New higher octane gas from fracking demands a bigger pricing spread. The mixture we call gas in US is made of various hydrocarbons, mainly paraffins, naphthenes and olefins. Some crude, depending on its origin is not as easy to crack into higher octane, and with the bio-ethanole not being subsidised any longer this could be a factor..
Any harm in using higher octane?
- Thread starter gregk24
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Give it a try. Some engines are pickier about octane than others. Worst case all that's hurt is your wallet.
My brother ran a vehicle requiring 87 on 93 for several years. Deposits formed and eventually it started lightly knocking on 93. The vehicle was stepped down gradually from 93 to 87 after I bought it from him. Any heavy acceleration would cause.detonation until it had run on 87 for 5 or 6 tanks and had a spark plug change. YMMV but in your case I would stick with 87.
I also had a vehicle that began to knock lightly in the late fall. Turned out that there was water in the tank, either from a questionable station or condensation. 3 consecutive tanks with Drigas cleared it up.
Hope that helps.
I also had a vehicle that began to knock lightly in the late fall. Turned out that there was water in the tank, either from a questionable station or condensation. 3 consecutive tanks with Drigas cleared it up.
Hope that helps.
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Higher octane gas not only costs more, it has less BTU's per gallon...
Check your spark plugs, spark plug wires, and knock sensor.
Check your spark plugs, spark plug wires, and knock sensor.
OVERKILL
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Originally Posted By: Kuato
My brother ran a vehicle requiring 87 on 93 for several years. Deposits formed and eventually it started lightly knocking on 93. The vehicle was stepped down gradually from 93 to 87 after I bought it from him. Any heavy acceleration would cause.detonation until it had run on 87 for 5 or 6 tanks and had a spark plug change. YMMV but in your case I would stick with 87.
I also had a vehicle that began to knock lightly in the late fall. Turned out that there was water in the tank, either from a questionable station or condensation. 3 consecutive tanks with Drigas cleared it up.
Hope that helps.
I ran my Mustang (called for '87) on 91 (because I advanced the base timing to 14 degrees) for years. When I took the heads off it the pistons looked fantastic.
Mind you the engine had the living tar beat out of it regularly (it was like one constant ITU) but I don't think that higher octane gas causes deposits. It is more resistant to preignition and burns a bit slower, which allows you to run more ignition advance.
My brother ran a vehicle requiring 87 on 93 for several years. Deposits formed and eventually it started lightly knocking on 93. The vehicle was stepped down gradually from 93 to 87 after I bought it from him. Any heavy acceleration would cause.detonation until it had run on 87 for 5 or 6 tanks and had a spark plug change. YMMV but in your case I would stick with 87.
I also had a vehicle that began to knock lightly in the late fall. Turned out that there was water in the tank, either from a questionable station or condensation. 3 consecutive tanks with Drigas cleared it up.
Hope that helps.
I ran my Mustang (called for '87) on 91 (because I advanced the base timing to 14 degrees) for years. When I took the heads off it the pistons looked fantastic.
Mind you the engine had the living tar beat out of it regularly (it was like one constant ITU) but I don't think that higher octane gas causes deposits. It is more resistant to preignition and burns a bit slower, which allows you to run more ignition advance.
On some of these Accords with the 4 cylinder, there was a problem with the EGR manifold in the intake where it would clog and only recirculate exhaust into a few cylinders. This caused light throttle pinging. You may want to check into whether your engine is affected. I believe there is a bulletin from Honda.
OP, what is your definition of rapid acceleration? Do you usually drive like a grandma?
If you aren't getting the car over 3K RPM daily, I'm betting carbon is at play here. Really on a car like this, over 4-5K RPM regularly is something you should shoot for. The engine will thank you with better performance. Pour some Techron in it, give it some hard runs up some on ramps, and I bet this issue will be resolved before long.
Ford actually had a TSB a while back that suggested running the OHV 4.0 over 3,000 RPM "at least once a day" to prevent carbon buildup.
If you aren't getting the car over 3K RPM daily, I'm betting carbon is at play here. Really on a car like this, over 4-5K RPM regularly is something you should shoot for. The engine will thank you with better performance. Pour some Techron in it, give it some hard runs up some on ramps, and I bet this issue will be resolved before long.
Ford actually had a TSB a while back that suggested running the OHV 4.0 over 3,000 RPM "at least once a day" to prevent carbon buildup.
No, using higher octane won't cause any harm, and it might stop the occasional pinging. As an aside, is "gas" in the US rated differently to here? Our three levels of petrol are 91, 95 and 98, measured in RON.
Thanks for the link. So US uses AKI, most other places use RON. Cool.
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I've often wondered when we buy top tier gas,are we REALLY getting top tier,or getting ripped off?
I run 87 because it's cheaper and fresher.. win win! The high octane stuff sits around forever due to the higher cost. Waste of money , IMO.
Get a bottle of chevron techron for your next fill and get 'er revving high... that should clean up the carbon you got built up.
You're over-thinking this.
Get a bottle of chevron techron for your next fill and get 'er revving high... that should clean up the carbon you got built up.
You're over-thinking this.
Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl
OP, what is your definition of rapid acceleration? Do you usually drive like a grandma?
If you aren't getting the car over 3K RPM daily, I'm betting carbon is at play here. Really on a car like this, over 4-5K RPM regularly is something you should shoot for. The engine will thank you with better performance. Pour some Techron in it, give it some hard runs up some on ramps, and I bet this issue will be resolved before long.
Ford actually had a TSB a while back that suggested running the OHV 4.0 over 3,000 RPM "at least once a day" to prevent carbon buildup.
4-5K regularly? It's an auto, would this not equate to earlier than normal clutch pack wear? Also it rarely gets up to temp so high rpm driving does not happen often. When I do get on the interstate (rare) I'll wind it up to 4K as I get on the on ramp.
OP, what is your definition of rapid acceleration? Do you usually drive like a grandma?
If you aren't getting the car over 3K RPM daily, I'm betting carbon is at play here. Really on a car like this, over 4-5K RPM regularly is something you should shoot for. The engine will thank you with better performance. Pour some Techron in it, give it some hard runs up some on ramps, and I bet this issue will be resolved before long.
Ford actually had a TSB a while back that suggested running the OHV 4.0 over 3,000 RPM "at least once a day" to prevent carbon buildup.
4-5K regularly? It's an auto, would this not equate to earlier than normal clutch pack wear? Also it rarely gets up to temp so high rpm driving does not happen often. When I do get on the interstate (rare) I'll wind it up to 4K as I get on the on ramp.
No, you won't wear the auto out by giving it a rev every now and then. And on your short drives, no, I wouldn't be redlining it either. But on those on-ramps, hold it flat, let it rev right out, it'll love you for it! You'll be amazed how much c r a p will be blown out the exhaust first time you really get up it.
Right! and what some folks do is a seafoam treatment through the brake booster. It makes a mess with smoke but clears the crud out.
On an old car, changing out the (anti-ping)crank sensor solves pinging, not sure of newer stuff.
ez pz
On an old car, changing out the (anti-ping)crank sensor solves pinging, not sure of newer stuff.
ez pz
Well, there's your problem.
No, 4-5K RPM won't wear it out. The PCM will bump up the line pressure. That's really not that much RPM, especially for a modern vehicle, but it's enough to keep the head(s) clean. My truck shifts quicker when I really get on the throttle. It softens shifts if I drive like a grandma.
My truck has seen countless 5500 RPM shifts. Original transmission. Only opened once to change the filter, and the pan was nice and clean, just a little clutch gunk on the magnet. Less than I have seen in many vehicles with fewer miles on the transmission. If I remember right, your car is on its second one, so I don't think keeping the RPM down did much to prolong its life.
I would get the engine up to temp before wailing on it, though I frequently hit 4K RPM pulling out of the lot at work, after the truck sits for hours. Again though, 4K isn't that much really. If all you do is short trip, it will probably benefit the car in many ways to get a good highway run in every now and then, once a week or so. With the car not getting up to temp and not seeing high RPM, it definitely has some carbon buildup. Take it out on your days off and run it hard on the highway. If you find that boring, get a different car. If you think it will kill the car, again, get a different car.
No, 4-5K RPM won't wear it out. The PCM will bump up the line pressure. That's really not that much RPM, especially for a modern vehicle, but it's enough to keep the head(s) clean. My truck shifts quicker when I really get on the throttle. It softens shifts if I drive like a grandma.
My truck has seen countless 5500 RPM shifts. Original transmission. Only opened once to change the filter, and the pan was nice and clean, just a little clutch gunk on the magnet. Less than I have seen in many vehicles with fewer miles on the transmission. If I remember right, your car is on its second one, so I don't think keeping the RPM down did much to prolong its life.
I would get the engine up to temp before wailing on it, though I frequently hit 4K RPM pulling out of the lot at work, after the truck sits for hours. Again though, 4K isn't that much really. If all you do is short trip, it will probably benefit the car in many ways to get a good highway run in every now and then, once a week or so. With the car not getting up to temp and not seeing high RPM, it definitely has some carbon buildup. Take it out on your days off and run it hard on the highway. If you find that boring, get a different car. If you think it will kill the car, again, get a different car.
Originally Posted By: Jimzz
If its pinging at all running 87 in that car you need to fix the problem, not mask it by running higher octane fuel.
^^This. Your car is designed to run perfectly fine on 87 without pinging. If it's pinging on 87, there's something wrong with it. And the proper fix is not to just use higher octane.
If its pinging at all running 87 in that car you need to fix the problem, not mask it by running higher octane fuel.
^^This. Your car is designed to run perfectly fine on 87 without pinging. If it's pinging on 87, there's something wrong with it. And the proper fix is not to just use higher octane.
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: Kuato
My brother ran a vehicle requiring 87 on 93 for several years. Deposits formed and eventually it started lightly knocking on 93. The vehicle was stepped down gradually from 93 to 87 after I bought it from him. Any heavy acceleration would cause.detonation until it had run on 87 for 5 or 6 tanks and had a spark plug change. YMMV but in your case I would stick with 87.
I also had a vehicle that began to knock lightly in the late fall. Turned out that there was water in the tank, either from a questionable station or condensation. 3 consecutive tanks with Drigas cleared it up.
Hope that helps.
I ran my Mustang (called for '87) on 91 (because I advanced the base timing to 14 degrees) for years. When I took the heads off it the pistons looked fantastic.
Mind you the engine had the living tar beat out of it regularly (it was like one constant ITU) but I don't think that higher octane gas causes deposits. It is more resistant to preignition and burns a bit slower, which allows you to run more ignition advance.
I can only report what I experienced, and surmise that without advancing the timing, you'd probably have had deposits too.
Originally Posted By: Kuato
My brother ran a vehicle requiring 87 on 93 for several years. Deposits formed and eventually it started lightly knocking on 93. The vehicle was stepped down gradually from 93 to 87 after I bought it from him. Any heavy acceleration would cause.detonation until it had run on 87 for 5 or 6 tanks and had a spark plug change. YMMV but in your case I would stick with 87.
I also had a vehicle that began to knock lightly in the late fall. Turned out that there was water in the tank, either from a questionable station or condensation. 3 consecutive tanks with Drigas cleared it up.
Hope that helps.
I ran my Mustang (called for '87) on 91 (because I advanced the base timing to 14 degrees) for years. When I took the heads off it the pistons looked fantastic.
Mind you the engine had the living tar beat out of it regularly (it was like one constant ITU) but I don't think that higher octane gas causes deposits. It is more resistant to preignition and burns a bit slower, which allows you to run more ignition advance.
I can only report what I experienced, and surmise that without advancing the timing, you'd probably have had deposits too.
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