Using 87, is 93 worth it?
- Thread starter MaxxLE
- Start date
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luigisho
SHO Member
100x yes, performance vs cost
Shoplus80
Member
Yes you won’t get pre-detonation with 93
Andrew J Szynaka
2012 SHO PP
Andrew J Szynaka
2012 SHO PP
Ta2dResqr
SHO Member
It's like sex... with a woman... who isn't your sister.
Zpak
Es Aich Oh!
Gotta pay to play
Haha alright, consider me sold!!
Devin
3.Slow
Prude!
yaycandy
Aerospace Engineer
Id have to try that one
Well, the saying for today is sh*t happens. I took @Ta2dResqr's advise and googled for 93 Octane gas stations near me, nothing in my county. Closest one is in Oakland California about an hour away. At about 6 PM I set out for Oakland in search of that sweet sweet 93. After an hour or more of driving I arrive to find that they have 87, 89, 91 AND ****** 100. So Im sitting there, thinking about why would anybody be needing 100 Octane, but I am not one to give up easily. The next nearest place is THE Sonoma Raceway (It was closer then Oakland I was just nervous to go there). So I set off for Sonoma Raceway, after another hour I get there and I am immediately greeted by security who are confused about a 16 year old kid asking for 93 Octane at 8 PM. Regardless they let me check out the pumps behind the entrance and I kid you not, then had EVERY SINGLE TYPE OF GAS OTHER THEN 93. IM TALKING 116 to 91, but 93 was no where to be seen. I didn't intend to buy any since I had to fill up at Oakland since I had enough to make it there from my house and planned to fill on 93 but that did not happen. Anyway Ill be running 91 instead of 87 for the time being.. but I refuse to be defeated.
Devin
3.Slow
Not sure why, but some states use 91 for Premium, some 92 (mine) and others 93.
91 seemed common in Montana when I drove through there.
91 seemed common in Montana when I drove through there.
California - is just weird in general - let me qualify - some of the strictest emissions standards in the world - let alone the US - every car maker has to abide by. Cant buy anything that hasnt passed CARB standards - no blow off valves, or even more benign parts - but has a plethora of racing gasses, and sets the premium standard to 91.
Here in FL we have 93 thankfully. I have stations like Racetrac and WAWA, WAWA sells non ethanol, but rated at 87 for small gasoline engines. Ethanol steals HP - yet in a state like FL - good luck finding a Sunoco which does sell race gasses. I recently went to a station, which in FL is rare, that had 87/89/91/93 - they mostly only carry 87/89/93.
Maybe someone can check my knowledge - to run higher than 93 - you can develop issues on a car that isnt tuned. Even tuned for me at 92 - 93 is all I will use, however if I needed and could only get 87 - need a new tune otherwise pre-detonation could be a problem.
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California is weird. For a lot more things then emissions and automotive restrictions lol. For the time being I can do 91, still better then 87. I am road tripping through Sacramento this summer and see they have a 93 gas stations there so ill set myself up to stop by on my way through.
luigisho
SHO Member
Yeah there are counties, cities and states that only go to 91. I think alaska uses 90. Use the best that is available.
GEN 3 SHO FAN
SHO Member
I remember watching a TV show on cars reviews and one day someone talk about the impact of wrong octane fuel on engine designed for high octane fuel (91 here IIRC). He said that an engine of 250 hp designed for high octane (I forgot the specific car sadly) running on standard octane (87) will drop around 200-225 hp. Because the engine cannot use the best timing for the combustion. It will run, you will not broke anything but you don't have all your hp.
Zpak
Es Aich Oh!
Even the fine print on the SHO HP and torque ratings state, “running 93 octane.”
802SHO
Stock Cams
Isn’t California even weirder than described….it’s to my understanding you can do whatever you want to your vehicle, eliminating every emission compliant part off of it, never being subject to an emission readiness check until it becomes of a certain age depending on when it was built. So basically a complete and total disregard of emissions until it’s too old. The only time such modifications become illegal is if you get caught racing/driving reckless then you’d be subject to some sort of referee (something like that) then you’d be required to get it back into compliance immediately. But a radically asinine way of being hypocritical about pollution.
Thanks for yet more insight..... depressing.
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Sent from my SM-T860 using Tapatalk
Ecoboost_xsport
SHO Member
I live in Sacramento, they don't have 93 anywhere that I'm aware of, but there is one single station with 100 at the pump. It's a Flyers gas station that sells Sonoco 100oct Race Gas at the pump....it's pricey though.
