GM wants a standard high octane gas

[ATex7239]

Originally Posted By: y_p_w
Originally Posted By: ATex7239
87 octane isn't going anywhere, any more than non-TT gas has gone by the wayside due to more and more manufacturers requiring TT gasoline. If people will buy it, people will sell it.

I've seen countless people pumping 87 discount gas into luxury and/or high performance vehicles, which I know spec high-test TT fuel.

People on here care about oil and gas variants. But, most folks wait for the gas light or change oil light to come on, then fill it up with discount gas and bulk oil from the service station. Continuing on about their day without a second thought to it.

Modern engine management means nothing bad will really happen. Maybe they don't have much of a butt dyno, but in the end it's not that big a deal especially for someone who doesn't drive a car hard.

In some cases it doesn't make financial sense given price differences between 87 and 91. Obviously it allows for better fuel economy relative to the volume of fuel. I just filled up at a local Costco where premium was $2.999 and regular was $2.799/gallon. If the premium results in 10% better fuel economy, then it actually makes sense to use it solely for fuel economy. However, most people don't have enough information to know if it really does.


An informed choice is one thing. However, I content most folks just don't care, which is my point about GM spec'ing it.

It won't change anything for the average driver, except maybe GM side stepping a few warranty claims here and there.

 

[y_p_w]

Originally Posted By: ATex7239
Originally Posted By: y_p_w
Originally Posted By: ATex7239
87 octane isn't going anywhere, any more than non-TT gas has gone by the wayside due to more and more manufacturers requiring TT gasoline. If people will buy it, people will sell it.

I've seen countless people pumping 87 discount gas into luxury and/or high performance vehicles, which I know spec high-test TT fuel.

People on here care about oil and gas variants. But, most folks wait for the gas light or change oil light to come on, then fill it up with discount gas and bulk oil from the service station. Continuing on about their day without a second thought to it.

Modern engine management means nothing bad will really happen. Maybe they don't have much of a butt dyno, but in the end it's not that big a deal especially for someone who doesn't drive a car hard.

In some cases it doesn't make financial sense given price differences between 87 and 91. Obviously it allows for better fuel economy relative to the volume of fuel. I just filled up at a local Costco where premium was $2.999 and regular was $2.799/gallon. If the premium results in 10% better fuel economy, then it actually makes sense to use it solely for fuel economy. However, most people don't have enough information to know if it really does.


An informed choice is one thing. However, I content most folks just don't care, which is my point about GM spec'ing it.

It won't change anything for the average driver, except maybe GM side stepping a few warranty claims here and there.

Depends on the driver I suppose. I remember back in the 80s, premium unleaded was heavily marketed as producing higher performance, back at a time when very few cars came with specifications to use it. I heard back then most buyers of premium didn't actually need it, but thought that it would produce more power/better economy or that it would improve engine longevity. I think a few advertised higher levels of detergent additives with their premium.

I do get you point about some people deciding it doesn't matter. They're probably also the drivers using the cheapest possible no-name tires on a luxury vehicle.

 

[Nyogtha]

In my time in the industry working for companies that owned retail outlets as well as refineries, pipelines, and terminals, all surveys I saw showed consumers prioritize on gasoline price more than any other factor.

Here's a 2013 NACS publication that reflects that.

http://www.nacsonline.com/YourBusiness/F...Gas-Prices.aspx

Companies spend big bucks on advertising as well as branded programs but I always wondered how much impact that really had to the company's bottom line. Now more companies have shed ownership of the retail arm of their brand, and pipelines & terminals, from their refining arms. Marathon is a recent company to defy this trend. Time and the marketplace will show who had the best strategy.

 

[Whimsey]

Our 2017 2.3L EcoBoost Explorer runs fine on 87 octane as per the OM. To produce the advertised HP and TQ you need to run 93 octane fuel. The OM says that it's advisable to use 93 octane in high heat with high demand situations. Which what we do but for our local not so hot situations we use 87 octane fuel, with no seemingly negative effects. At $0.50 a gallon more for 93 vs 87 octane fuel with no noticeable benefits I'll use the 87 except as noted with the conditions noted in the OM suggesting 93 octane.

Whimsey

 

[ammolab]

Originally Posted By: bigj_16
The majority of people will run the least expensive gas they can find, regardless of the octane requirement of their engine. They don't have a clue what octane is, and more so, could care less.


And many pump premium into their SUV, Honda, or pickup and waste 10 to 15 bucks a tank full!

 

[SteveSRT8]

One must be cautious buying the high octane stuff. Some stations almost never sell any, so it can be a bit aged before you get it.

Our 2014 RAM 5.7 has nearly 60k miles of operation with only 2 tanks of the recommended 89 octane fuel. It gets great performance and mileage from 87, so that's what we have used.

In my sig car my wife once filled it with 87 (91 recommended) and neither of us could tell the difference!

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
We force this on ourselves as much as anything else. "Need" a v6+/300 hp/
There have been some pretty impressive advances in engines, seemingly more so this decade than the last 20-30 (should we say since 1973ish/CAA?). But most of that is just not necessary other than to meet rational irrationality.