Which gas do you all use/prefer?
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Which gas do you all use/prefer?
A lot of ppl use many different stations and grades of gas, and I was wondering is there really a noticable difference in performance when you use a higher grade gasoline, such as Sunoco's Ultra 94? Many ppl say Sunoco is the best gas to use cuz it burns better/cleaner, less emissions, highest octane available, no MMT (Manganese), has a natural gas line anti-freeze, low sulphur... etc etc. I just want your opinions, cuz I filled up today for the first time with Ultra 94 and I want to know if it's really worth using the higher grade gas. Also, don't say u only use a certain gas station cuz of points or air miles (which is what I go for)... but... I want opinions on a "performance" basis... thanks!
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From: Mary Star Of The Sea
Rep Power: 0 actually Petro Canada is the best...it has an engine cleaning additive in it...plus it's made in Canada...it really is what you should be using...and 87 octance is what's best for our engines...sure the higher octance might give you a little boost, but not really, but it costs more and you use more of it...so I suggest sticking to 87 octance at Petro Canada...
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From: Toronto (Ajax), Ontario, Canada
Rep Power: 0 i usually go to petro canada to fill up anywhere i am or to ESSO nothing else ......i use the middle one all the time just because it has that cleaning stuff in it and i have always use it on any car i drive .......it doesn't do nothing but does make me feel better it's only an added dollar on the final gas price so it's nothing too big
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From: Waterloo, Ontario
Rep Power: 0 Sunoco Regular.. I heard that it's really clean gas, and the higher octane is better for your car and the environment around us [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/IMG]
Machina, tell me more about the Petro Canada stuff..
Machina, tell me more about the Petro Canada stuff..
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From: Scarborough, Ontario, Canada
Rep Power: 0 I use Sunoco Regular too... but I've heard that if you fill up with Ultra94, you get better mileage... but the costs are about the same, just that you fill up more frequently with regular, and less frequently with ultra94... but I haven't tried myself since gas prices are so high... [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/IMG]
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From: , Other, ZEBRA
Rep Power: 0 Tis was taken from another message board:
haha, an intake and muffler will never change your car's fuel requirements from regular to premium fuel. Unless you play with the timing or compression ratio, no higher octane fuel will go hand-in-hand with better performance. Spend a few hours and do some quality research. Those who have are telling you to stick with 87. You may think you KNOW it makes an increase in performance but in a Protege5 I guarantee it is the placebo effect you are feeling.
You are going to believe what you want but if you or anyone else actually cares about what is best for their car, they will research it and discover that regular will burn cleaner and leave less hydrocarbon build-up than premium in a new, low compression vehicle. Octane prevents early ignition(knocking) thus raises the threshold of spontanious combustion by pressure alone. This also means that your normal engine will not as easily ignite and completely burn off a premium octane fuel than a regular octane. So it is wasteful and leaves more residual carbons to build-up and slowly clog parts of your engine. Also, a lesser combustion will result in less pressure created and thus less power.
Basically, if you raise the octane, you need to find a way to burn the fuel more completely. Some possibilities are increase the compression(pistons, forced induction) or get hotter spark plugs.
I'm just trying to let people know what is best for their cars. If you don't want to believe some of this, do some research yourself or choose to live in ignorance.
haha, an intake and muffler will never change your car's fuel requirements from regular to premium fuel. Unless you play with the timing or compression ratio, no higher octane fuel will go hand-in-hand with better performance. Spend a few hours and do some quality research. Those who have are telling you to stick with 87. You may think you KNOW it makes an increase in performance but in a Protege5 I guarantee it is the placebo effect you are feeling.
You are going to believe what you want but if you or anyone else actually cares about what is best for their car, they will research it and discover that regular will burn cleaner and leave less hydrocarbon build-up than premium in a new, low compression vehicle. Octane prevents early ignition(knocking) thus raises the threshold of spontanious combustion by pressure alone. This also means that your normal engine will not as easily ignite and completely burn off a premium octane fuel than a regular octane. So it is wasteful and leaves more residual carbons to build-up and slowly clog parts of your engine. Also, a lesser combustion will result in less pressure created and thus less power.
Basically, if you raise the octane, you need to find a way to burn the fuel more completely. Some possibilities are increase the compression(pistons, forced induction) or get hotter spark plugs.
I'm just trying to let people know what is best for their cars. If you don't want to believe some of this, do some research yourself or choose to live in ignorance.
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Rep Power: 0 Thanks for all the replies everyone. I guess it all just comes down to a personal preference to which gas ppl use, and how conveniently it's located to where they live. Altho, after reading what SkyGorGor posted, I have to agree that there's some point (in my opinion) to what he was saying about using a higher octane gas in a lower compression engine, and how it won't completely burn... etc etc. I think I'm just gonna have to try everything and see which I like...
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From: Barrie (just north of T.O), Ontario, Canada
Rep Power: 0 I usually use Shell bronze but about every 3 fill ups I will put in Gold just to to keep the lines clean. I do think that what that other guy posted seems pretty realistic. I think that using the highest octane gas in our type of vehicles is a waste, but it couldnt hurt to rotate one in there once a month.
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From: , Other, ZEBRA
Rep Power: 0 Actually, if you want to clean your fuel lines and stuff, you should use a fuel system cleaner, and NOT a higher octane gas. It's like, would you put in a bottle of octane booster over a bottle of fuel system cleaner to "clean"? As said in the link I provided, octane is not a rating for performance...it's not going to do any good to have the unburnt fuel to build up inside your engine.
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Rep Power: 0 Well, I've tested out Sunoca's Ultra 94 these past 2 days... and I don't know if it's any better than Shell Gold (91 Octane), which is what I was using prior to trying Sunoco. This might sound weird, but in my opinion, it actually feel like there's less of a boost now, then when I was using Shell Gold. Do you think it's because the octane is so high that the fuel is not igniting as effeciently as it should be? I mean, our cars are suppose to use 86 octane or higher, but premium isn't a must. So I think 94 octane is just a tad too high for our engines. I floored it on the highway today and I didn't feel that same "kick" that I used to feel with Shell Gold. Same with accelerating from a dead stop. I'm still in the experimenting stages... so after I drain this tank, which will probably take a lot of driving... I'm gonna try using Sunoco's Plus (89.5 Octane) and Supreme (92 Octane). And if nothing satisfies me... it's back to Shell Gold for me.
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From: , Other, ZEBRA
Rep Power: 0 Ok...first of all, read the links that I provided before.
Second, putting in a tank of regular after "draining" a tank of premium is not instantly going to give you regular gas...your system is so diluted it will take roughly 2-3 tanks for the gas to become all regular.
Third, your car's computer can sense what octane gas you are using. It will then automatically advance or retard timing so that the gas will burn efficiently. But as said before, on a stock car or a car with basic bolt-ons, you will not need anything over what is recommended, which is regular low octane gas. Using the higher octane will only leave you with carbon build-up over time.
Lastly, the feeling that you got by using the Ultra94 could either be because the computer hasn't had enough time to re-adjust itself to the optimal timing, or it could be all in your head.
Stick with whatever type of gas you want to use and stick with it.
Second, putting in a tank of regular after "draining" a tank of premium is not instantly going to give you regular gas...your system is so diluted it will take roughly 2-3 tanks for the gas to become all regular.
Third, your car's computer can sense what octane gas you are using. It will then automatically advance or retard timing so that the gas will burn efficiently. But as said before, on a stock car or a car with basic bolt-ons, you will not need anything over what is recommended, which is regular low octane gas. Using the higher octane will only leave you with carbon build-up over time.
Lastly, the feeling that you got by using the Ultra94 could either be because the computer hasn't had enough time to re-adjust itself to the optimal timing, or it could be all in your head.
Stick with whatever type of gas you want to use and stick with it.
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From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Rep Power: 0 Order of Preference:
1. Sunoco
2. Sunoco
3. Petro Canada
4. Esso
....
99999. Shell
Tried all the different gasses before on a '93 Accord I used to have. Shell GOLD gas makes the car feel more lethargic than Sunoco Regular!
Both Sunoco and Petro Canada have ethanol in their gas, which is an octane enhancer, engine feels smoother with it, Esso haven't tried extensively.....but I'd stay away from Shell....I always fill up usually Sunoco Regular, and monthly with Sunoco Ultra 94
1. Sunoco
2. Sunoco
3. Petro Canada
4. Esso
....
99999. Shell
Tried all the different gasses before on a '93 Accord I used to have. Shell GOLD gas makes the car feel more lethargic than Sunoco Regular!
Both Sunoco and Petro Canada have ethanol in their gas, which is an octane enhancer, engine feels smoother with it, Esso haven't tried extensively.....but I'd stay away from Shell....I always fill up usually Sunoco Regular, and monthly with Sunoco Ultra 94
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[hr]Originally posted by: SkyGorGor
Ok...first of all, read the links that I provided before.
Second, putting in a tank of regular after "draining" a tank of premium is not instantly going to give you regular gas...your system is so diluted it will take roughly 2-3 tanks for the gas to become all regular.
Third, your car's computer can sense what octane gas you are using. It will then automatically advance or retard timing so that the gas will burn efficiently. But as said before, on a stock car or a car with basic bolt-ons, you will not need anything over what is recommended, which is regular low octane gas. Using the higher octane will only leave you with carbon build-up over time.
Lastly, the feeling that you got by using the Ultra94 could either be because the computer hasn't had enough time to re-adjust itself to the optimal timing, or it could be all in your head.
Stick with whatever type of gas you want to use and stick with it.[hr]
[hr]Originally posted by: SkyGorGor
Ok...first of all, read the links that I provided before.
Second, putting in a tank of regular after "draining" a tank of premium is not instantly going to give you regular gas...your system is so diluted it will take roughly 2-3 tanks for the gas to become all regular.
Third, your car's computer can sense what octane gas you are using. It will then automatically advance or retard timing so that the gas will burn efficiently. But as said before, on a stock car or a car with basic bolt-ons, you will not need anything over what is recommended, which is regular low octane gas. Using the higher octane will only leave you with carbon build-up over time.
Lastly, the feeling that you got by using the Ultra94 could either be because the computer hasn't had enough time to re-adjust itself to the optimal timing, or it could be all in your head.
Stick with whatever type of gas you want to use and stick with it.[hr]
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From: , Other, ZEBRA
Rep Power: 0 No, I don't know a lot about gas.
I use Petro Canada or Esso regular simply because there are a lot of those around where I live, and around the GTA. It's just a convenience thing. No matter what brand it is I always pump regular.
I use Petro Canada or Esso regular simply because there are a lot of those around where I live, and around the GTA. It's just a convenience thing. No matter what brand it is I always pump regular.
