rx8cited

Fuelish thoughts:

Not all gas is the same. It might start out the same, but the cheap stuff is most likely missing detergents that the good stuff has. Use www.TopTierGas.com in your car - read the following article. "Your car is a temple, so put in the good stuff" - http://www.caranddriver.com/article....&page_number=1

"But how do you know which brands have the right kinds of detergents and additives to keep your injectors clean? Until recently, that was a tough question to answer, but in 2004, representatives from BMW, General Motors, Honda, and Toyota got together to specify what makes a good fuel.

They called their agreed-on standard "Top Tier" and published it for the various gasoline retailers to voluntarily meet. So far, eight companies currently sell gas that meets the Top Tier standard. You can read about them at www.toptiergas.com."

From "Regular or Premium?" - http://www.caranddriver.com/article....&page_number=1

"Cheapskates burning regular in cars designed to run on premium fuel can expect to trim performance by about the same percent they save at the pump. If the car is sufficiently new and sophisticated, it may not suffer any ill effects, but all such skinflints should be ready to switch back to premium at the first sign of knock or other drivability woes."

rx8cited

auzoom

Ha Ha...I do it for no other purpose than I feel my car runs better and feels stronger than on premium fuel. I would love them to do their tets on a rotary engine.

Andrew

rxeightr

Follow the www.toptiergas.com suggestions for gas. Also note that ALL grades of gas offered by that company must meet these rigid standards.

Personally I've been using 87 Shell for well over a year, with not the slightest problem of any kind. Even tracked Road Atlanta for (2) days without issue.

The side benefit was increased gas mileage (~1 mpg) over 91 octane.

rx8cited

Me too - 2 years, 21000+ miles.

Umbra

There are about 13 or so different base mixtures of gas in the US due to air pollution regulation.

I've seen dyno tests run on various cars comparing 87 vs. 91. There generally is about a 5hp difference between the two because the ECU retards the timing with lower grades of gas.

So if you don't care about performance get 87, if you do get 91 like your supposed to per the owner's manual.

LucasET

I'm in eastern Iowa, and the most common stations around here are BP. I use the highest octane I can (92). I'm pretty sure it is not an ethanol blend as the other grades have an ethanol blend sticker by the pump. But, when I go to visit my parents in NW'ern Illinois, I always fill up with Shell (93 V Power). I can tell a huge difference between Shell and BP. It feels like my car is more responsive and I get 2-3 MPG better with Shell (for the same price). Whatever additives they put into their gasoline must really agree with the renesis <--good use of deductive logic. When in doubt, do what the manual says.

Bigdog6060

Who would have thought that people with 30 grand cars would be so cheap, at the most its what like an extra 4 dollars a pump? why risk it?????

Ole Spiff

I can't speak for anyone's car but my own, but when I switched to Shell 87 regular from using 91 premium, my car ran better. It idled smoother and was easier to start from a standing stop. The engine seemed more responsive and overall it just ran better. At first I thought it was my imagination but after trying 87 for a month, then switching back to 91 for a couple of tanks, then switching back to 87 it was not my imagination. For some unknown reason my car likes Shell 87 and actually performs better with it than 91.

Of course that was almost 2 years ago and I don't remember what ECU flash I had at the time but I've had several since then so I might try a few tanks of 91 now to see if it still has the same effect as before. Plus since then I've purchased and installed RB's intake and exhaust so that may have changed things in favor of 91. I'll try a couple of tanks next time I have to fill up and see what happens.

rx8cited

I like to live on the edge :D.

Depending one your driving habits and performance demands, and your car, 87 octane my not be the choice for you, but it works for me.

The Owner's Manual says "You may use a regular unleaded fuel with Octane Rating from 87 to 90 (91 to 95 RON) but this will slightly reduce performance."

The "slightly reduced performance" of my car with 87 octane is just fine with me. One size does not fit all here.

As I understand it, the ECU will adjust the timing as necessary to prevent knock.

2 years, 21k miles, on 87 octane Shell and never had a CEL, engine trouble, and no new engine required yet. I'll post when something bad happens.

I would/have never put in anything less than a
Top Tier Gas.

Having said that, if my engine made any unusual noises, the first thing I'd do is start running 91/93 octane.

rx8cited

auzoom

HYMEE!!! SCO!!! where are you.

Can sCaNalyser show knock retard? If so I might speak to Taka and see if we can do some runs with 81, 95 and 98RON fuel.

Andrew