Gas. 87, 91, 93 Octane?

[MerlintheMad]

@SteveCo I've never been convinced by the "damaging the car" argument either.

I just don't understand why someone would buy a car that performs, and then deliberately make choices that make it less of a performer. But as you say, there is no right or wrong way to enjoy a Stinger. So I don't have to understand. Their experience isn't about me.

 

[davebo]

Like UHP tires, and race spec brakes (and upgraded sway bars, etc.), the use of GOOD gas means that always in your conscious, driving mind, you know your high performance GT is ready: "loaded for bear", as it were. If you put lower octane gas in, why the heck do you have a 3.3TT or a Stinger in the first place? What is the point? If all your ducks are in a row, and you stamp on the gas and hit the curves like Nicki Lauda, your car is going to deliver. The rest of the time, in rush hour traffic, you can be smuggly sitting there knowing with full confidence that you and your Stinger are in top condition, fully equipped to take on the idling Dodge Demon in your rearview mirror.

Buying cheaper gas, and knowing that you are giving up performance (and maybe a bit of mpg), is the same thing as opting to replace your rotors and pads with OEM or cheaper knockoffs; or cheap tires or any number of other things on the list of what makes the Stinger scream, just to "save a few bucks". Why do you have this car?

You really can't understand why people would buy a sporty car but not completely max out every single performance capability 24/7? If you're sitting in traffic with your mind consumed by having every ounce of performance possible, why aren't you running the LAP3 chip? Why not even better than OEM tires? I assume that if you need 100% of the cars' stock performance that the first thing you do when you start it up is put it back in sport mode and disable the auto start/stop. Even if you do you're still going to get stomped by that Dodge Demon from a stop light, so why not just go buy a Dodge Demon? There are so many aspects of any car you can spend slightly more or less money on to get slightly more or less performance. Gas is simply one of them. People can save a few hundred a year getting slightly less than stock performance for the exact same reason you aren't spending a few hundred more to get more than stock performance. It is a 100% comparable scenario. You certainly must see that?

 

[eflyguy]

If I'm taking a 500 mile road trip and can save $10 on gas, I'll do that.

If I'm taking her to the strip and it costs me $10 more in gas just for that one tank, however, I'll pay it.

It's not like running 89 ("regular" around here) turns it into a minivan. It also does not affect my mileage by any appreciable amount, around town or the highway.

 

[MerlintheMad]

If you're sitting in traffic with your mind consumed by having every ounce of performance possible, why aren't you running the LAP3 chip?

Don't be ridiculous with this. I bought a Stinger, not a Ford GT or something possibly within my price range. I've always had a yen to get a 427 Cobra roadster. But I bought a Stinger. The Morgan 3-wheeler is in the same price range and I have a bunch of pics of that car on my desktop background picture changer: thought I might get one of those but never did. It isn't about upgrading it's about bought potential in the original design. There's enormous difference in a sway bar and a race chip. One can potentially develop cross purposes with other systems in the car. Same with a bunch of other engine mods. The engine is delivered has specs. Raise them if you want to. But why degrade them?

why not just go buy a Dodge Demon?

Might have something to do with the other "boxes" that the Stinger checks; the comfort, luxury, practicality boxes; oh, and style; the Demon is fuggly to me.

People can save a few hundred a year getting slightly less than stock performance for the exact same reason you aren't spending a few hundred more to get more than stock performance. It is a 100% comparable scenario. You certainly must see that?

The car as-is will do impressive things. If someone didn't buy it to potentially do those things as designed, I don't understand. That's all.

 

[davebo]

The car as-is will do impressive things. If someone didn't buy it to potentially do those things as designed, I don't understand. That's all.

Even though one of those impressive things it was designed to do was go 167mph, yet you willingly chose the AWD version that only goes 130. You made a conscious decision to prioritize some abilities over others. I'm gonna guess it's because you never felt you'd bother going above 130mph in this car. It's no different than eflyguy right above you going on a 500 mile road trip and deciding $10 is worth more than having exactly 365 horsepower on tap.

 

[eflyguy]

It's no different than eflyguy right above you going on a 500 mile road trip and deciding $10 is worth more than having exactly 365 horsepower on tap.

Ahem.. Pressertech tune means 430 *wheel* horsepower (dyno verified by our Texas hero @MisterMac ).. just sayin'!

Oh, the humanity of not having it available all of the time!! lol..

 

[davebo]

Nice! Sorry I didn't know the details of your specific Stinger. Is it still okay to run regular on that tune though? I kind of assumed any major tune would bump the premium recommendation up to a requirement since it's overriding the factory chip settings? It still accounts for regular and negates engine knock though?

 

[eflyguy]

So far, so good!

No apology needed, was just having fun!

 

[MerlintheMad]

Even though one of those impressive things it was designed to do was go 167mph, yet you willingly chose the AWD version that only goes 130. You made a conscious decision to prioritize some abilities over others. I'm gonna guess it's because you never felt you'd bother going above 130mph in this car. It's no different than eflyguy right above you going on a 500 mile road trip and deciding $10 is worth more than having exactly 365 horsepower on tap.

I was fortunate to know the difference by the time I bought (March) and got the fast one. That was the reason for the 3.3TT, after all. Speed limiters of any kind annoy me. But at least 167 MPH is a hefty top speed limit; 130 not so much; and several angry owners last year complained that in 2017 they did not know (Kia did not tell anyone) that the 18" squared A/S GTs had a lower top speed than the 19" staggered Michelin summer tire equipped GTs. I've always intended to go as fast as I want to maneuver around traffic. The very first time I made a pass on Hwy 6 in Utah I hit 130, much to my pleasant surprise. And right from the getgo with this car, I have entertained removing the speed limit altogether. If I were limited to 130 I'd have been looking into this a lot long before now and probably followed it up with a bump to 167 MPH. (I wonder how many squared A/S GT owners have done that by now?)

 

[rocket23]

91 or better lap 3 tune......

 

[Marc Collins]

Was just watching a review of the new Mazda CX-5 2.5 L turbo...with premium fuel "recommended" by the manufacturer. The reviewer commented on the trend towards these recommendations and all the confusion they create. Then he noted that Mazda (unlike KIA) solved the mystery by simply offering transparent output stats for the car. 250 hp and 310 ft-lbs of torque with premium; 227 hp and the same 310 ft-lbs of torque with regular. And no, there is no damage to the engine using regular.

All KIA has to do is publish the *&(^%$ numbers for the Stinger.

What I find most interesting is that the torque number is not affected. Since hp is a function of torque (a calculation, torque is the actual output of the engine to the crankshaft), this suggests to me that only top-end (high rpm) power is affected by the fuel grade. It also reinforces why piddling around in a shopping mall parking lot or stuck in commuter traffic every day or driving gingerly in snow does not require premium fuel. Driving in mountains or with a heavy load or where you want to enjoy the full performance of the car would benefit from premium. Nothing more to it than that.

 

[Mike_TX]

@SteveCo I've never been convinced by the "damaging the car" argument either.

I just don't understand why someone would buy a car that performs, and then deliberately make choices that make it less of a performer. But as you say, there is no right or wrong way to enjoy a Stinger. So I don't have to understand. Their experience isn't about me.

Think of it this way - if the car has 365hp on Premium, but someone is perfectly happy with, say, 340hp on Regular, that's all he needs. Put another way, if you want 340hp, you need to get a 365hp car.

I sincerely doubt anyone here actually wrings every single horsepower out of his Stinger. So if you can't use it all, why buy the expensive gas it would take to achieve all that horsepower? If it makes you feel better, go for it!

 

[Mike_TX]

I have a tank of 93 octane Premium in my 2.0 right now, after running Regular since I got the car. There is probably some instrumented difference in performance, but my seat-of-the-pants dyno can't discern it. It feels exactly the same to me as when running on Regular. And with the gas pricing around here, that tank of Premium cost me about $7 more than if I used Regular.

I'm taking that 7 bucks and buying a burger with it. And fries.

 

[eflyguy]

I sincerely doubt anyone here actually wrings every single horsepower out of his Stinger.

Exactly.

At the drag strip, I expect it - which is why I am modifying my car with upgrades far more expensive than the difference than the price in gas - but for regular street driving, I'm not running against a clock (and I don't race on the street)..

 

[Clearly Canadian]

 

[GenesisG70]

These are fine engines, people don't cheap out on couple hundred dollars a year, no worth damaging your engine prematurely.

 

[Marc Collins]

These are fine engines, people don't cheap out on couple hundred dollars a year, no worth damaging your engine prematurely.

For the 700th time, there is no damage to any engines occurring. Do people not read anything prior to posting? I guess that's why a 1 page-worthy topic is now 13 pages of the same things repeated over and over again.

 

[GenesisG70]

For the 700th time, there is no damage to any engines occurring. Do people not read anything prior to posting? I guess that's why a 1 page-worthy topic is now 13 pages of the same things repeated over and over again.

The car has been out for not too long, you don't even know what the long term consequences will be, maybe they will be fine, maybe not, jeez people think they can predict the future.

 

[davebo]

Yeah, it's almost like we have decades worth of evidence in how engines work.

 

[GenesisG70]

Wow people are so angry in this forum, a simple statement can drive them to get irritated and sarcastic... LOL