Octane Question.....

Bluevoodu

Bluevoodu

Site Founder
DOes the higher octane fuels provide better gas mileage?  or lower?

I know higher allows for better horse power (not by much) in engines that can benefit from it.

just curious...

BV :hat
 
From what Ive read a few years ago, it doesnt make a difference. Just that you should at least use the minimum that your car requires. Ive also read that people would put rocket fuel in their cars, but it wont make your car faster. That's about all I know.
 
Alright..I prolly sound stupid...but are you talking about unleaded, super, n that stuff?

Cause I know with that, the better quality you choose, the less watered it is. You're car will get a ton better miles per gallon. We jus went over this in my advanced engine technology class. :lol
 
so you are sure about that?

This is just normal unleaded......  87 vs 89 vs 93 octane.  I wouldn't go higher than 93 octane.

I am just curious if it is worth the extra $0.20 per gallon for premium.. if there would be more of a cost benefit for the miles per gallon.

@ creepin.... supposively the premium gas in the accord gives it around 10 extra horse.... now... that is what the dealer said after I bought the car.... not before. I was asking about which gas it took.... and he threw that in as that was the data they received.

I know in some cars that state to use 87 Octane... using premium can cause slight damage over time to the engine (supposively... that was in a news report and some articles that I read). But I asked (3 times to make sure)... and they said you could use premium no problems. IF there is not a cost benefit for extra MPG, then I won't consider it. I won't put premium in there just for an extra 10 (around 10) horse.

BV :hat
 
Yep, I'm absolutely positive...I've learned it from numerous sources..but my Engine Tech teacher seals the deal. He knows his stuff. :)

Hope I helped in some way
 
Strubes said:
Yep, I'm absolutely positive...I've learned it from numerous sources..but my Engine Tech teacher seals the deal. He knows his stuff. :)

Hope I helped in some way
Click to expand...
yes you did :)

I am going to do a test to see how much of an advantage... I Am draining the tank close to E, then I am going to fill up with 93 Octane... and see how much extra MPG is seen.

I am a bit worried though...  after reading the articles about engines that took 87 octane could be hurt by burning premium in them.  Even though the Honda people said its is perfectly ok.... I am a little worried about it.  I am sure 1 tank wouldn't hurt it...  but if it made a decent increase in mpg and I decided to keep on doing it... I don't want to hurt the engine in anyway.  I'd like to get AT LEAST 10 years out of this car as I did with my Mustang :)

The thing about the Mustang GT's from 95... since that was the newer body style (before the 99-00 revision) it still looked really good.  It was sort-of odd looking back at the boxier looking Mustangs after seeing the newer sleeker mustangs.... but the 95 body style is very nice IMO.

It is also weird going from a Mustang all my life to a Honda Accord....  Even though it is a sportier ride, it still doesn't have the feel of the stang :lol 
my mustang was only 215 Horse (yes, the gt), BUT the torque was arond 300.....  that was really nice.
The honda is 245 horse, but only 211 torque or something like that.  It is a quick car though. The shifting has taken me a little time to get used to. I am still getting used to it. the 1st gear kicks in a little high in the clutch. The rest of the gears are ok. I miss the engine sound of the stang. The honda is pretty quiet.... it has a little bit of a growl though.... which is nice :) Mostly in 1st gear though. Hey, it is a nice v6 though.

I'll try to take some pics and post them. I am going to post some pics of my stang as well.

BV :hat
 
Ohhh haha sorry...guess I missed it.

Yea, I'd say give it a shot, I think you'll notice the difference. I don't think it'll harm the engine system...but...if it did...is there a warranty or anything?
 
Strubes said:
Alright..I prolly sound stupid...but are you talking about unleaded, super, n that stuff?

Cause I know with that, the better quality you choose, the less watered it is. You're car will get a ton better miles per gallon. We jus went over this in my advanced engine technology class. :lol
Click to expand...

Your class was misinformed then. I've worked in five gas stations (4 marathons and 1 shell). We had water readings in the gas tanks. I have never seen any evidence that higher octane has lower water in it. (And the fort wayne marathons all have ZERO water in the fuel tanks.)

As was stated before, use the lowest octane required for your car. Putting premium in a car with a 4-banger won't increase your mileage or performance.
 
v-6... not v-4. :)

maybe I am wrong on the Grindspine... I think water down .... he meant it wasn't as pure of a fuel.... or something to that matter.  Everyone knows (or should know) water in the gas tank is a bad bad bad thing :D

thanks for the information grindspine :) I appreciate it.

†B†V† :hat
 
Heh. Maybe I can help??

Octane ratings are basically way to tell if a fuel will aid in the resistance of detonation.
The higher the cylinder pressure, or static compression ratio, there's a bigger chance that an engine will detonate.

Now before I go on, I'll define detonation. Detonation is when the fuel/air mixture in the cylinder explodes before the piston reaches top dead centern (TDC). Two ways this can be fixed is by adjusting the timing (the time that the spark egnites the fuel/air mixture) and bumping up the octane rating in the fuel it's self.

So no, high octane fuel will not add horsepower. It will allow a high performance engine achieve the maximum HP rating. So there is no benefit in buying the good stuff for grandma's grocery-getter. If your car says to use 91, then use it. It will aid in longer engine life. But if your car can handle 87 without any negative side effects, then cheap out.

As for dumping the good stuff in a low compression (8.5 dynamic or lower) you're just throwing money away. And 91 burns slower. So in some high mileage cars, it could help make the engine deisel when you shut it off, assuming that the odometer hints that Moses owned the same year make and model.

And by the way, fuel can't really be watered down. It's a petroleum base product. Water and fuel/oil/etc do not mix. In fact, gas companies will use water in their pipelines because the fuel flots on top of the water. This lowers the risk of a friction-based explosion.
 
creepindeth04 said:
Not just any old hammer but a SLEDGEhammer.  :)
Click to expand...

I broke a sledgehammer before....lol doesn't that suck. :lol

Anyways, I feel stupid for trying to give advice...only to learn that I was totally wrong and was thinking of something totally different. Sorry BV. :-[
 
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