How important is premium gas?
01-26-2011 | 11:13 PM
#31
I will not try it in my G as the manual state "regular in emergency," as someone else posted.
On another note, I hate when people don't take good care of their leases (proper gas and maintenance). I guess I just take too much pride to have someone else "stuck" with a problem in the future that I gave the car.
01-27-2011 | 01:15 AM
#32
This^ I take care of all my vehicles the same whether I've leased or owned, just a basic respect for automobiles IMO.
01-27-2011 | 02:03 AM
#33
Registered User
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 427
Likes: 0
From: SE Michigan - Novi
I use premium. But quite frankly given the state of morals today, I question whether I am really getting premium from the pump all the time. Particularly from the Sunoco style pump with the capability to blend fuel.
01-28-2011 | 12:55 PM
#34
My family's G37 is barely 2000km. My mom took out the car today and put in regular gas (87 octane). I could tell immediately because the car wasn't accelerating well as it used to.
My question is how important is premium gas to the car and why?
The salesman had told us that it's ok to use 87 octane for every 3 premium fillups but I don't know anymore after seeing the performance dwindle this way. I would like to know why premium fuel is important and what would happen if I continue to use 87 octane. Thanks
My question is how important is premium gas to the car and why?
The salesman had told us that it's ok to use 87 octane for every 3 premium fillups but I don't know anymore after seeing the performance dwindle this way. I would like to know why premium fuel is important and what would happen if I continue to use 87 octane. Thanks
If you look it says to use 91 octane(minium) and 93 is what most gas stations use(except WAWA 92 and Sunoco 91 although sunoco also has 94) so if you put in 93 u are actually wasting a little money. I try to find a sunoco station whenever possible. Also 87(or any octane) means it has to be AT LEAST 87. You could buy 87 and actually be pumping in 89.6. Refining processes are not all the same. Also if by accident u do put in 87, you can burn some of it off and fill with 93(or94) and that averages out to 91 octane...My dad works for Tosco refinery and always blurbing thia kind of informatios
02-26-2011 | 02:57 AM
#37
Registered User
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 13
Likes: 0
From: Manhattan
If you want to cheap out on premium for regular or plus, go by a Chevy, Ford or Dodge...and even then.
02-26-2011 | 03:54 AM
#39
Car Talk | Premium versus Regular
Just to school some of you folks who think putting premium gas in a car that calls for 87 will help. No, it will NOT.
Read and heed.
Just to school some of you folks who think putting premium gas in a car that calls for 87 will help. No, it will NOT.
Read and heed.
02-26-2011 | 02:03 PM
#40
Registered User
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 17
Likes: 0
<edit for typos>
So, I'm a scientist and over dinner one night my wife and I were trying to figure out gas prices. I'm not proud... I'm a geek and thought this would be a great time to run an experiment. This was, maybe, 4 years ago. The specific numbers are fuzzy in my memory, the spreadsheet has been lost, and names have been changed to protect the innocent
.
My car had a 16 gallon tank. I had a pretty regular commute, 70 miles round trip on the highway. 87 octane cost around $2.90 at the time and 91 cost around $3.10. Filling my entire tank on 87 cost around $46.40. Filling my tank with 91 cost around $49.60. So, $3.20 difference. So, I could buy 17.1 gallons of 87 octane for the cost of 16 gallons of 91 octane.
So, my question was: do I get more miles out of 17.1 gallon of 87 octane, or 16 gallons of 91 octane?
With a regular work commute, and having to fill my tank about once a week, I kept track for a little over a month (6 fill-ups). 3 fill-ups in a row with 87 and 3 fill-ups in a row for 91 octane.
When filling my tank, I'd difference the amount of gas I put it (say... 15 gallons) with the amount of miles I had driven since the last fill up (from the odometer). Generally, I'd get 350ish miles out of 15ish gallons of 87 and 390ish miles out of 15ish gallons of 91. I don't remember the exact numbers. What I do remember was getting ~23mpg on 87 octane and ~26mpg on 91 octane.
So:
17.1 gallons of 87 octane would get me about 400 miles.
16 gallons of 91 octane would get me about 416 miles.
From that, I drew three conclusions:
1. There is no appreciable mileage difference between the two. The both "cost" the same.
2. If you assume cost is close to even, 91 octane has other benefits for cars that request it. So, I just use 91.
3. The price difference from 87-89 is twice as much as the price difference from 89-91. Yet, 91, for me, was the money saver. For people who use the same gas station(s) all the time, constantly filling up on 87 would give the station more profit from more business. I think the 87 is kept much lower to make a cost barrier with the 89/91 and encourage people to buy 87 octane. It certainly seems cheaper when you look at a single bill at the pump. My guess is that will not be the case if you average it out over 3-4 tank fill-ups.
Would love to try this again on the G, but my new commute is less than 10 miles so it would be hard to be that disciplined for that long to gather data.
Anyway, sorry for geeking out! your mileage may vary...
-Ed
So, I'm a scientist and over dinner one night my wife and I were trying to figure out gas prices. I'm not proud... I'm a geek and thought this would be a great time to run an experiment. This was, maybe, 4 years ago. The specific numbers are fuzzy in my memory, the spreadsheet has been lost, and names have been changed to protect the innocent
. My car had a 16 gallon tank. I had a pretty regular commute, 70 miles round trip on the highway. 87 octane cost around $2.90 at the time and 91 cost around $3.10. Filling my entire tank on 87 cost around $46.40. Filling my tank with 91 cost around $49.60. So, $3.20 difference. So, I could buy 17.1 gallons of 87 octane for the cost of 16 gallons of 91 octane.
So, my question was: do I get more miles out of 17.1 gallon of 87 octane, or 16 gallons of 91 octane?
With a regular work commute, and having to fill my tank about once a week, I kept track for a little over a month (6 fill-ups). 3 fill-ups in a row with 87 and 3 fill-ups in a row for 91 octane.
When filling my tank, I'd difference the amount of gas I put it (say... 15 gallons) with the amount of miles I had driven since the last fill up (from the odometer). Generally, I'd get 350ish miles out of 15ish gallons of 87 and 390ish miles out of 15ish gallons of 91. I don't remember the exact numbers. What I do remember was getting ~23mpg on 87 octane and ~26mpg on 91 octane.
So:
17.1 gallons of 87 octane would get me about 400 miles.
16 gallons of 91 octane would get me about 416 miles.
From that, I drew three conclusions:
1. There is no appreciable mileage difference between the two. The both "cost" the same.
2. If you assume cost is close to even, 91 octane has other benefits for cars that request it. So, I just use 91.
3. The price difference from 87-89 is twice as much as the price difference from 89-91. Yet, 91, for me, was the money saver. For people who use the same gas station(s) all the time, constantly filling up on 87 would give the station more profit from more business. I think the 87 is kept much lower to make a cost barrier with the 89/91 and encourage people to buy 87 octane. It certainly seems cheaper when you look at a single bill at the pump. My guess is that will not be the case if you average it out over 3-4 tank fill-ups.
Would love to try this again on the G, but my new commute is less than 10 miles so it would be hard to be that disciplined for that long to gather data.
Anyway, sorry for geeking out! your mileage may vary...
-Ed
02-26-2011 | 03:01 PM
#41
Stupid gas, why does it have to cost so much now adays. Almost $5.00 a gallon here on Cali!!! good thing I have my DD, cause the way I drive my G.... let's just sat I get LOW average mpg.
02-26-2011 | 04:05 PM
#42
you can run 87. the ecus are detuned just in case these sort of things happen. however, you will suffer from poor acceleration and other driving excitements
after you tune your car. you are absolutely not allowed to run anything below 91... ha ha
after you tune your car. you are absolutely not allowed to run anything below 91... ha ha
02-26-2011 | 04:15 PM
#43
ahh man you did this with an n of 1 man! phd to phd. do it at least 1 more time... ha ha
</edit>
<edit for="" typos="">
So, I'm a scientist and over dinner one night my wife and I were trying to figure out gas prices. I'm not proud... I'm a geek and thought this would be a great time to run an experiment. This was, maybe, 4 years ago. The specific numbers are fuzzy in my memory, the spreadsheet has been lost, and names have been changed to protect the innocent.
My car had a 16 gallon tank. I had a pretty regular commute, 70 miles round trip on the highway. 87 octane cost around $2.90 at the time and 91 cost around $3.10. Filling my entire tank on 87 cost around $46.40. Filling my tank with 91 cost around $49.60. So, $3.20 difference. So, I could buy 17.1 gallons of 87 octane for the cost of 16 gallons of 91 octane.
So, my question was: do I get more miles out of 17.1 gallon of 87 octane, or 16 gallons of 91 octane?
With a regular work commute, and having to fill my tank about once a week, I kept track for a little over a month (6 fill-ups). 3 fill-ups in a row with 87 and 3 fill-ups in a row for 91 octane.
When filling my tank, I'd difference the amount of gas I put it (say... 15 gallons) with the amount of miles I had driven since the last fill up (from the odometer). Generally, I'd get 350ish miles out of 15ish gallons of 87 and 390ish miles out of 15ish gallons of 91. I don't remember the exact numbers. What I do remember was getting ~23mpg on 87 octane and ~26mpg on 91 octane.
So:
17.1 gallons of 87 octane would get me about 400 miles.
16 gallons of 91 octane would get me about 416 miles.
From that, I drew three conclusions:
1. There is no appreciable mileage difference between the two. The both "cost" the same.
2. If you assume cost is close to even, 91 octane has other benefits for cars that request it. So, I just use 91.
3. The price difference from 87-89 is twice as much as the price difference from 89-91. Yet, 91, for me, was the money saver. For people who use the same gas station(s) all the time, constantly filling up on 87 would give the station more profit from more business. I think the 87 is kept much lower to make a cost barrier with the 89/91 and encourage people to buy 87 octane. It certainly seems cheaper when you look at a single bill at the pump. My guess is that will not be the case if you average it out over 3-4 tank fill-ups.
Would love to try this again on the G, but my new commute is less than 10 miles so it would be hard to be that disciplined for that long to gather data.
Anyway, sorry for geeking out! your mileage may vary...
-Ed
So, I'm a scientist and over dinner one night my wife and I were trying to figure out gas prices. I'm not proud... I'm a geek and thought this would be a great time to run an experiment. This was, maybe, 4 years ago. The specific numbers are fuzzy in my memory, the spreadsheet has been lost, and names have been changed to protect the innocent
. My car had a 16 gallon tank. I had a pretty regular commute, 70 miles round trip on the highway. 87 octane cost around $2.90 at the time and 91 cost around $3.10. Filling my entire tank on 87 cost around $46.40. Filling my tank with 91 cost around $49.60. So, $3.20 difference. So, I could buy 17.1 gallons of 87 octane for the cost of 16 gallons of 91 octane.
So, my question was: do I get more miles out of 17.1 gallon of 87 octane, or 16 gallons of 91 octane?
With a regular work commute, and having to fill my tank about once a week, I kept track for a little over a month (6 fill-ups). 3 fill-ups in a row with 87 and 3 fill-ups in a row for 91 octane.
When filling my tank, I'd difference the amount of gas I put it (say... 15 gallons) with the amount of miles I had driven since the last fill up (from the odometer). Generally, I'd get 350ish miles out of 15ish gallons of 87 and 390ish miles out of 15ish gallons of 91. I don't remember the exact numbers. What I do remember was getting ~23mpg on 87 octane and ~26mpg on 91 octane.
So:
17.1 gallons of 87 octane would get me about 400 miles.
16 gallons of 91 octane would get me about 416 miles.
From that, I drew three conclusions:
1. There is no appreciable mileage difference between the two. The both "cost" the same.
2. If you assume cost is close to even, 91 octane has other benefits for cars that request it. So, I just use 91.
3. The price difference from 87-89 is twice as much as the price difference from 89-91. Yet, 91, for me, was the money saver. For people who use the same gas station(s) all the time, constantly filling up on 87 would give the station more profit from more business. I think the 87 is kept much lower to make a cost barrier with the 89/91 and encourage people to buy 87 octane. It certainly seems cheaper when you look at a single bill at the pump. My guess is that will not be the case if you average it out over 3-4 tank fill-ups.
Would love to try this again on the G, but my new commute is less than 10 miles so it would be hard to be that disciplined for that long to gather data.
Anyway, sorry for geeking out! your mileage may vary...
-Ed
02-26-2011 | 04:19 PM
#44
but if you guys are curious about driving for better fuel eco. pay a visit to ecomodder.com those guys are hardcore... I mean who gets 45mpg out of a 2002 honda accord. of course the keys to good fuel eco is behavior... so it might be a lost cause on G owners... ha ha
02-26-2011 | 09:46 PM
#45
Registered User
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 535
Likes: 4
Ok here is the deal: You use 87, the car makes less power. To make it go fast, you'll have to push the pedal more >>> more gas.
Plus, the difference is so small, don't try to save $150/yr by doing this. You could skip a steak dinner or two a year and you'd be almost there. AND it's good for your health too!
Plus, the difference is so small, don't try to save $150/yr by doing this. You could skip a steak dinner or two a year and you'd be almost there. AND it's good for your health too!