottle of grey goose when i'm out i'll buy smirnoff

I will try to keep the pedal from the floor more often. I like that extra 2% that we get from Premium...

Lately I have been putting 93 oct !00% Gas in my G and I love the power!

I think the G's give us more than 2% with the premium... Maybe a Camry would be different but I know the G has to be more! I would bet more like 5-7% Difference!

I guess that is what the EPA decided they wanted to waste 4 billion dollars on last year!

Geee, Premium gas may only reduce preformance by 2%

DJ

[pippen99]

I'm on my third Infiniti(2001 I30t, 2003 G35 Cpe, 2008 G37 Journey). I can't speak to the use of regular since I've never used anything but premium. But since there is a station nearby that only charges 10 cents more for premium (fillup is only going to cost me about $1.50 extra) I'll never find out.

[johnparkyourcar]

I spoil my baby with only the expensive kind

[Burtonboarder950]

Sorry i'll still use premium...maybe ill skimp on other cost saving measures such as instead of the usuall bottle of grey goose when i'm out i'll buy smirnoff

Smirnoff FTW!! Love the stuff...raspberry, vanilla, apple back to topic...i am never going back to regular again. i filled up from a Delta 3 days ago and my car rattles and loses 98 or 99 percent of power going up a hill. I realized my gas was clearly watered down so now I have to go buy some heet dry gas to fix it.

[szh]

so now I have to go buy some heet dry gas to fix it.

Make sure to use "ISOHEET", not the regular "HEET".

Isopropyl alcohol is less of a problem ...

Z

[telcoman]

Read the article, I am one who agrees with putting 91+ in my tank, but maybe I was foolish.

I figure that Big Oil would want more of our money by finding experts to back using higher octane but this article refutes that and now I don't know what to think.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08...itial

I only use regular. Recently switched from BP to WaWa

telcoman

[Tampa G35 Sedan 6MT]

I knew you wouldn't stay out to this post telco lol

he is our put it in your 401k guy lol

DJ

[bentrod]

One of my closest friends is a State Inspector for Weights & Measures. They regulate gas pumps and octane rating. He has found that since the advent of ethanol, the octane ratings for mid-grade fuel has risen by close to two points. That means that they measure a 90+ to 91 on fuel that is rated 89 octane.I run 89 in my wifes 2003 G35 sedan with no adverse effects other than it does not have the same testicular fortitude it has on the premium juice. My 07 G35X will run on 89, but it has an even more noticeable loss of HP.

[joe603]

Here's the thing. Yes you can use regular gas in the G35 coupes (some sedan models don't require premium). However, just like using a 10% ethanol blend, it will hurt performance, gas mileage, and in some cases drivability.

The 2% loss is the loss for that particular engine. The VQ or other engines may have a higher % loss.

Do a search if you want more info...there has been a few discussions on this topic.

[G_whizz]

LOL.. still blows my mind that this topic comes up every now and then, when we have enough past posts about it....like a zillion to be exact.

[adren77]

This article is right to a degree, however it talks about "most" cars.... not performance cars.

Yes it does mention a Genesis, but there is nothing high performance about a 4.6L V8 with 375HP.

I used to own the 8th gen Civic SI with 11:1 CR and you bet your a$$ if you used anything less than 91 it would knock. VQ 35 doesn't have as high CR but it's still a performance engine and you should use Premium. If it doesn't knock you will surely get a lot more than 2% power loss (and thus mpg) on a G.

[Slider4105]

MY dad used to work at Exxon in the during the second oil crisis (his co-worker is now the CEO of ExxonMobil.....I think he shouldn't have left lol). Anyways, his explanation was exactly what Jeff said, if the car has a high compression engine then it needs the higher octane, but it's a waste of money to put premium in a car that doesn't need it as it doesn't do a thing. He also said gas is gas, that the whole Techron and things like that are all a marketing ploy as gas is gas. He said the only thing really cares about is going to a gas station that is kept up well, so you don't have a rusting / rotting fuel tank throwing junk into your car.

[Tampa G35 Sedan 6MT]

Wow you could have a GTR if you were the CEO's Son of Exxon... Think about it.. for leaving that job

DJ

[oraleway10]

We really need to stop talking about these grades of gas. We all know that 91 is better for the car and we also know that the difference for a tank is about $2.00 or more...

We all know what the right decision is here, but its self judgement.

[Sentientbydesign]

This topic bores me to death. Somebody come and tell me that the BTU content of Premium is significant enough to reduce fuel economy. Until then, I'll stick with Premium.

The $15/month it cost me is small change. I WOULD however like to improve the fuel economy of my G. If I could squeeze an additional 2 MPG, that would be a savings of approximately 44 cents per gallon which is twice as much as switching to regular AND I get to go 40 more miles per tank AND I'm helping to conserve.

[Slider4105]

Yeah, he actually had more seniority than Rex (The current CEO). Life could have been much different, but I also would be hated since every Oil man is.

Anyways if you want a bump in fuel efficiency then look for gas with no ethanol. Some states will have 91 octane gas with no ethanol blend for use in classic cars / motorcycles. Ask any classic car owners or shops that work on them and see if they know. I think I remember there being one station around me that had it. But this was back when E10 was introduced.