What Octane grade are you running?

[yOGi420]

Been running 89 in all my personal vehicles forever. I might try out the 91 but I really don't think 2 points is going to mean much. I also feel, if your vehicle does not have the need for higher octane then not only are you wasting money but actually losing power. That is how it is with small single cylinder motors and I would think the same would be true on an auto motor, but on a larger scale. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[YukonCrazy]

I have only been putting 89 octane in. If the owner's manual called for a higher octane, I would put it in, but since it doesn't, just going to save the money.

 

[mfdrookie516]

My only concern with mid grade has always been whether or not you're really getting what you pay for. I know that most (if not all?) stations mix Regular and Premium at the pump to get mid, and I just question whether or not most stations truly give you what you''re supposed to get.

 

[08grey]

Yea I agree about wondering what you get. I get gas at a really busy Sunoco always and they have 87 89 91 93. And I always wonder how they get 4 grades out there so often.

 

[Goodinblack]

Octane is simply the resistance to burn.

 

[guy from norcal]

Octane is simply the resistance to burn.

yeah, burns my walet i usually run 87

 

[TheFuzz]

Octane is simply the resistance to burn.

More accurately, it's a fuel's resistance to detonation...not necessarily the same thing. Basically higher octane allows the fuel to be compressed more (and reach a higher pressure/temperature) without detonating on it's own before the spark plug fires.

I've heard that the 5.3's in the GMT900 trucks were optimized for 89 octane, hence the reason I run mid-grade. Not all mid-grades are blended fuel - find a gas station with three dedicated tanks. You can tell by the fuel manhole covers, there are two covers for each tank (one is the tank filling port and the other one is access to the turbine sump that pressurizes each tank). Six manhole covers = three separate tanks.

 

[mfdrookie516]

Interesting. The gas station I worked at had 3 holes... 87, 93, Diesel. The pumps were all in the pump housing. I guess they were old school. It was an old full service station.

I may try 89, although I'll likely have to re-tune since my tune is optimized for 93 octane.

 

[Goodinblack]

More accurately, it's a fuel's resistance to detonation...not necessarily the same thing.

Yeah yeah whateva.

It what I meant. I did not want to write a 2 paragraph answer like you.

 

[TheFuzz]

I'm long winded....

 

[pmexpert]

98 here

 

[Dave01]

I just bought a 2010 Tahoe LTZ, and am running 87 so far.

If it isn't knocking, I don't believe there is an advantage to running higher octane.

 

[TheFuzz]

Theres a difference between pinging that reduces power and efficiency, and audible knocking...and although the root cause for both is pre-ignition detonation, you'd be hard pressed to actually hear an engine pinging/knocking without there being something significantly wrong going on inside the motor.

Having recently learned a little more about altitude vs octane from Justin @ BBP, I've just switched to Shell V-Power 91 (pretty much the best you can get around here). Essentially, the lower octane crap they give us up here is useless to any car with a modern EFI system that automatically compensates for altitude. These motors really need 89 or better to run efficiently, and since 87 is the highest you can get before hitting premium, I'd rather just run 91 and be done with it.

Going back to Ohio next month - looking forward to getting some Sunoco 93 in the tank when I get there.

 

[zieglerj-pdm-specialist]

You only need 92 or higher to prevent knocking which is known in high performance vehicles. My Yamaha R1 needs 94 or higher due to the performance needs, when I punch it I need the ignition to blow up and take off. If your a casual driver 87 (no Ethanol) will give you the same results from 87 (without Ethanol) to 93. My Denali needs 93 because of my pulse plugs and my Cold air intake and turbo generating 4 PSI so I need a little richer octane to handle the higher intake of air. If I would get it tuned I could maybe drop the octane for now but in my Bonneville's I use 87 except my Bonneville GXP with the North Star V8 engine I use 93 also because of the demand with K&N cold air intake. I guess it just what you feel that's best for your state of mind. Put 93 and calculate the MPG then put in 87 without ethanol and do the same I bet it would be close if not identical. The reason I go with no ethanol is because it introduces junk into your engine, keep it clean unless you have a Hybrid, no hybrid don't put ethanol in your tank.

---------- Post added at 06:58 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:55 PM ----------

i just bought a 2010 tahoe ltz, and am running 87 so far.

If it isn't knocking, i don't believe there is an advantage to running higher octane.

(amen dave 01)

---------- Post added at 07:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:58 PM ----------

98 here

Where? Where? Where? Where? Where? Where? Where? Where? Where? Where? Where? are you getting 98 octane fuel. The highest I have ever seen at a pump is 94 and that was near a Drag Track other wise the highest 92 and if your lucky you may run into 93?

 

[pmexpert]

Where? Where? Where? Where? Where? Where? Where? Where? Where? Where? Where? are you getting 98 octane fuel. The highest I have ever seen at a pump is 94 and that was near a Drag Track other wise the highest 92 and if your lucky you may run into 93?

It is in Russia. You can buy RON 98 easily here. If you need 104 or 116, you have to order from the companies that selling race fuel

 

[Marc_Rez]

Shell 93(V-Power)

 

[TheFuzz]

You only need 92 or higher to prevent knocking which is known in high performance vehicles. My Yamaha R1 needs 94 or higher due to the performance needs, when I punch it I need the ignition to blow up and take off. If your a casual driver 87 (no Ethanol) will give you the same results from 87 (without Ethanol) to 93. My Denali needs 93 because of my pulse plugs and my Cold air intake and turbo generating 4 PSI so I need a little richer octane to handle the higher intake of air. If I would get it tuned I could maybe drop the octane for now but in my Bonneville's I use 87 except my Bonneville GXP with the North Star V8 engine I use 93 also because of the demand with K&N cold air intake. I guess it just what you feel that's best for your state of mind. Put 93 and calculate the MPG then put in 87 without ethanol and do the same I bet it would be close if not identical. The reason I go with no ethanol is because it introduces junk into your engine, keep it clean unless you have a Hybrid, no hybrid don't put ethanol in your tank.

I don't mean to sound like a dick...but you don't have a clue what you are talking about. Or, if you do, you've done a less than stellar job of articulating your point. Lets get a couple of things laid out on the table.

1. Not all areas have fuel without ethanol. Around here, all gas stations have ethanol and there isn't anything we can do about it.

2. Not all areas have access to 93+ octane fuels. 91 is the best that it gets from here to Cali, unless you're paying out the ass for race fuel (which isn't practical for daily driven vehicles).

3. If a vehicle is optimized for high octane fuel from the factory, 90 octane should be sufficient, motorcycles included, due to the varying octane levels of "premium" fuel around the country. The lowest grade of premium I have encountered is 90, sold at most stations in NW texas and some parts of NM (and possibly other areas of the country too, those are just the places I've found it). It would be counterintuitive of a car manufacturer to produce a vehicle that requires fuel of a higher grade than can be commonly found anywhere in the country.

Is your R1 modified from stock? If not, then it shouldn't require 94 octane...if that were the case, it'd be awfully hard for Yamaha dealers to sell them in parts of the country that only have 90 or 91 at the pump. And as far as your Yukon goes, you mentioned that it's turbocharged and requires a "richer octane" due to the turbo and pulse plugs (which are a gimmick btw) and K&N. I'm assuming you meant "higher" octane, and a "richer" A/FR, which would only be required because of the turbo, the other mods notwithstanding. Then, again you mentioned needing 93 on your Bonneville because of the K&N intake. Really? If you think you need to run 93 simply because you slapped an intake on your car, then I've got a bridge to sell you. An intake has nothing to do with requiring a higher octane.

I think you need to do a little more research on your own mods and what types of fuel are available in a given area before making suggestions as to what other people should put in their tank. GM might market these trucks as being capable of running on 87, but I trust the folks at Black Bear who have scanned and tuned thousands of these trucks. If they say 89 is where it's at to prevent pinging, I'm inclined to listen to them. YMMV.

 

[zieglerj-pdm-specialist]

I don't mean to sound like a dick...but you don't have a clue what you are talking about. Or, if you do, you've done a less than stellar job of articulating your point. Lets get a couple of things laid out on the table.

1. Not all areas have fuel without ethanol. Around here, all gas stations have ethanol and there isn't anything we can do about it.

2. Not all areas have access to 93+ octane fuels. 91 is the best that it gets from here to Cali, unless you're paying out the ass for race fuel (which isn't practical for daily driven vehicles).

3. If a vehicle is optimized for high octane fuel from the factory, 90 octane should be sufficient, motorcycles included, due to the varying octane levels of "premium" fuel around the country. The lowest grade of premium I have encountered is 90, sold at most stations in NW texas and some parts of NM (and possibly other areas of the country too, those are just the places I've found it). It would be counterintuitive of a car manufacturer to produce a vehicle that requires fuel of a higher grade than can be commonly found anywhere in the country.

Is your R1 modified from stock? If not, then it shouldn't require 94 octane...if that were the case, it'd be awfully hard for Yamaha dealers to sell them in parts of the country that only have 90 or 91 at the pump. And as far as your Yukon goes, you mentioned that it's turbocharged and requires a "richer octane" due to the turbo and pulse plugs (which are a gimmick btw) and K&N. I'm assuming you meant "higher" octane, and a "richer" A/FR, which would only be required because of the turbo, the other mods notwithstanding. Then, again you mentioned needing 93 on your Bonneville because of the K&N intake. Really? If you think you need to run 93 simply because you slapped an intake on your car, then I've got a bridge to sell you. An intake has nothing to do with requiring a higher octane.

I think you need to do a little more research on your own mods and what types of fuel are available in a given area before making suggestions as to what other people should put in their tank. GM might market these trucks as being capable of running on 87, but I trust the folks at Black Bear who have scanned and tuned thousands of these trucks. If they say 89 is where it's at to prevent pinging, I'm inclined to listen to them. YMMV.

All I know Ethonal is not good for vehicles that don't have the ethonal sticker on them. They burn at a lesser heat and don't give you the power needed in som vehicles on the road today. I have my R1 Drag race ready so I need the higher octan.

 

[Vigilant]

After running both 89 and 93 octane for some time, I have found that, without a tune, mine does considerably better on 89. Once the tune is in place, I am confident that 93 will be worth the extra money at the pump.

 

[MABX13]

I put 89 every time i fill up because i think 87 makes the engine sputter too much like if its weak octane for the engine but thats just me . its not really noticeable like that