Fuel Question
 

Do I have to always use primium fuel when I fill up?

I just bought my dream car but this was not brought up during the purchase.

Thanks for your help!
Steve
Orlando

I use NOTHING but Premium.
Now get ready for the debate and the flamethrower.

Read your owners manu.

Premium it's what they tell you to use , so I do .

Canola is what I use

I use Olive Oil sometimes.

Been discussed many times over but..................

Due to the engines combustion characteristics, it has excellent low octane tolerance. So much so that a piston engine would "ping" & die if the user tried to drive it.

Having said that, I run my personal RX-8 on the low octane stuff with no trouble however many users report a difference on the higher octane.

Try them all for yourself & choose what you think is best.

Due to the artifical compression increase fromthe turbo's on my Cosmo, I use the high end stuff as "insurance" just in case but it really boils down to your personal opinion.

REgards

While you can use a lower octane (91, 89, or even 87), it is manufacturer recommended to use 93. It's all I use. Some people have experienced "pinging" with lower octane fuels, many have not. I would never use less than 93 only because you are going against manufacturers recommendations, so when it comes to warranty work, there's always the possibility of them denying the work as a result.

The warranty is probably the biggest issue IMHO (Like HuskyFan23 posted). Plus, its best to stick with what the manufacturer recommends. Over here in Arizona you can only get 91 Octane fuel, 93 Octane isn't available. So there is *some* room to fudge.

Basically all Gas is pretty much the same. Octane stabalizes the fuel so it detonates when it should. Higher Octane = more stable detonation. In some states Ethanol (or similar grain fuel) is added at different times of the year. This also has a stabalizing effect which may be why people don't report pinging issues with lower octane fuel.

If you look at the real cost, Premium fuel typically costs about $4-$5 more per tank full. While you can get away with lower octane fuel Premium will get you better performance and slightly better gas mileage than just plain 87 Octane.

So, stick with the High Octane fuel.

https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-discussion-3/no-more-detonation-%2Amiac%2A-121249/


If it doesn't ping, use reg.

MrCairo
What do base your statement on? Some people have dynoed higher hp(Without Pinging) using 87 with improved fuel mileage,

93 is hard to find in California...

93...?

The owner's manual recommends 91, not 93. It also says you can use lower, down to 87, "but this will slightly reduce performance."

I use 93, because a) I drink lots of Kool-aid and believe in the book, and b) pumps around here have 87, 89 and 93. I'm not anal enough to fill 50/50 with 89 and 93.

There are seasonal changes in gas, but ethanol is not one of them. Ethanol is in fuel in the US for political reasons.

Ken

The manual suggests 91+. In some states (California) you can't get 93 at regular pumps and 91 is considered premium.

I use 93 here in Florida, and I would suggest you use premium too.

Thanks again for your help!