Thinking of switching to 90 octane
04-18-2013, 08:06 AM
#1
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 44
Thinking of switching to 90 octane
Just wondering if anyone has tried it. Reason why I am thinking of switching to it is because it is a non ethanol fuel, which in theory should make my car run better, produce more mileage, and be cleaner to run in my engine due to no ethanol.
This is my first turbo, awd, and stick car just seeing if anyone has any input on this. I know ethanol free gas is real big in some northern states. The only con so far I can come up with us the price. It's about 10-15 cents more expensive.
This is my first turbo, awd, and stick car just seeing if anyone has any input on this. I know ethanol free gas is real big in some northern states. The only con so far I can come up with us the price. It's about 10-15 cents more expensive.
04-18-2013, 08:20 AM
#3
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 44
I work for a fuel distribution company. Ethanol is one of the worst things that is put into your engine. It breaks down your seals, clogs your injectors, and wears out your parts. That's why most motorcycles, boats, and old cars continually have to be rebuilt.
04-18-2013, 08:27 AM
#5
That's only if you don't covert the right parts to run ethanol. As for clogging injectors, that really depends on the blend. I have heard from some of the evo guys that had a clogged injector issue...but I forget which brand of e85 mixture they were running.
04-18-2013, 08:38 AM
#6
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 44
Gotcha. At any rate the better gas mileage will still apply considering ethanol burns faster than fuel. And given anything 87-93 is 10% ethanol. 85 is 15%. I know several people that use it just none of them are turboed.
04-18-2013, 09:20 AM
#7
Just to give you a heads up 93 octane is recommended minimal octane rating in Japan and 91 is the minimal in the US. So if you choose to run 90 octane, you will have to get tuned for that gas. Otherwise you risk a lot of detonation.
04-18-2013, 10:52 AM
#8
Registered User
iTrader: (4)
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Livermore
Posts: 2,127
Car Info: LUMPY CGM 05 WRX
Well Damn it all to hell I'm running 85% ethonol. Lol. I'm no rocket scientist but. ....91 octane actually burns slower than 87, 89, or 90. 90 octane will have more tenancy to detonate without a proper tune. I would not run it unless tuned/or in this case detuned for it. The milage gains probably won't be worth the performance loss.
Last edited by Shayhan27; 04-18-2013 at 10:56 AM.
04-18-2013, 11:04 AM
#9
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 44
10-4 thanks for the input guys. They only offer 93 100 and 85 around here where I'm at I was just looking to prolong the life of my engine. I hate ethanol it's so bad for your parts. Ill do some more research on it but will probably be sticking with 93 for the time being.
04-18-2013, 11:10 AM
#10
10-4 thanks for the input guys. They only offer 93 100 and 85 around here where I'm at I was just looking to prolong the life of my engine. I hate ethanol it's so bad for your parts. Ill do some more research on it but will probably be sticking with 93 for the time being.
04-18-2013, 11:27 AM
#11
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 44
Run 93 at the bare minimal. I would not run 90 without tuning for it. That also goes for 93 as well. However, running higher octane is better than running on low octane. You need a Cobb Accessport so that you can use one of their off the shelf maps suitable for 93 octane.
04-19-2013, 09:13 AM
#13
If in doubt, FLAT OUT
iTrader: (33)
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Nor Cal SJ
Posts: 7,039
Car Info: 2010 Hatch, 2011 Sedan
The first step to that is to make sure everything the car has STOCK works properly before you start messing with things. Picking things you think will work or that "someone told me blah blah blah" isn't the path to efficient or effective in most cases.
04-19-2013, 09:56 AM
#14
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 44
Since you seem to have a lot of bad info, your best bet is to stick with 91 and seek the advice of a good shop that knows what they are doing. Ethanol has LESS energy than gas. Your mileage will go DOWN, not up, even when tuned for it.
This is not a he said she said bit of information. I'm in the fuel distribution business, the company I work for owns 5 marathons and an automotive shop. I gathered this information by seeing it first hand. Not to mention the state of Michigan is strictly an ethanol free state. You will void your warranty if you use it in a car that you buy there. With pure fuel you get better gas mileage, plus less wear and tear on your engine.
The first step to that is to make sure everything the car has STOCK works properly before you start messing with things. Picking things you think will work or that "someone told me blah blah blah" isn't the path to efficient or effective in most cases.
04-19-2013, 09:57 AM
#15
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 44
[QUOTE="04GG;3386621"]
Since you seem to have a lot of bad info, your best bet is to stick with 91 and seek the advice of a good shop that knows what they are doing. Ethanol has LESS energy than gas. Your mileage will go DOWN, not up, even when tuned for it.
This is not a he said she said bit of information. I'm in the fuel distribution business, the company I work for owns 5 marathons and an automotive shop. I gathered this information by seeing it first hand. Not to mention the state of Michigan is strictly an ethanol free state. You will void your warranty if you use it in a car that you buy there. With pure fuel you get better gas mileage, plus less wear and tear on your engine.
Since you seem to have a lot of bad info, your best bet is to stick with 91 and seek the advice of a good shop that knows what they are doing. Ethanol has LESS energy than gas. Your mileage will go DOWN, not up, even when tuned for it.
This is not a he said she said bit of information. I'm in the fuel distribution business, the company I work for owns 5 marathons and an automotive shop. I gathered this information by seeing it first hand. Not to mention the state of Michigan is strictly an ethanol free state. You will void your warranty if you use it in a car that you buy there. With pure fuel you get better gas mileage, plus less wear and tear on your engine.