In the end, doesn't all gas cost the same?
I have always heard that high octane fuel gives you an extra 1-2 MPG. If this is true then wouldn't the usual 10 cents difference between each grade of gasoline be offset by the increase in gas mileage? So it doesn't matter which octane you buy everything evens out in the end?
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1995 Camaro Z28 Convertible. -
Except horsepower. 87 octane makes my ignition retard 8-10 degrees which lowers the horsepower.2002 Electron Blue Vette, 1SC, FE3/Z51, G92 3.15 gears, 308.9 RWHP 321.7 RWTQ (before any mods), SLP headers, Z06 exhaust, MSD Ignition Wires, AC Delco Iridium Spark Plugs, 160 t-stat, lots of ECM tuning
1995 Z28, many mods, SOLD
A proud member of the "F-Body Dirty Dozen" -
I always run 93 in mine because when I 1st got it I ran 87 and it didnt like it all that much. The cheap crap made it knock a bit and killed the power.
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The other thing is that you only need a certain amount of octane and beyond that, it won't have any benefit. One thing that premium fuels and name brand fuels have that the regular and budget fuels do not necessarily have is more additives which are supposed to keep your engine clean, etc. They all come from the same few tanks at the refinery, but the various companies add chemicals to them to make them slightly different.Comment
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Increasing "octane" rating does not increase miles/gallon, so "no".... the added cost isn't offset by better fuel milage. You can not correlate "octane" rating to miles/gallon, energy content, burn speed, etc. It is simply a system to rate the fuel's ability to avoid detonation, at high compression ratios, high ignition advance, with high air inlet of coolant temperatures, etc.
If you have some time to spare.... read through this 60+ page "gasoline Q&A".... an excellent reference, including the answer to that age-old question "Can mothballs increase octane?"
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Gasoline FAQFred
381ci all-forged stroker - 10.8:1 - CNC LT4 heads/intake - CC solid roller - MoTeC engine management - 8 LS1 coils - 58mm TB - 78# injectors - 300-shot dry nitrous - TH400 - Gear Vendor O/D - Strange 12-bolt - 4.11's - AS&M headers - duals - Corbeau seat - AutoMeter gauges - roll bar - Spohn suspension - QA1 shocks - a few other odds 'n ends. 800HP/800lb-ft at the flywheel, on a 300-shot. 11.5 @ 117MPH straight motorComment
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compression ratio
if tou have an engine that has a compression ratio less than 8.5 you should just use 87 octane, but if your engine is getting old and starting to detonate you should use higher octane. 93 octane can support engines with up to 10.1 comp.Originally posted by Cerwin Vega FanComment
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