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I have a question about gasoline thats offered in the USA mainly. I know that Sunoco ultra 94 has practically disappeared, but is still offered in parts of Ohio. 91 is mainly found in California...but with 89, what cars mainly use 89?
For the most part I think newer cars sold today require either regular 87, or Premium 91-93.... then why do we need 89?
There are literally pages of links on the web, and several threads here on CD, all about octane rating, etc.
Marketing, 'additive pkg' injected at tank farm, trying to differentiate brands, regional refining differences, etc, all contribute to the octane number game.
As to '89', I run it regularly on trips where a tank is blown through in a day or less, in 2 of my cars that call for 91+...at cruise speeds, under light load, it provides good mpg and offers no discernible diff in power or performance. All anecdotal...
GL, md
Gasoline is offered with an AKI from 85 to 94 in this country. Newer engines attempt to adjust to use fuel without detonation problems but it has to do with the compression ratio of the engine, the altitude, and the use (load, rpm, etc.).
Some vehicles will operate better in some conditions with a slight increase in octane and the distributors try to satisfy demand while making the best margin on what is available to them.
I have a question about gasoline thats offered in the USA mainly. I know that Sunoco ultra 94 has practically disappeared, but is still offered in parts of Ohio. 91 is mainly found in California...but with 89, what cars mainly use 89?
For the most part I think newer cars sold today require either regular 87, or Premium 91-93.... then why do we need 89?
Here in the Midwest, it's pretty standard for gas stations to offer 3 grades/octane ratings of gas.
87 Octane Non-Ethanol Gas
89 Octane Ethanol Blend (10% alcohol)
91 Octane Premium (it sometimes has 10% alcohol)
89 Octane will generally be the cheapest gas.
87 Octane will run 10 cents per gallon more than 89.
91 Octane will run 25-30 cents per gallon higher than 89.
I run 91 in my motorcycle, because it's manufacturer recommended. I run either 87 or 89 in my cars & truck.
The Chrysler Hemi calls for 89 octane for maximum performance, as did the Chrysler 4.0 liter V6 that recently went out of production.
Wow, thanks!! I never knew that!
In my turbocharged vehicle, I only run 93. I know some places offer 91, and if I had to use 91 I'd either have to drive it real easily or get a retune on my aftermarket standalone ecu.
Most octane boosters are hydrocarbon solvents already present in gas. Some claim to be real lead. Others are products have been banned by the EPA. It would take a lot of little 8 oz. bottles to actually provide any measurable increase. Claims that, "adding a 8 oz. bottle of our octane booster will raise octane 4 points". Actually, they mean .4 points. Sunoco did a test a couple of years ago and tested the major products on the market. None of them raised octane when used be the manufactures recommendation. In fact a couple actually lowered it. Only when dosing 4X the recommended volume, one product raised it a few points. The problem was they were only now up to 96-97 octane and had surpassed the cost of a tank of race gas.
Adding 10% Toluene by volume to your gas tank will boost octane. Toluene has a RON+MON/2 of 118 so it is very effective. Caution, do not spill on you paint or you will be sorry. Toluene is a major constituent in lacquer thinner and enamel reducers. *Toluene is available from most hardware stores and will boost octane a lot more than a little 8oz. bottle of a flash in the pan product.
I will stress this again, if you don't need it, higher octane fuel won't make a difference. In fact, the slower burn rate of higher octane solvents actually might slow the car down if you have a low compression motor.
Higher octane is only needed to keep a higher compression motor from detonation!
I have known people who thought higher octane was better regardless of your engine so purchased 89 thinking they were doing something good while still saving some money over the 93. In reality running higher octane wastes money and long term can cause carbon buildup on your fuel injectors.
Oddly, I recall many stations selling 86 octane while driving through New Mexico on I-40. Next grade was 88. Never understood why but bought the 88 just to be safe.
In my turbocharged vehicle, I only run 93. I know some places offer 91, and if I had to use 91 I'd either have to drive it real easily or get a retune on my aftermarket standalone ecu.
I drive a turbocharged vehicle as well. 93 is rare in these parts. 91 is the best we have. I run a methanol injection set up with the timing set for 23 degrees in 1st and 2nd gear, and 21 in 3rd and 4th gear. I have ran as much as 24 psi w/o issues.
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