dumb question?

[dbm197]

I am new to sports cars because I have never really wanted one until now. I am going to buy a 1994 3000Gt SL and it says it takes premium gas.. since I am only using it as a car and not a racer, can I use regular or ultra in it? or will it just make the engine crap.

Thanks
DBM

[Stealthee]

use 93.

This has been discussed NUMEROUS times. You will end up paying more using anything less because you will get less mileage.

[AutostradaVR4]

i'd also recommend avoiding the cheap stuff (i.e., wal-mart gas.)

you would think 93 is 93...but i've filled up on cheap-o 93 a couple of times and the difference is noticable. I didnt figure it out exactly, but i estimate i got about 2mpg less on the cheap stuff. Dont know why though.

Now all i use is Shell 93. ~21mpg avg every tank.

[dbm197]

ok thanks

thats what I figured but with the price of gas these days I was hoping otherwise

[lamehonda]

plus you might risk detonation?? I don't personally know much about these cars, but you don't won't the fuel going boom before it is supposed to. Proportionally, at least in my area, high octane fuels are now a better value than low octane. The used to cost 20% more. Now they run about 5-10% higher. Definately worth the extra cash.

[AutostradaVR4]

i believe our ECUs moniter and detect knock, and will 'detune' the engine to combat it, thus ruining performance (and MPG).
Not sure of the specifics or exactly how it achieves this, but i bet stealthee does

[lamehonda]

Can the car cope with 85 octane?

[AutostradaVR4]

i bet the SOHC could, but probably not the DOHC. I bet it would fire up, but sound like shit and certainly not rev that high. At any rate, i'm sure it wouldnt be good for it and would probably knock like a mofo.

engines are suirprisingly resiliant and adaptable though, so i'm probably wrong. You remember the mythbusters where they tortured that poor smallblock? and then the one where they had a normal, no-mods engine running on natural gas?

[scuba0100]

I had detonation once from putting reg. in. As soon as i put some octane booster in it, she pepped back up again. But personally i wouldn't cheap out on the good stuff.. even though gas is rediculously expensive right now it's worth not having those bigger problems later.

[Stealthee]

Originally Posted by scuba0100

I had detonation once from putting reg. in. As soon as i put some octane booster in it, she pepped back up again. But personally i wouldn't cheap out on the good stuff.. even though gas is rediculously expensive right now it's worth not having those bigger problems later.

I dont buy that one bit.

Octane booster is a freakin joke. When it says it boosts octane 4 points it means .4 octane. So if you put in 87 octane and then some booster, iots now 87.4 octane.

As for the SOHC it could prob survive 85 octane if it were available. I wouldnt use it though. My car may not be a speed machine but 87 is the lowest it will ever see.

[Girly VR-4]

Originally Posted by Stealthee

I dont buy that one bit.

Octane booster is a freakin joke. When it says it boosts octane 4 points it means .4 octane. So if you put in 87 octane and then some booster, iots now 87.4 octane.

As for the SOHC it could prob survive 85 octane if it were available. I wouldnt use it though. My car may not be a speed machine but 87 is the lowest it will ever see.

I think I always put 85 in Hans' 97 SOHC. I'm a cheap-ass. HAHAH

I never had a problem with the car at all. It ran like a champ still, and the gas mileage was still awesome. (I'm really gonna miss that car...)

[lamehonda]

Quickly changing to low grade from 93 in one fill up might not allow the ECU to adjust?

[Stealthee]

As soon as the ECU sees knock its going to pull timing.

[Crackhedbob341]

How does it pull timing? And where???

[AutostradaVR4]

it pulls it out around back and beats it for asking ignorant questions and being a smartass