Curious ... who here uses 87 octane Regular gas in your 3.3t?

[Silvermanor]

The car has always had Premium in the tank as where I am, the only gas without ethanol is premium from Shell.

 

[Mike_TX]

I think we get ethanol in all grades around here. Some people grouse about it, but I think most have just given up and use it without regard to the alcohol.

 

[D.J.]

My best mileage numbers are with 87 (I record every fill-up on Fuelly.)

Why no fuelly tag in your signature?

 

[Gargamel]

Why no fuelly tag in your signature?

Do anyone use that?

 

[D.J.]

Do anyone use that?

No, not really. lol

I have for many years though

djltoronto's Profile | Fuelly

 

[Shockington]

My owners manual recommends 87. That's what I run. 91 when I have the JB4 connected though.

 

[stung cb]

Thanks, guys. I wasn't intending to start another octane debate, just wondering if anyone on the forum uses 87 in their 3.3.

I ran several tanks of premium when it was going for $1.50 here in Denver after oil collapsed. I've since gone back to 87 octane. I can't tell any difference in acceleration performance. I don't know how anyone could accurately claim a mileage difference unless they drove the very same routes, accelerated the very same, hit all the traffic lights the same, carried the same amount of weight, drove with or against the wind the same, etc., etc., etc

 

[stung cb]

Uh oh, another octane discussion.

My feeling on this has always been and will continue to be, if you're going to drop around $50k on a car why cheap out at the gas pump? But everyone is entitled to do whatever they want.

*ducks for cover*

The average price of a new car today is $35K. $50K is still a good chunk of money but, not a barn burner.

 

[Mike_TX]

I could also add that for some people, paying $50k for a car might be a reason in itself to "cheap out" on gas!

 

[Silvermanor]

I could also add that for some people, paying $50k for a car might be a reason in itself to "cheap out" on gas!

If one cant afford to fuel and maintain the car, one probably shouldnt buy it.

 

[Yusha]

It's kinda like owning a dog, you can buy it cheaper feed or better ones with all the goodies. It won't die either way but it would be more happy with the better one. If you are going to buy this kind of car, why cheap out, we aren't Priuses.

 

[cncBilly]

And of course that's your choice. But you've left about $600 on the table by not using Regular gas. That would buy a lot of Steelers foam fingers!

it

 

[stung cb]

It's kinda like owning a dog, you can buy it cheaper feed or better ones with all the goodies. It won't die either way but it would be more happy with the better one. If you are going to buy this kind of car, why cheap out, we aren't Priuses.

"we aren't Priuses"...........have you a talking Stinger with a Jones premium?

 

[PD_Gunner1999]

Hello there I have been using 87 octane from the get go, now have approx. 92600 miles and my mileage has varied best being 28 mpg on freeway cruse control set to 75-80 mph best mileage 27.8-28 little variance...

 

[Nasscar]

I will answer you Mike. I used 91 ( as per the owners manual) exclusively for about the first year of ownership. Since the price of fuel has dipped due to Covid, I have now been using 98. These are RON ratings In Oz so different than yours but 91 is the lowest rating and 98 is the highest. Can’t say I have seen any performance benefits of the 98 but that could just be my driving manner maybe. Not giving any opinion here about which is best.

 

[Mike_TX]

If one cant afford to fuel and maintain the car, one probably shouldnt buy it.

Oh, spare me. I'll just say that I could pay cash for a small fleet of Stingers this afternoon if I chose to, but I got that way by saving money on things that aren't important.

I can certainly "afford to fuel and maintain" my vehicles, but by the same token I don't waste money feeding them truffles and creme brulee when they're perfectly happy with button mushrooms and vanilla pudding. More and more automotive gurus are saying Premium fuel is a waste of money. Carmakers often recommend it because they managed to wring out an extra fraction of a mpg on EPA tests, or because they qualified their cars on it. But the return on investment isn't good, since any mileage gain doesn't merit the extra cost.

I have no problem with people burning Premium if they choose to. But I started this thread to hear from people using Regular gas in their 3.3TTs, not to be told what I should or shouldn't buy.

 

[Mike_TX]

I will answer you Mike. I used 91 ( as per the owners manual) exclusively for about the first year of ownership. Since the price of fuel has dipped due to Covid, I have now been using 98. These are RON ratings In Oz so different than yours but 91 is the lowest rating and 98 is the highest. Can’t say I have seen any performance benefits of the 98 but that could just be my driving manner maybe. Not giving any opinion here about which is best.

Thank you , Nasscar.

 

[Silvermanor]

Oh, spare me. I'll just say that I could pay cash for a small fleet of Stingers this afternoon if I chose to, but I got that way by saving money on things that aren't important.

I can certainly "afford to fuel and maintain" my vehicles, but by the same token I don't waste money feeding them truffles and creme brulee when they're perfectly happy with button mushrooms and vanilla pudding. More and more automotive gurus are saying Premium fuel is a waste of money. Carmakers often recommend it because they managed to wring out an extra fraction of a mpg on EPA tests, or because they qualified their cars on it. But the return on investment isn't good, since any mileage gain doesn't merit the extra cost.

I have no problem with people burning Premium if they choose to. But I started this thread to hear from people using Regular gas in their 3.3TTs, not to be told what I should or shouldn't buy.

Oh relax. If you cant handle other peoples opinions and their criticism then dont post on a public forum.

 

[stung cb]

If burning less than anything less than 91 octane was going to do damage, Kia would BOLDLY be the first to say so. They have their butt's on the line for 100K miles/10 years.

 

[Travis Wills]

One thing that people are missing is that ambient air temperature and air pressure are probably the most important factors in choosing whether to use low octane fuel or high octane fuel.

My wife’s Expedition with the Ecoboost Turbo 6 cylinder engine recommends 87 or higher octane. However, it has a disclaimer that during warmer months higher octane may be necessary to prevent knocking.

I only ran 87 in that vehicle until yesterday. It has been in the upper 90s here with a high pressure system stalled out over us. We are at a relatively low altitude as well.

I didn’t tell my wife that I changed to 93 fuel. However, her first comment when she drove it was “Woah, where did all that power come from”.

I specifically switched to premium fuel for that car because it just stopped feeling like it had that much torque once it got warm. One switch to 93 and that problem was definitely solved.

Maybe the Stinger is different? Maybe heat and pressure don’t effect it as much? However, the ecoboost engine in the Expedition is actually one of the closest engines to our Stinger’s engine in terms of discplacement per liter for a turbocharged engine. The Expedition has a 3.5 liter turbo V6 while the Stinger has a 3.3 liter V6. Most other turbo V6 engines are 3.0 liters or less.

I have only used 93 octane in my Stinger. I know that during the winter months it is highly unlikely that high octane fuel is necessary. However, with the Stinger I want max power every single time I mash the go pedal.

I don’t want anything less than full potential power in that car. With the Expedition I wasn’t as picky because it is my wife’s land yacht and acceleration isn’t as important to me there. Although it did get to the point once it got hot that I said “something is wrong” this car doesn’t have the torque it once did. Premium fuel resolved that issue rather quickly.