What's your brand of gas?

[84porsche]

I have been watching gas types and octanes for a couple months now and it seems the companies are coming out with new types. For example: Chevron has Techron and Shell has this new V-Power stuff. Does any of this really make a difference in engine performance? Also why is 92 octane necessarily better for our cars versus 89 or 87? It is the refining process??

[cegerer]

With Carrera RS pistons (7:0 to 1 compression or so), I use the cheapest 85 octane I can find. If somebody sold 83 octane I'd buy that. Not bad for a 5 second 0-60MPH car. The Cayenne is a different story: 11.5:1 and 94+ octane all the way

[masraum]

Chevron 93 exclusively.

[makaio]

Chevron or Shell 91 Octane for the Porsche's. I would buy higher octane if we had it at the pumps here in Kalifornia, but 91's all we get.

[RoninLB]

I usually go for the clearest gas around. In NY Sunoco has clear gas.. it's the dye additive that sucks.

[chrispizza]

I was told to go with high octane by the but I purchased the car from, but I am getting tired of dropping $100 on a tank of gas. It is about $5 a gallon here. Does the 3.2 engine need high octane? They also don't sell unleaded here, so it is regular fuel.

[john70t]

Not an expert, but basically Octane is a measure of how quickly it burns (bang vs. shsssss). Anything that slows down that process has been added- lead, alcohol, etc...

The higher the octane the slower and usually more stabile it burns and the least likely it'll blow a big hole in the side of the engine block when you've advanced the timing too far by accident, it's 110deg outside, and you're stomping on it while lugging a big trailer up a hill.
Modern cars with knock sensors will safely advance the timing until they sense knock and thus will get more "power" out of higher octane.

Low compression engines in cold weather are much more immune to detonation and don't need high octane (as Curt mentioned).
Low octane gas has more energy(BTUs), but it's harder to turn into turning force(torque).

[john70t]

Unless you drive like grandma and are sure of the mixture/timing, high octane is worth the saftey factor.

In the S.F. bay area, I kept hearing that all the brand names got their gas from a single/several refineries so there wasen't any difference between Cosco and Chevron except for the additives which determined the octane grades. I don't know if that was true but it's something to keep in mind.
[edit: The 70T has something like 8.5:1 compression, but I still bought the highest Chevron.]

[Zeke]

Never had any problems with Unocal, Shell or Chevron. While I would like to run cheap gas, I won't. 89 for the Chebby truck and 91 for the Porsches and my beater Cadillac, wife commuter, parking lot car that has no garage. But it likes it's premium gas.

[Pettybird]

I bought a tankful of Shell 92 octane gas today for one of the Superbirds-- I don't know if I got a foul batch or not, but it was pinging like crazy. I have it on the ragged edge of timing for 92/93 octane, and it's really sensiitive. Big iron blocks make it very clear when they knock...

[Por_sha911]

I use the highest octane I can find at the pump: 93 here in the state of Tennessee. Brand doesn't seem to matter. The Techtron in Chevron gas is not the same as the additive you buy in the bottle.
BTW: Look at this "new" Shell "V-Power". Its a bunch of marketing hype. There is nothing different about it. They are just trying to get the poor folks to buy high octane for the granny-mobile. No additives, no extra special nothing. The only thing added is Pure BS.

[Nitrometano]

I use 91 or 93 octane for any independent gasoline garage, that cost me 46.9 cents per liter. But if no other independent garage are available I buy from Texaco, Exxon or Shell, Citgo, the 87 octane gas, because it cost me 52.9 cents per liter.

[araine901]

I have run Chevron 91 (used to be 92) since one of the Engine builders at Cosworth did my heads and told me to run that as a first choice. That was back when that was the only grade of Chevron that had Techron in it. Last time I had the heads off the CC's looked like they were painted with a light coat of ultra flat black paint. No build up or clumps of crud.

[vash]

i have never really worried about my type of gas. i dont buy from the mom and pop store tho. i stay with the main guys. for my pickup, i buy the stuff from costco. then i follow the delivery truck to the shell station by my house. for my pcar, i stay with chevron. octane depends on how close to payday.

[RANDY P]

Chevron in anything I own 92 octane in the 911 and 2 smaller bottles of techroline driven till an empty tank just before oil change.

rjp[

[K-Jetronic]

Is there a difference in octane between Europe and the US because here in Holland we can choose between 95 regular unleaded and 98 premium , of course I go for the 98 at 1,30 euros a liter.

Gerko
1978sc

[ScottKelly911]

Unical 76, 91 octane almost exclusively. I seem to get more HP from it AND better mileage than in anything else, maybe it's just me.

[Scooter]

Cheveron 92 octane exclusively in the P-Car, 87 in the Landrover.

[Steve87-911]

Chevron 91 in the 911. She likes it.
cheap (USA) 89 for the Pathy.
cheap 87 for the Honda...hell, the Honda would probably run fine on that trash-filled gas that Cheech and Chong siphoned into and poured out of that trash can.

[89 Speedy]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by john70t
[B]Unless you drive like grandma and are sure of the mixture/timing, high octane is worth the saftey factor.

In the S.F. bay area, I kept hearing that all the brand names got their gas from a single/several refineries so there wasen't any difference between Cosco and Chevron except for the additives which determined the octane grades. I don't know if that was true but it's something to keep in mind.

I hear the same thing about the gas companies in Honolulu . . . think the consumers will ever know the truth? Oh, and I use Chevron Custom Supreme.

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