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Old 09-30-2008, 07:33 AM
 
Location: bethlehem PA
248 posts, read 794,100 times
Reputation: 85

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if it says so in your manual? i was told when i bought my mini, (which was supposed to take super) that as long as you pick a grade and stick to it you were ok. it is the switching back and forth that causes the problems.

any truth to this?

also does it make a difference if it is a turbo charged engine? i dont want to ruin my (new) car cause i am too cheap to use premium gas, but if one is as good as the other - well, DUH no brainer!!

thanks.
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Old 09-30-2008, 07:51 AM
miu
 
Location: MA/NH
17,758 posts, read 40,008,193 times
Reputation: 18033
Yes, you do need to run premium gas in your car if that's what it says in your owners manual. Not running premium will hurt the performance of your car and also damage the internals of your engine in the long run.

I don't get it, you spend a lot of money on getting a brand new turbo charged car, then you try to cheap out by buying the cheapest gas at the gas station. If money is a problem for you, then don't buy a car like that.
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Old 09-30-2008, 08:05 AM
 
Location: lumberton, texas
652 posts, read 2,657,758 times
Reputation: 259
I have a car that is turbo charge as well and states that it needs prem. gas.
athough the manual says prem is 91 oct. Most gas stations sell 93 as prem and 89 as mid.

I asked several mechanics about this. I am not cheap and I can afford the gas if need be, but I also dont throw money out the window. What I was told is this. reg. gas will most likely cause problems. Mid grade ga(s however will most likely be okay. You will have decreased power. I personally, do not have a lead foot and my car provides way more power than I will ever use. They also (everyone I asked) told me to listen extremely carefully to the engine to make sure that there is no knocking. They also told me to put mid grade in when the tank was half full of prem. the next couple of tanks should only be filled about half full so that if you do incur knocking you can quickly fix the problem.
I have been doing mid grade since july and every coulple of fill ups I will do a 1/4 tank prem. that just makes me feel better. I am told it is not needed.
I personally have not even noticed the decreased performance. I have a VW.
hope that helps a little.
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Old 09-30-2008, 08:40 AM
 
Location: bethlehem PA
248 posts, read 794,100 times
Reputation: 85
Quote:
Originally Posted by miu View Post
Yes, you do need to run premium gas in your car if that's what it says in your owners manual. Not running premium will hurt the performance of your car and also damage the internals of your engine in the long run.

I don't get it, you spend a lot of money on getting a brand new turbo charged car, then you try to cheap out by buying the cheapest gas at the gas station. If money is a problem for you, then don't buy a car like that.
ironically enough - after all the research i did (and i did A LOT) i never heard that you could only use premium gas. the salesman never mentioned it - shocker - and i never even thought to ask about it.

it was only after i set the wheels in motion (so to speak) of purchasing the car that i realized, from reviews that i hadnt seen before, that the car required premium gas.

it isnt that i CANT afford it, its just that i drive A LOT and i hate to throw extra money down the tank if i dont really need to.

thanks for the advice everyone!
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Old 09-30-2008, 09:43 AM
 
Location: Keller, TX
5,658 posts, read 6,243,601 times
Reputation: 4111
My car requires 91 or 93 (93 is what we have around here). It's all about the compression ratio. Maybe the ECU could adjust to 89, but I don't want to push it to save a couple bucks a month. 87 is known to cause problems including detonation (which is basically early combustion when the cylinders aren't ready for it due to the fact that lower octane gas combusts more readily). Detonation can lead to damage.

In your turbo I wouldn't even mess with anything but the highest octane available.
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Old 09-30-2008, 09:58 AM
 
8,777 posts, read 19,754,099 times
Reputation: 5290
Quote:
Originally Posted by wowbaby View Post
ironically enough - after all the research i did (and i did A LOT) i never heard that you could only use premium gas. the salesman never mentioned it - shocker - and i never even thought to ask about it.

it was only after i set the wheels in motion (so to speak) of purchasing the car that i realized, from reviews that i hadnt seen before, that the car required premium gas.

it isnt that i CANT afford it, its just that i drive A LOT and i hate to throw extra money down the tank if i dont really need to.

thanks for the advice everyone!
It's perfectly acceptable to blend 93 with 87, at a 2:1 ratio, to achieve 91 octane. When mid-grade(89) first came out, most stations didn't have a seperate tank for it. They just used a valve that drew super and regular at a 1:2 ratio from the underground tanks, to produce mid-grade. Provided that you're paying at the pump with cards, it shouldn't be a PITA to blend it yourself.

The oil companies know that we are lazy and stupid. Most people can't figure out that they're being screwed the most when they buy mid-grade, which typically is priced at the halfway point between regular and super. Only problem is, 89 isn't midway, 90 is(87+93/2).
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Old 09-30-2008, 10:01 AM
 
Location: Phoenix metro
20,004 posts, read 77,099,267 times
Reputation: 10370
My car also requires premium, and thats all Ill use. Dont fudge around with the manufacturer's suggestions just because youre cheap (for lack of better term). If you dont want to run premium, go get another car, simple as that.
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Old 09-30-2008, 10:03 AM
 
Location: lumberton, texas
652 posts, read 2,657,758 times
Reputation: 259
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stratford, Ct. Resident View Post
It's perfectly acceptable to blend 93 with 87, at a 2:1 ratio, to achieve 91 octane. When mid-grade(89) first came out, most stations didn't have a seperate tank for it. They just used a valve that drew super and regular at a 1:2 ratio from the underground tanks, to produce mid-grade. Provided that you're paying at the pump with cards, it shouldn't be a PITA to blend it yourself.

The oil companies know that we are lazy and stupid. Most people can't figure out that they're being screwed the most when they buy mid-grade, which typically is priced at the halfway point between regular and super. Only problem is, 89 isn't midway, 90 is(87+93/2).
I now feel like an idiot! not that I couldnt have figured that out but I guess I was to lazy to think about it.
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Old 09-30-2008, 10:05 AM
 
Location: RSM
5,113 posts, read 19,683,410 times
Reputation: 1927
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nepenthe View Post
My car requires 91 or 93 (93 is what we have around here). It's all about the compression ratio. Maybe the ECU could adjust to 89, but I don't want to push it to save a couple bucks a month. 87 is known to cause problems including detonation (which is basically early combustion when the cylinders aren't ready for it due to the fact that lower octane gas combusts more readily). Detonation can lead to damage.

In your turbo I wouldn't even mess with anything but the highest octane available.
this is correct. turbos usually involve higher compression ratios as well, so dont mess with it.
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Old 09-30-2008, 10:05 AM
 
8,777 posts, read 19,754,099 times
Reputation: 5290
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nepenthe View Post
My car requires 91 or 93 (93 is what we have around here). It's all about the compression ratio. Maybe the ECU could adjust to 89, but I don't want to push it to save a couple bucks a month. 87 is known to cause problems including detonation (which is basically early combustion when the cylinders aren't ready for it due to the fact that lower octane gas combusts more readily). Detonation can lead to damage.

In your turbo I wouldn't even mess with anything but the highest octane available.

Compression ratios in factory turbos tend to be lower than normally aspirated engines. You're relying on wikipedia too much.
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