Pinging & 87 Octane
 

My 8 seems to run a lot better on 87 octane. Tried switching back & forth(92) from tank to tank. I dont here any rattles/pinging but maybe the 8's pinging sounds different from piston slap?

I've used 87 octane for the last 36,000 miles. Some RX-8's do OK, while others will give the 'marbles-in-a-can' sound.

you mean detonition?

I have also found the joys of 87 octane. I used to put only 94 in and swear by it. Then I remembered my old RX-7 ran so much better on 87. I tried it in the 8 and could tell a difference right away.

Meaning it ran better or worse?

I used 93 octane for the first year and a half of owning, now I use only 87 and have no problems but a few extra dollars in my wallet.

i dont know i mean we all understand the reason behind higher octane, and it is recomended for all 8's. just because we cant hear it why chance it?

The RX8 can vary the timing in the car. It can retard the timing to cope with 87 octane, but much below that & you will get detonation. Seems 87 ocatne is at the lower range of the computers adjustment. Some people who have gone with 87 (that might be a bit lower in quality) have gotten detonation says that the computer is at the outer edge of the timing it is pulling.

Paying more than $3 for gas
Saving 10 cents a gallon
Potentially subjecting a sensitive engine to detonation, priceless

I can not use 87 in Arizona. I use 91 Shell in the summer time and I still have detination if the car idles for a minute or two and I accellerate fast (like getting on the freeway).
I have gotten away with 89 in the winter time here when the temps get below 80 degrees. But when the temp is 115,, 91 octane is all I can use.

The owner's manual specifies 91 octane for best performance. Then it says that you can use as low as 87, "but this will slightly reduce performance." The warnings about damage are for below 87.

It's my understanding that in the US cars are required to be able to run on 87. That goes back to the early days of unleaded, when unleaded above 87 wasn't that abundant, and the government hoped everyone would just need 87. My wife's Camry uses premium, and I believe the place where the manual says you can use 87 does not recommend it other than in a pinch.

Anyway, from the 8's manual, it seems like people saving that dime probably aren't doing any harm - but are leaving some performance on the table.

Ken

It's not about the $$$ just seems to have a little better response.

87 will give you better mileage and is cheaper.

It will also give you reduced performance. Why did you buy a sports car again?

You're saving $2.60 a tank. For me the $10 a month is the price of owning a sports car.

:)

I only use 87 octane in mine. It runs fine and gets 19-20 mpg in city driving.

Premium is not required. The owner's manual just says to use premium for maximum performance. Driving to and from work every day, I don't need maximum performance.

my quote of the day award goes to Curley

seriously...even if you use 100 gallons a month is the $20 you save really making or breaking the bank, because if it is stop driving a performance vehicle this instant...it is not the right car for you.

Then why stop at 93 octane? Why don't you guys custom mix some 100 octane gas for every tank? More is better, right?

Look at my mods list, of course I'm in it for the performance, I've run 96 octane in my car before and all I get is a super strong smelling exhaust thanks to the richness of the stock tune.

Besides, when Mazsport tuned the interceptor for the first time they found it made better power with the 87.

NA rotary engines can take a lot of detonation NA and never be damaged in the least.

I used to run 93, then after a while backed off the octane to 89, then 87. I've run 87 for more than 20K and never experienced detonation. Mazsport also stated the most powerful tune for NA was with 87 octane, which is in line with running lower octane on NA rotary engines of the past. I also drove a whole track day recently in 100 F temps with premix and the engine was fine there also.


edit: beat me to it about Mazsport, Staticlag. :)

Again :) It's not about the money! It's about the performance. I've read about the owners manual(dont belive everything I read). Wish I had acess to a dyno(too much hassels), so all I using is the "Ass Dyno" & the experince from people who know.

Why did I buy a sports car again? Humm? All I've owned was Sports cars, Sport Bikes & 4x4's. My Maxima is kinda like a 4 door sports car, get the picture? My family will NEVER get a mini van, tarus, malibu or even that square sion thing

^ the maxima is not a sports car... in any way.. its a freaking econo box.

No I don't get the picture. How is a Maxima like a sports car?

The manual says you can run 87 octane. Many people here run it with out any issues. Rotaries by design run better and stronger on lower octane because of the long slim combustion chamber. Rotaries by design are more sensitive to detonation, the apex seals will fail quickly from detonation. In a piston car the detonation will damage the piston and they are much stronger then a 1mm thick apex seal. This is why rotaries are more sensitive top detonation.

In summary, if your car is not pinging under 87 oct. then use it. The only purpose of higher octane gas is to prevent predetonation.

It's like a sports car since Nissan first proclaimed it so, the olde "4DSC"-era Maximas being the first I can recall... The cars actually had stickers on the inside of the rearmost side windows proclaiming they were THE "4DSC". This dates back to the model that was current in the early 90's.

4DSC=4-door sports car, BTW.

hmm he did say his maxima is KINDA like a 4 dr sport car. any how , woot cant wait for the holiday weekend :)

Why not compromise? Use 89!