[GTblackprodigy]

i was sitting around with all my friends yesterday who all owned muscle cars..i happend to be the only one with a GT, they all have firebirds and camaros.....anyways well we started talking about what gas to pump..one of my friends just bought a camaro SS and made the stupid mistake of pumping 87, well he learned his lesson....but they all pump 91 and were telling me that i should pump 91 too, now i have always pump 89 because the guy that i boght my GT from told me that that was the best gasoline for the car..so is it 89 or 91??????

[JRuckas]

what year is your GT?

i would personally use 93 now. with the new %10 ethenol(sp) gas, it leans the car out. not nothing extreme, but enough to maybe cause some minor detenation in the higher RPM range. to be on the safe side until you get a few dyno runs to see what your Air/Fuel ratio looks like with that gas, i would suggest at least running the 91.

Jimmy

[White99stang]

if it where normal gas, you know like gas about 3 months ago i would say the 87 is fine, thats what ford recommends but what jimmy said, now with that ethonal crap i would run 91.

[Roadhawg]

I use 93 octane in my Mach1 and my supercharged V6 stang.

[GTblackprodigy]

its a 2001 GT all stock right now with 85K miles on it

what year is your GT? i would personally use 93 now. with the new %10 ethenol(sp) gas, it leans the car out. not nothing extreme, but enough to maybe cause some minor detenation in the higher RPM range. to be on the safe side until you get a few dyno runs to see what your Air/Fuel ratio looks like with that gas, i would suggest at least running the 91. Jimmy

[99mustang232]

my roomate pumps 93 into his 01 slomaro SS

[AtlanticBlue99]

I run 93 is my slow-ass v6

[JRuckas]

Originally Posted by GTblackprodigy its a 2001 GT all stock right now with 85K miles on it what year is your GT? i would personally use 93 now. with the new %10 ethenol(sp) gas, it leans the car out. not nothing extreme, but enough to maybe cause some minor detenation in the higher RPM range. to be on the safe side until you get a few dyno runs to see what your Air/Fuel ratio looks like with that gas, i would suggest at least running the 91. Jimmy

it shouldn't be too much of an issue being stock but, to be on the safe side, use 91 or even 93. is there a dyno near you anywhere?

[GTXRacing]

Sorry to say you got a GT, you gotta pump the Premium. Don't try to pump 87 and go to Autozone and use that Octane Booster junk. Stuff don't work it's all head games. Just get used to pumping the 93 or whatever 90's octane you have but that's the best way.

I was pinging like a mofo with 87, pinging like one of those mexican ice cream walkers using 89(Even with Octane Boost crap). Then pumped 93 and was fine. BUt if you run a supercharger and adjust some timing you may get away with 89

[mdvaldosta]

Ok, We're going to write an article on this to clear some things up. In the meantime, you should know that it's best to run the lowest octane possible without detonation, in GT's (not Mach's, Cobra's, etc.) recommended octane is 87. If your car won't run without detonation at the recommended octane level then something's wrong, or it's in your head.

[JRuckas]

Originally Posted by mdvaldosta Ok, We're going to write an article on this to clear some things up. In the meantime, you should know that it's best to run the lowest octane possible without detonation, in GT's (not Mach's, Cobra's, etc.) recommended octane is 87. If your car won't run without detonation at the recommended octane level then something's wrong, or it's in your head.

so your saying, even with the new gas, ford still recommends 87?

[GTXRacing]

Not really something's wrong, my booklet recomends me to run 90's octane. The Ford house also told me if you've done any work like timing or anything to boost power/timing. It's perfect to use 90's octane. But before this car get what it's got, It ran with 87 yes

[NowgFstCat]

I can tell you that the new GT's are recommended by Ford to run on Regular 87 octane. I know several of the guys on a few boards have tried running premium to see if it would make a difference and they didn't see any gains in hp or mpg. So, I run 87 octaine since my engine is still stock. Hope this helps.

[mdvaldosta]

Of course if the car has had the ignition timing or compression increased then most certainly your octane would need to be increased. Sometimes, also, with gas formulations (seasonal mixes, ethanol, etc.) some cars may be more prone to detonation... namely boosted cars.

The thing to remember here, is that ocatane is not the quality of gas (contrary to the "premium" label), it is a resistance to burn rating. The higher the ocatane the harder it is to ignite the fuel. This is good for preventing detonation on higher compression engines but bad to run high octance on cars that don't need it (unburnt fuel, worse fuel economy, potential long term damage to the 02 sensors and catalytic converter) etc. It's nothing major, but it's there.

Go find yourself some 120 octane fuel and see if it doesn't make your car slower and burn more gas... Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying premium is bad, I run 93 octane but my tune requires it.

[JRuckas]

its amazing what you can find on the internet these days with just a click of a button.

http://media.ford.com/newsroom/featu...?release=23040

DEARBORN, May 10, 2006 - With gas prices at a premium, it's important to pay attention to what you put in your tank. You would think with gasoline prices hovering around $3 a gallon, drivers would be looking for less expensive alternatives. But many of those who could - don't. Premium fuel continues to make up 15 to 20 percent of sales even though less than five percent of the vehicles on the road today require it.
Simply put, 10 to 15 percent of consumers may be unnecessarily pumping premium fuel into vehicles that don't need it. In fact, Ford's 2006 Model Year Fuel Recommendation Guide notes if your vehicle is experiencing starting, rough idle or hesitation problems, premium unleaded may cause the problems to become more pronounced.

"Some premiums are less volatile and don't vaporize as well in a cold engine during start-up," says Misangyi. "You will see some hesitation."

You should also be sure that you are getting what you are paying for at the pump. Misangyi says the Environmental Protection Agency requires that all gasoline be certified with a minimum detergent level, but there are loopholes in the process.

Oil companies submit test results on a generic gasoline to the EPA for certification. But while the pump gas is supposed to perform at least as well as what was certified, there's no assurance that the fuel does.

Ford recommends BP fuel for all of its 2006 Ford-branded vehicles. BP is among the companies who routinely test their base gasoline, making sure that their gasoline has the same detergency performance as originally certified.

Since industry standards don't guarantee it, "Look for brands that promote good detergency," says Misangyi. "The ones who state it, are probably doing it right."

You probably don't need to be spending on any aftermarket cleaning products either. Ford's Owner Guide notes it should not be necessary to add any aftermarket cleaning products to your fuel tank as long as you continue to use the fuel and octane rating recommended by the manufacturer.

"If customers need an additive due to engine deposits, or bring the vehicle in for service due to a performance deficiency, they should probably switch the brand of gasoline they're using," says Misangyi. "A clean engine provides better fuel economy."

Misangyi reminds consumers to always check the owner's manual for proper fuel information such as octane recommendations.

Beyond Gasoline - High Mileage Oil
Who ever thought that engine oil could increase fuel mileage? If all U.S. consumers followed their owner's manual oil recommendations, about a half a billion gallons of gasoline could be saved each year. On top of that, starting in 2001, Ford led the industry by recommending the use of SAE 5W-20 motor oils in all light duty vehicles with the exception of 4.0-liter engines that use SAE 5W-30 oil.

Misangyi says that using 5W-20 can increase fuel economy by about one-half of a percent compared to 5W-30 and more if higher viscosity oils are used. This equates to an additional savings of 125 million gallons per year when used in all applicable Ford vehicles. Since its introduction in the 2001 model year, 5W-20 oils have saved up to 640 million gallons of gasoline in the U.S. or an equivalent 5.6 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

"The fuel savings for an individual customer over a year could also pay for an oil change," adds Misangyi.

Ford has also back-validated many vehicles made prior to 2001 to use 5W-20 motor oil. Check with your dealer or oil change supplier on whether or not you vehicle can use 5W-20.

Ethanol Compatible Vehicles With ethanol fuel making national headlines, some consumers may be confused as to whether their vehicle can run on ethanol fuel or not. While many vehicles can run on a blend of gasoline and ethanol (10 percent ethanol is standard), vehicles that require gasoline cannot run on E85 (85 percent ethanol, 15 percent gasoline).

"Unlike pure gasoline, ethanol contains a significant amount of oxygen," says Misangyi. "The air/fuel ratio exceeds the capability of the vehicle to adjust for it."

Aside from fuel calibration issues, cars designed to burn E85 also use different materials in the fuel system and have larger injectors to deliver more fuel.

Ford Motor Company has put 1.6 million ethanol-capable vehicles on America's roads in the last decade going back to the 1995 through 1998 3.0-liter Taurus sedan. Ford will put 250,000 ethanol-capable vehicles in 2006, offering four new models, including America's best selling pickup, the F-150. The full Ford line-up includes:


1999 and 2000 Ford Ranger and Taurus
2001 Ranger SuperCab and Taurus
2002 - 2003 Ranger SuperCab
2002 - 2004 Explorer and 3.0-liter Taurus sedan and wagon,
2004 - 2005 Explorer and Explorer Sport Trac with 4.0-liter engines and 3.0-liter Taurus sedan and wagon
2006 3.0-liter Taurus sedan and wagon, 4.6-liter Crown Victoria and Lincoln Town Car and 5.4-liter F-150
The National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition web site www.e85fuel.com has a link that explains how to read your VIN number to determine if your vehicle can run on E85.

[AtlanticBlue99]

I run 93 octane because my little 6-banger is tuned for it.

[JRuckas]

Originally Posted by AtlanticBlue99 I run 93 octane because my little 6-banger is tuned for it.

same here

[crowdesign]

I run 93 in my 96, got mods thow and pings off the fricken wall with 87.

[stang fanatic]

interesting article! lots to clearly be learned there...i mean, i always thought a higher octane was a cleaner burning fuel...i was wrong!

[1slo5.0]

Today's octane lesson.... An internal combustion engine is the most efficient when it is on the verge of detonation. More horsepower and better fuel economy. So yes adding octane will slow you down if your engine doesn't need it. Take a bone stock Mustang with 87 octane fuel and make a pass at the track and record the ETs and MPH. Now drain the gas tank and fill it up with some race fuel. Watch the car slow down.