Premium vs Regular Fuel

[L J]

I dunno, the owner's manual says 93 Octane, I have no problem following their recommendations. The first gen Cadillac SRX with the big-ass Northstar and AWD that I traded in for this TourX was a wallet draining fillup at the pumps.

Even with 93 running @ ~$4.60 a gallon in these parts I've yet to put more than $35.00 in the tank, this thing gets better gas mileage than my 2016 Regal Turbo. Not sure how that's possible as the Regal is smaller and lighter but the TourX has consistently used less gas doing almost the same driving loops as the Regal. Maybe it's the transmission and the proclivity of getting to top gear at about 40 MHP...

And just FYI, after bugging several of you (well... all) about the Trifecta tune, I ordered it this morning, now I can't wait to get it.

Nice your getting tune, and can get 93 octane for under $5 a gal.
PS Hell we can only get 91 octane and are paying more then that for it. Not sure who screwed us on that deal, but guessing it was the crazyfornia leader who ruined his state, and our weak governor Sillylakie.

 

[Tazmontana]

Nice your getting tune, and can get 93 octane for under $5 a gal.
PS Hell we can only get 91 octane and are paying more then that for it. Not sure who screwed us on that deal, but guessing it was the crazyfornia leader who ruined his state, and our weak governor Sillylakie.

I was using Petro-Canada's Ultra 94 octane until the prices skyrocketed. But now I can't justify the .45 cent spread from regular since we buy it by the litre. Filled up yesterday with reg 87 at $1.65/L. For reference, 1 US gallon is 3.8 litres, so that's CAD$6.27 / US$5.00 per gallon. Been averaging between 8 and 10 litres/100kms with 87 octane, (which I think is about 25-30 mpg on the ancient scale), so considering it's been a long, cold winter, I'm not complaining about the mileage. As for the price, yeah, we think it's expensive in North America, but put it in perspective. Compared to what most other industrialized nations are used to paying, it's still a bargain. My cousin in the UK texted me yesterday and said he's is paying £1.66 per litre, which works out to over US$8.00 per gallon! It's even more in mainland Europe.

 

[L J]

I was using Petro-Canada's Ultra 94 octane until the prices skyrocketed. But now I can't justify the .45 cent spread from regular since we buy it by the litre. Filled up yesterday with reg 87 at $1.65/L. For reference, 1 US gallon is 3.8 litres, so that's CAD$6.27 / US$5.00 per gallon. Been averaging between 8 and 10 litres/100kms with 87 octane, (which I think is about 25-30 mpg on the ancient scale), so considering it's been a long, cold winter, I'm not complaining about the mileage. As for the price, yeah, we think it's expensive in North America, but put it in perspective. Compared to what most other industrialized nations are used to paying, it's still a bargain. My cousin in the UK texted me yesterday and said he's is paying £1.66 per litre, which works out to over US$8.00 per gallon! It's even more in mainland Europe.

Thanks Tazmon.. for cheering me up on the great deal we are getting compared to someplaces.... but I kinda liked what we were paying a year or two ago.

 

[PeterGunn]

Nice your getting tune, and can get 93 octane for under $5 a gal.
PS Hell we can only get 91 octane and are paying more then that for it. Not sure who screwed us on that deal, but guessing it was the crazyfornia leader who ruined his state, and our weak governor Sillylakie.

Yeah, you probably don't want to hear I paid $4.18 a gallon for 93 octane yesterday then...

I hate how that seems like a good deal when it should be 2 bucks a gallon *Cough* Keystone Pipeline *Cough*

 

[saab93driver]

Yeah, you probably don't want to hear I paid $4.18 a gallon for 93 octane yesterday then...

I hate how that seems like a good deal when it should be 2 bucks a gallon *Cough* Keystone Pipeline *Cough*

You must belong to some kind of club or discount program to get that price? Regular gas at Raceway/Wawa is running $4.09 yesterday in central Florida, now up to like $4.18 this morning.

 

[L J]

Yeah, you probably don't want to hear I paid $4.18 a gallon for 93 octane yesterday then...

I hate how that seems like a good deal when it should be 2 bucks a gallon *Cough* Keystone Pipeline *Cough*

Gasbuddy says 91 octane is $5.13 at Costco here, 87 is $4.79.

 

[L J]

Seems staying home is costing more too, Fox says electricity and natural gas prices are spiking too.
Glad I got my load of LPG stored in the back.

 

[PeterGunn]

You must belong to some kind of club or discount program to get that price? Regular gas at Raceway/Wawa is running $4.09 yesterday in central Florida, now up to like $4.18 this morning.

Yup, two actually, Costco and BJ's, BJ's has 93 octane for $4.18 as of yesterday here in Clearwater. Granted BJ's isn't a top tier fuel but Costco only has 91 octane and the line at Costco was looooooooooooooong.

 

[L J]

Yup, two actually, Costco and BJ's, BJ's has 93 octane for $4.18 as of yesterday here in Clearwater. Granted BJ's isn't a top tier fuel but Costco only has 91 octane and the line at Costco was looooooooooooooong.

I wondered if Costco had 93 octane premium in areas that have 93 available.

 

[D2R]

Yup, two actually, Costco and BJ's, BJ's has 93 octane for $4.18 as of yesterday here in Clearwater. Granted BJ's isn't a top tier fuel but Costco only has 91 octane and the line at Costco was looooooooooooooong.

You know, that is probably why the line was looooooooooooooooong. 😉

 

[Tom N]

I've been running my 2019 TourX Essence on premium fuel since it was new. With fuel prices out of control I started to run on regular fuel to save 50 to 60 cents per gallon. I haven't noticed any difference in normal driving. I would appreciate any comments from members who have been running regular fuel routinely. Thanks

Thanks everyone for your input. Based on some of the comments about possible piston damage, I "bit the bullet" and switched back to premium.

 

[L J]

Thanks everyone for your input. Based on some of the comments about possible piston damage, I "bit the bullet" and switched back to premium.

If you notice no difference in performance ...your car probably does not notice either. It is going to protect itself by retarding timing a little if need be. Unless your running at WOT up Baker grade for 20 minutes when 115 degrees while pulling a trailer.. 87 octane is acceptable as stated by GM. Most people do not use all 250 horses but for only a small percentage of the time, so engine is hardly stressed. If it was a horse it would barely break a sweat. But do whatever makes you and your pistons sleep well at night.

 

[L J]

https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2014/04/11/tech-101-octane-the-facts-and-the-fiction-behind-those-higher-priced-fuels

 

[L J]

Sounds like unless you have a vehicle that requires premium, your wasting your money since there is no improvement in mileage or performance per Hemmings article.

 

[Thundermtn]

I switched over the last three fill ups to a 50/50 blend of 93 with 10% ethanol and 91 with no e, after running 93 with 10% e for nearly the whole life of the car.

I can tell a difference in the cars perceived power, especially in the peak of the torque curve. When I'm up in the high rpm range though there's no felt difference in power. With the slight increase in mileage along with a slight increase of "butt dyno" power I'll continue to use this blend. If I pop for the car wash discount I'm getting premium for the price of 89 so the money I'm spending over regular is small enough that I don't sweat it.

I ran 89 with 10% e for a few tanks in the winter of last year. I never really ripped on it with that fuel but I did notice a very slight drop in mileage.

 

[L J]

I switched over the last three fill ups to a 50/50 blend of 93 with 10% ethanol and 91 with no e, after running 93 with 10% e for nearly the whole life of the car.

I can tell a difference in the cars perceived power, especially in the peak of the torque curve. When I'm up in the high rpm range though there's no felt difference in power. With the slight increase in mileage along with a slight increase of "butt dyno" power I'll continue to use this blend. If I pop for the car wash discount I'm getting premium for the price of 89 so the money I'm spending over regular is small enough that I don't sweat it.

I ran 89 with 10% e for a few tanks in the winter of last year. I never really ripped on it with that fuel but I did notice a very slight drop in mileage.

So at peak torque between 3000 rpm and 4000 rpm on higher octane, you perceive more power but above 4000 rpm there is no difference in perceived power?

 

[Thundermtn]

It's should be very nearly 92 octane, or 1 point lower on the AKI than what I've been running for the life of the car, but probably around the 5% range on the amount of ethanol in the fuel vs. the 10% e 93 I was running. It's not a lot of difference but it's perceptible.

 

[L J]

It's should be very nearly 92 octane, or 1 point lower on the AKI than what I've been running for the life of the car, but probably around the 5% range on the amount of ethanol in the fuel vs. the 10% e 93 I was running. It's not a lot of difference but it's perceptible.

Yeah I think there is a slight difference in power on higher octane too, but not sure its not the placebo effect or wishful thinking.

 

[RegalMN]

https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2014/04/11/tech-101-octane-the-facts-and-the-fiction-behind-those-higher-priced-fuels

Again, if your engine is tuned for 87, 91 won't help. But if your engine is tuned for 93, 87 may cause knock or lower performance. That article does not discuss the latter.

 

[L J]

Again, if your engine is tuned for 87, 91 won't help. But if your engine is tuned for 93, 87 may cause knock or lower performance. That article does not discuss the latter.

Maybe I misunderstood the part about required versus recommended fuel in the article.