Differences in Octane

[Deleted member 1634]

Just because I use 91 doesn't mean I drive with a lead foot.

That's what all lead footers say right after saying they want/need more power and torque. haha

To put it into perspective, I often get overtaken by semis when pulling away from a stoplight. haha So basically everyone has a lead foot to me.

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[JoedOH]

To put it into perspective, I often get overtaken by semis when pulling away from a stoplight. haha So basically everyone has a lead foot to me.

That's funny because I do the same thing. My lead foot takes over when I'm in a 55 mph zone and the person in front of me is going 35 mph. I don't know what's wrong with the morons here, no one drives the speed limit. It's a rural area with limits of 45 to 55 mph but no one will drive that fast.

 

[caprtaineddie]

That's funny because I do the same thing. My lead foot takes over when I'm in a 55 mph zone and the person in front of me is going 35 mph. I don't know what's wrong with the morons here, no one drives the speed limit. It's a rural area with limits of 45 to 55 mph but no one will drive that fast.

I'm afraid that I'm one of those that never gets in a hurry. If I need to get there sooner, I just leave earlier. I guess it's a personality flaw!

 

[JoedOH]

I'm afraid that I'm one of those that never gets in a hurry. If I need to get there sooner, I just leave earlier. I guess it's a personality flaw!

I envy you. Where I live there is constant road work and people driving 20 mph under the limit.

 

[GTGallop]

I found a place up in Prescott AZ that sells Ethanol Free gas. E-Zero. And it's 87 octane.

When I know I'm headed that way I try to time it so that I can get nearly a full tank. It runs about 10 to 12 cents more per gallon than the E-10 or E-20 87 Octane but I get about 15% to 20% better efficiency out of it.

So $43 gets me 18 gallons of E-0 and about 400 miles per fill up (range)
Or $40 gets me 18 gallons of E-10/E-20 and about 340 miles per fill up (range)

Converting that into gallons per 100 miles (sort of the way the Europeans measure it just with liters)
E-0 = 4.5 Gallons per 100 Miles & costs $10.80
E-20 = 5.3 Gallons per 100 Miles & costs $11.93

I think if I could do several tanks of E-0 back to back, I might even get better mileage than that.

For me, the Ethanol free stuff is both better for the environment because I burn less gas to get to where I'm going, delivers better performance / more power, and costs less. So I spend more time looking for Ethanol Free than I do hunting down hp from a change in Octane.

 

[JoedOH]

Damn, I use non-ethanol for all the yard equipment here, price $4 a gal. 87 Oct goes for $2.07 a gal.

On the good side the Ranger is down to 1/2 a tank, I can now fill up with 93 oct and get it to run great again.

 

[JoedOH]

OK, I'm back to 91 octane again. With the 87 I got 20 mpg by my calculations. Hands down the 91 does better by 2.5 mpg. I would not have expected that.

 

[GTGallop]

But does it cost more than 2.5 MPG?

 

[JoedOH]

I will be looking at it after I refill the tank again. I'm guessing it's close. For me the 91 octane is about 30 cents a gal more, it's the 93 octane that is expensive.

Probably going to stay with 91, I can notice the change in performance. The biggest surprise to me was I noticed the change immediately when switching to 87 oct. The truck started responding slower.

 

[JoedOH]

After 2 or 3 days the truck feels like it has a lot more power and the response is quicker since going back to 91 oct. I will be staying with what I am using, to big a difference. I don't know how it knows what gas is it it but big performance hit between 87 and 91.

 

[Sanford & Son Salvage]

Filled up with my first full tank of 93 octane. Have run mostly 87 through the first few tanks. It seems to have a slightly better throttle response and a little more go. Not sure about what it will do to improve the gas mileage as I have been driving the Ranger.. very spiritedly..

Pricewise the 93 octane just jumped up a few days ago.. D'OH!

Have an 09 VW GTI that when I run 93 in it feels the same way.. Better throttle response with a bit more "boost" feeling.. but it has not have better gas mileage in that when compared to the 87.

Perhaps, I have noticed. that with 4cycl turbos the 93 octane might give a small reconizable boost based on what ones bum sensitivy to accelration is.. .

 

[HenryMac]

We run premium, always have since the first fill up. Here in the mountains 91 is premium.

We're averaging over 25 mpg, best we've ever got was 27.9. Pretty good for an FX4 in the mountains.

 

[GitRDone]

We run premium, always have since the first fill up. Here in the mountains 91 is premium.

We're averaging over 25 mpg, best we've ever got was 27.9. Pretty good for an FX4 in the mountains.

Is that 91 ethanol free?

 

[HenryMac]

Is that 91 ethanol free?

No.

 

[GTGallop]

Is that 91 ethanol free?

Only ethanol free I've found is the 87 Octane.

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