higher octane gas?

[Spanky61]

It's just you. Mind over matter.

You buy "Premium" thinking it will do something different to your car and your brain tricked you into thinking it worked.

It didn't. Just wasted a few extra dollars is all that occurred.

Actually it's not. The Tau 5.0 V8 has an 11:1 compression ratio and ought be running premium fuel. You can get away with mid grades at 89 but running 87 octane fuel is simply not good for the motor. You risk pinging or detonation occurring, which will drastically shorten the life of the engine. Compression ratios of 10:1 or higher are designed to utilize the slower burning, higher octane fuels of 91 and above. It will run cleaner and produce it's optimum power as it was designed.

Also the difference in cost is negligible per tankful and much better for the engine all the way around. The ECU doesn't sense the grade of fuel that it's running, it simply doesn't have such a capability. There are knock sensors are attached to the engine, which detect pinging or knocking. When they detect such occurrences, the ECU will adjust timing accordingly within the parameters of it's specific software tune. You're fooling yourself if you think the ECU senses the octane rating of a particular fuel. It simply doesn't.

For those who are unaware, there's tons of information regarding this subject on the internet. You only have to look, educate, and comprehend for yourself.

 

[Alfer]

Shell and BP are both top rated fuels and as EdP said, they use top tier additives. I'd heard from a friend who owned and operated and Exxon gas station that their fuels were the worst. He wouldn't put Exxon fuel into his own cars, so what does that tell you.

Tells me your friend is probably full of BS. Exxon is a Top Tier rated gas, so unless your friend is watering down their gas (yes, we've had local gas stations get busted for that, not Exxon ones), their gas has passed the TT test and will be as high quality as the other TT companies mentioned.

 

[cubanben]

Tells me your friend is probably full of BS. Exxon is a Top Tier rated gas, so unless your friend is watering down their gas (yes, we've had local gas stations get busted for that, not Exxon ones), their gas has passed the TT test and will be as high quality as the other TT companies mentioned.

He no longer owns the station. Here in the state of New Jersey at the time (may have changed); Exxon stations were only required to purchase the Premium gas for their tanks from their distributors. Regular and mid-range they were allowed to purchase from 3rd party vendors (I found that weird, cause then your not selling Exxon gas). That could have been the issue, but don't really know.

I any case, fuel is usually a superstitious/traditional thing. My parents always bought Shell and still do. So I began using Shell when I started driving. I stick with BP and Shell and the occasional Sunoco Ultra. They've worked in the past and I hope they'll continue to work in the future. If you swear by Exxon, then more power to you. It's more than just the fuel we put in our vehicles that make them run great. We make sure they get the best so they run the best.

 

[EdP]

He no longer owns the station. Here in the state of New Jersey at the time (may have changed); Exxon stations were only required to purchase the Premium gas for their tanks from their distributors. Regular and mid-range they were allowed to purchase from 3rd party vendors (I found that weird, cause then your not selling Exxon gas). That could have been the issue, but don't really know.

All gas is refined the same way and shipped by tanker ship or pipeline to the storage depot. It becomes a brand name when the additive package is put into the tanker. Tank farms may be independent or jointly owned. They are all in cahoots to take our money.

 

[cubanben]

They are all in cahoots to take our money.

I couldn't agree with you more on that statement.

 

[Alfer]

Actually it's not. The Tau 5.0 V8 has an 11:1 compression ratio and ought be running premium fuel. You can get away with mid grades at 89 but running 87 octane fuel is simply not good for the motor. You risk pinging or detonation occurring, which will drastically shorten the life of the engine. Compression ratios of 10:1 or higher are designed to utilize the slower burning, higher octane fuels of 91 and above. It will run cleaner and produce it's optimum power as it was designed.

Also the difference in cost is negligible per tankful and much better for the engine all the way around. The ECU doesn't sense the grade of fuel that it's running, it simply doesn't have such a capability. There are knock sensors are attached to the engine, which detect pinging or knocking. When they detect such occurrences, the ECU will adjust timing accordingly within the parameters of it's specific software tune. You're fooling yourself if you think the ECU senses the octane rating of a particular fuel. It simply doesn't.

For those who are unaware, there's tons of information regarding this subject on the internet. You only have to look, educate, and comprehend for yourself.

If the owners manual/manufacturers states you need high octane, then you need high octane. If it states no such need and states to use 87 octane, then that's all you will ever need.

 

[Windchaser]

I don't buy BP if I can avoid and I do everything I can to avoid them. Its not an issue with their gas but the fact they dump tons of pollution into the Lake Michigan. While all of the oil companies pollute, BP hits close to home since I race sailboats on Lake Michigan. My not buying from them may not change a thing, I simply can't support them.

 

[glennk]

Here in Texas, most fuels are manufactured by Valero (aka Diamond Shamrock) and differentiated via additives. I'm a Costco or QT user. Never had any issues.

 

[Spanky61]

If the owners manual/manufacturers states you need high octane, then you need high octane. If it states no such need and states to use 87 octane, then that's all you will ever need.

Do what you want to do but the information I provided is common knowledge amongst, manufactures, racers, mechanics, automotive engineers, hotrodders and enthusiasts, around the world. Don't be ignorant of the facts, be aware there are reasons why.

 

[Paulsr]

Do what you want to do but the information I provided is common knowledge amongst, manufactures, racers, mechanics, automotive engineers, hotrodders and enthusiasts, around the world. Don't be ignorant of the facts, be aware there are reasons why.

Are there any internet articles that support that? Please send links.

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[RobotAIDS]

I agree. Sorry, I misaimed my response. I probably should have replied to someone who had an engine where premium was recommended.

I drove a 2006 Escalade for a few good years, and the gas cap said it required premium. Well, I had a hard time swallowing premium at 5 bucks a gallon back in 2009, so I just used regular and hoped for the best. I never had a single issue. No knocks or no engine lights until I sold it at 190k miles.
Not saying what I did is smart, but nothing bad happened from going against the advised octane.

 

[carguy75]

My goodness people. This debate will never be solved due to different point-of-views of what is important; saving money or having the engine run at its best.

I believe the engine will run better with higher octane due to the high compression in both the direction injection V6 and V8 engines. Direct injection(reduces knocking due to cooling) allows the engines to make decent horsepower therefore 87 octane is fine to use in both engines. However, Hyundai "recommends" premuim octane for both engines. Therefore, to allow both the engine to runs at their best without knocking, then 91 or higher octane is the best way to go.


The choice is up the owner to decide if the extra cost of using premium octane is worth the cost for better engine performance. There is no right or wrong choice, both types of gasoline will work in the engines.

I personally did not like how my engine ran on 87 octane. My car even ran a bit rough during the test drive, but I knew that is was because the dealership used 87 octane in the tank. It was not horrible, but I feel the rough idling. When I started using Shell 93 octane the engine began running very smooth with no detectable idling. To me that is worth the extra cost of using premium gas. Maybe not to someone else.

I found this 2015 brochure that stated the power rating of both engines with recommended premium fuel. So I assume that the 3.8 makes less horsepower on 87 octane as the 5.0.
https://pictures.dealer.com/murrayhyundaitc/7315c72e0a0d02b701e8bf76e43fd34b.pdf

 

[Paulsr]

My goodness people. This debate will never be solved due to different point-of-views of what is important; saving money or having the engine run at its best.

I believe the engine will run better with higher octane due to the high compression in both the direction injection V6 and V8 engines. Direct injection(reduces knocking due to cooling) allows the engines to make the advertised HP numbers on 87 octane on the V6 and a slightly rated number for the V8, therefore 87 octane is fine to use in both engines. To allow both the engine to runs at their best without knocking, then 91 or higher octane is the best way to go.


The choice is up the owner to decide if the extra cost of using premium octane is worth the cost for better engine performance. There is no right or wrong choice, both types of gasoline will work in the engines.

I personally did not like how my engine ran on 87 octane. My car even ran a bit rough during the test drive, but I knew that is was because the dealership used 87 octane in the tank. It was not horrible, but I feel the rough idling. When I started using Shell 93 octane the engine began running very smooth with no detectable idling. To me that is worth the extra cost of using premium gas. Maybe not to someone else.

I found this 2015 brochure that stated the power rating of both engines with recommended premium fuel. So I assume that the 3.8 makes less horsepower on 87 octane as the 5.0.
https://pictures.dealer.com/murrayhyundaitc/7315c72e0a0d02b701e8bf76e43fd34b.pdf

Has it ever been proven that a high compression engine designed to run on premium gas but ok for 87 octane will last longer i.e. more miles without repair when run exclusively on premium vs 87 as one gentleman stated.

 

[EdP]

Has it ever been proven that a high compression engine designed to run on premium gas but ok for 87 octane will last longer i.e. more miles without repair when run exclusively on premium vs 87 as one gentleman stated.

Recently? Not that I'm aware of. Twenty years ago? Sure.
Spanky61 is correct that high compression engines should have higher octane. Years ago you would destroy and engine from pre-ignition and you could even hear the loud knocking with the radio on. Computers though, have taken control of the engine and eliminated the knock, but, it does come at a cost to performance. The cost is not noticed in every day driving very much, but when you want the full power the engine is capable of, you get a little less.

My opinion, if you spend an extra 5 grand to buy the model with the big 7.9 liter V8 triple turbo deluxe, give it the fuel that it runs best on.

 

[Spanky61]

Are there any internet articles that support that? Please send links.

Tons of articles and I really don't need to post them. This is commonly know throughout the high performance community, as I've already stated. All you have to do is look for yourself or you can choose to be ignorant. Keeping in mind ignorant isn't an insult. I'm ignorant of allot of things but that doesn't mean I don't have some idea or intelligence. I've built up high performance engines in motorcycles and automobiles for years, so I'm aware of whats required.

Do the research for yourself and decide for yourself. I'm not going to do it for you, as I'm already aware and I'm not going to attempt to convince you either way. You obviously have a computer and internet access, so it's at your finger tips. You can start by looking up and defining "engine knocking and pinging." This will at least give you the reasons how, when and why. Most people don't even hear their engine pinging or knocking. Luxury automobiles are very quiet inside the cabin and such a condition is even harder to hear if you're ears are not tuned to hearing it. However, I can hear it as a passer by and have quite regularly.

The ECU can only retard and advance timing within the software parameters it was tuned with. It can't learn! If you go beyond those parameters then you risk possible engine damage. Most knocking or preignition happens under load, acceleration or towing. When it's detected by the knock sensors timing is drastically effected and optimal performance is reduced.

 

[carguy75]

Has it ever been proven that a high compression engine designed to run on premium gas but ok for 87 octane will last longer i.e. more miles without repair when run exclusively on premium vs 87 as one gentleman stated.

I can not say if an engine will last longer; just that it runs smoother and stronger. Hell, even Hyundai covered their asses by stated that premium gas is recommended.

87 octane is the bare minimum that the engines can run on, so do really think it is the "best" gas to use in the engines.

When has the bare minimum of anything been the best way to go?

 

[Gen127]

if you spend an extra 5 grand to buy the model with the big 7.9 liter V8 triple turbo deluxe, give it the fuel that it runs best on.

...Or if you drive the 5.0 GDI V8, (I do!), use the manufacturer's recommended 91 octane.

When has the bare minimum of anything been the best way to go?

Paying taxes.

 

[Paulsr]

Recently? Not that I'm aware of. Twenty years ago? Sure.
Spanky61 is correct that high compression engines should have higher octane. Years ago you would destroy and engine from pre-ignition and you could even hear the loud knocking with the radio on. Computers though, have taken control of the engine and eliminated the knock, but, it does come at a cost to performance. The cost is not noticed in every day driving very much, but when you want the full power the engine is capable of, you get a little less.

My opinion, if you spend an extra 5 grand to buy the model with the big 7.9 liter V8 triple turbo deluxe, give it the fuel that it runs best on.

I don't care about performance. I never push the gas pedal down more than half way. I do care about long term wear on the engine.

 

[Spanky61]

Paul if it's knocking or pinging on acceleration or load, it will definitely shorten the life the the engine. This, I can almost guarantee. Keep in mind if you are also taking allot of short trips to the corner store or other, a GDI engine will build up carbon deposits on the top of the valves. It's going to anyway over a period of time.

However, if you are not taking the auto out for a blast from time to time it will accumulate faster. I mean going out and accelerating hard (pedal to the floor) to at least highway speeds, on a regular basis the carbon deposits will the buildup quicker. I'm not advocating breaking the speed limits. I call it as well as allot of others do, blowing out the carbon, literally. A GDI engine requires it regularly.

 

[Paulsr]

Paul if it's knocking or pinging on acceleration or load, it will definitely shorten the life the the engine. This, I can almost guarantee. Keep in mind if you are also taking allot of short trips to the corner store or other, a GDI engine will build up carbon deposits on the top of the valves. It's going to anyway over a period of time.

However, if you are not taking the auto out for a blast from time to time it will accumulate faster. I mean going out and accelerating hard (pedal to the floor) to at least highway speeds, on a regular basis the carbon deposits will the buildup quicker. I'm not advocating breaking the speed limits. I call it as well as allot of others do, blowing out the carbon, literally. A GDI engine requires it regularly.

Thanks, that helps.