About Requirement for Premium Gas

[Mike_TX]

My country has 98 octane. Is it necessary or 95 will do?

Note that there are different methods for determining octane ratings.Yours is probably RON (Research Octane Number), whereas in America we use the AKI (Anti-knock Index) rating. If yours is RON, 98 octane equates to about 94 octane using AKI ratings.

So you basically have 93-94 octane in U. S. terms.

 

[ShrekSquatch]

My 2013 3.5L twin-turbo Ford Flex is rated at 365 HP with premium (91+), but I recall seeing somewhere that it gets somewhere around 350 with regular (87). Gas mileage is going to suck in that thing regardless, so it's never seen premium.

For the Stinger, I've seen both "Premium Recommended" and "Minimum octane 87" statements in the manuals. My feeling towards this, as compared to how they specify it for the K900 for example, is that the Stinger is a performance car. You're buying it for vroom vroom. You get less vroom vroom if you don't use premium, so they make it seem "less optional" to use regular, if that makes sense. Just my thought, but seems logical. My Golf R, however, says "Premium Required". No wishy-washy there, just "use it or else".

If I do end up with a Stinger, I'll probably use premium, but MAYBE for a road trip I'd try regular and see if it made a mileage difference....

 

[Marc Collins]

My 2013 3.5L twin-turbo Ford Flex is rated at 365 HP with premium (91+), but I recall seeing somewhere that it gets somewhere around 350 with regular (87). Gas mileage is going to suck in that thing regardless, so it's never seen premium.

For the Stinger, I've seen both "Premium Recommended" and "Minimum octane 87" statements in the manuals. My feeling towards this, as compared to how they specify it for the K900 for example, is that the Stinger is a performance car. You're buying it for vroom vroom. You get less vroom vroom if you don't use premium, so they make it seem "less optional" to use regular, if that makes sense. Just my thought, but seems logical. My Golf R, however, says "Premium Required". No wishy-washy there, just "use it or else".

If I do end up with a Stinger, I'll probably use premium, but MAYBE for a road trip I'd try regular and see if it made a mileage difference....

Not an issue that many people will want more performance.

The simple fact of what torque/HP is produced with regular versus premium is required to make an educated trade-off decision.

 

[Chapindad]

I looked in manual on my 2.0 and it says that Minimum Octane is 87 and then goes on to tell you all the bad things that can happen with E85 and then information about Methanol and bad things. Not a word about Premium in the manual for the 2.0.

 

[mldavis2]

The manual is generic for both engines, so the same holds for the 3.3TT.

 

[Irish]

I’ve Been testing between 87% regular and 91% premium. I ran about 5 tanks through of regular and got an average of 19.3 Miles per gallon. I am now running premium and have about 3 tanks so far and am averaging 22.1 mpg. My commute is about half and half in town and highway. Once I get done with my 5th tank I’m going to try 91% premium 0 ethanol and see if there is any difference.

As far as driving or performAnce is concerned I’m not really noticing any change. I run in eco mode and am just commuting. Haven’t really taken The car on a road trip yet and the engine is not really broken in. I have just over 2200 Miles on it

 

[mldavis2]

Yet another variable is that the engine will gain a little efficiency as it is broken in and loosens up so at this early stage, comparing successive tanks might not be as accurate as you'd like. I'd go back and run the sequence in reverse as a quality control check.

 

[Marc Collins]

I’ve Been testing between 87% regular and 91% premium. I ran about 5 tanks through of regular and got an average of 19.3 Miles per gallon. I am now running premium and have about 3 tanks so far and am averaging 22.1 mpg. My commute is about half and half in town and highway. Once I get done with my 5th tank I’m going to try 91% premium 0 ethanol and see if there is any difference.

As far as driving or performAnce is concerned I’m not really noticing any change. I run in eco mode and am just commuting. Haven’t really taken The car on a road trip yet and the engine is not really broken in. I have just over 2200 Miles on it

You won't notice any difference in ECO Mode or during "normal" commuting. The only time the higher octane would be noticeable, if it even makes any difference which we do not yet know, would be during very spirited driving or on a track.

 

[Marc Collins]

Yet another variable is that the engine will gain a little efficiency as it is broken in and loosens up so at this early stage, comparing successive tanks might not be as accurate as you'd like. I'd go back and run the sequence in reverse as a quality control check.

Overkill. All the environmental and traffic condition variables will cause far more variance in the mileage than the octane. Which also makes the test relatively meaningless.

Premium should result in slightly higher fuel economy. That's true on any car. What we are trying to determine is if there is any reason whatsoever not to use regular (since it's cheaper, the lower fuel economy nets out in the wash) for performance reasons. And whether the engine computer permits the engine to produce more power with premium (or curtails the power with regular) relative to the advertised power/torque ratings.

I have also mentioned here and twenty other places that the only way we will figure this out is with info from the manufacturer. Even high quality dyno testing might not show the difference. No amateur testing outside laboratory conditions that any of us can do will yield anything useful that we don't already know (like higher octane will yield higher fuel economy).

 

[mldavis2]

@Marc Collins, my comment wasn't meant to suggest that this is a reliable test. I simply added yet more variable to the equation. You are correct that even over multiple successive tanks of fuel such an un-standardized route is relatively meaningless. Then you have variables such as ambient temperature, drive mode, traffic, luck at stop lights, possible different fuel sources, use of remote start (if so equipped), and method of measurement including variables such as pump shutoff variances.

 

[Marc Collins]

@Marc Collins, my comment wasn't meant to suggest that this is a reliable test. I simply added yet more variable to the equation. You are correct that even over multiple successive tanks of fuel such an un-standardized route is relatively meaningless. Then you have variables such as ambient temperature, drive mode, traffic, luck at stop lights, possible different fuel sources, use of remote start (if so equipped), and method of measurement including variables such as pump shutoff variances.

Don't take it personally. I am just getting increasingly frustrated that this basic (and essential) info does not seem to be available anywhere in the world from KIA.

 

[RobertPaulson]

I’ve Been testing between 87% regular and 91% premium. I ran about 5 tanks through of regular and got an average of 19.3 Miles per gallon. I am now running premium and have about 3 tanks so far and am averaging 22.1 mpg. My commute is about half and half in town and highway. Once I get done with my 5th tank I’m going to try 91% premium 0 ethanol and see if there is any difference.

As far as driving or performAnce is concerned I’m not really noticing any change. I run in eco mode and am just commuting. Haven’t really taken The car on a road trip yet and the engine is not really broken in. I have just over 2200 Miles on it

Another variable is winter blend fuels vs summer blend fuels. We should be seeing the switch to summer blend soon, and summer blends contain a little more energy per gallon than winter blends.

https://newsroom.aaa.com/2013/06/what-is-the-difference-between-summer-and-winter-blend-gasoline/

 

[Soca Boy]

Pretty much the same for my K900. I believe the manual says you will lose around 10 hp. So 410 instead of 420. Still more than enough to get in trouble. These days the computer adjusts the engine to match the fuel and eliminates the pinging and knocking that used to occur. I guess you can run the cheapest gasoline that leaves you happy with the performance without running the risk of harming the engine.

Wow a K900 owner, I traded my K900 in for the stinger.

 

[Kia Stinger]

Wow a K900 owner, I traded my K900 in for the stinger.

Yup! That's the guy who bought the other one.

 

[HughH]

Google translate from KIA website...

V6 3.3 GDI
6-cylinder 370-horsepower twin-turbo gasoline engine with zero-back 4.9 seconds of best-in-class power
※ It is recommended to use advanced gasoline (RON 95 or higher) for optimum engine performance. There is no problem when using general gasoline, but there is a possibility that the output and torque may decrease somewhat and the fuel consumption may increase.

(same disclaimer for the 2.0 motor)

Correct. The EPA requires manufacturers to state the type of gas the cars were tested. Usually, cars like the Stinker will be tested with high octane because they can squeeze a bit better power and mpg numbers. That is big to the manufacturers as they can advertised those numbers and attract extra sales.

My last 5 cars have been 2 Lexus and 3 Bimmers including the present 535i. I don't track my cars and my driving is usually in congested city and hwy driving. So, I always use the low octane gas from Costco. If you drive your car and want to extract the last ounce of it's engine performance then use high octane...simple!

 

[Marc Collins]

Correct. The EPA requires manufacturers to state the type of gas the cars were tested. Usually, cars like the Stinker will be tested with high octane because they can squeeze a bit better power and mpg numbers. That is big to the manufacturers as they can advertised those numbers and attract extra sales.

My last 5 cars have been 2 Lexus and 3 Bimmers including the present 535i. I don't track my cars and my driving is usually in congested city and hwy driving. So, I always use the low octane gas from Costco. If you drive your car and want to extract the last ounce of it's engine performance then use high octane...simple!

Great info. Where is the quote from EPA? Is there a link?

 

[HughH]

Great info. Where is the quote from EPA? Is there a link?

My recollection is that the info came from an article in CU magazine a few years ago. Throughout the years they have had various articles un the subject. In one recent article they stated that the manufacturers were linking octane with high performance of their engines and as long as no pinging was detected
there was no apparent harm caused to engines. Also noted that for towing or in order to obtain highest performance in engines where it said recommended high octane that's what it should be used. In another article by AAA noted that cars not requiring high octane will not gain any benefits from the use of high octane and that the misnomer of Premium Gas and Regular gas is no indication of the quality of gas. It only indicates that one gas has higher octane than the other.

"Wondering about the long-term effects of switching to regular fuel? Here's what we know: In conversations with manufacturers, never was there a connection made with using premium fuel for reliability reasons. The manufacturers only talk about higher octane in terms of performance.

What's more, in the Acura owner's manual, Acura only recommends using "top-tier detergent gasoline"—which can be of any octane grade, regular or premium—for performance and reliability reasons. But there is nothing in the manual that equates premium gas with improved reliability.

That said, if you make the switch and think your car is performing sluggishly, or you hear knocking or pinging, go back to premium fuel."
Why You Might Not Actually Need Premium Gas

 

[Marc Collins]

My recollection is that the info came from an article in CU magazine a few years ago. Throughout the years they have had various articles un the subject. In one recent article they stated that the manufacturers were linking octane with high performance of their engines and as long as no pinging was detected
there was no apparent harm caused to engines. Also noted that for towing or in order to obtain highest performance in engines where it said recommended high octane that's what it should be used. In another article by AAA noted that cars not requiring high octane will not gain any benefits from the use of high octane and that the misnomer of Premium Gas and Regular gas is no indication of the quality of gas. It only indicates that one gas has higher octane than the other.

"Wondering about the long-term effects of switching to regular fuel? Here's what we know: In conversations with manufacturers, never was there a connection made with using premium fuel for reliability reasons. The manufacturers only talk about higher octane in terms of performance.

What's more, in the Acura owner's manual, Acura only recommends using "top-tier detergent gasoline"—which can be of any octane grade, regular or premium—for performance and reliability reasons. But there is nothing in the manual that equates premium gas with improved reliability.

That said, if you make the switch and think your car is performing sluggishly, or you hear knocking or pinging, go back to premium fuel."
Why You Might Not Actually Need Premium Gas

I was not questioning the rationale or source of your message. I am simply asking if this is the case (totally plausible) , where do we confirm which octane level was used? Where does the EPA document or report this?

 

[HughH]

I was not questioning the rationale or source of your message. I am simply asking if this is the case (totally plausible) , where do we confirm which octane level was used? Where does the EPA document or report this?

EPA documents are voluminous. Best chance we have is international car guru and personality Ed Wallace. He has a five hours radio car show in the Dallas/Ft Worth show and that question has come up many times. You can reach him at: edwallace570@gmail.com

 

[Marc Collins]

EPA documents are voluminous. Best chance we have is international car guru and personality Ed Wallace. He has a five hours radio car show in the Dallas/Ft Worth show and that question has come up many times. You can reach him at: edwallace570@gmail.com

Hmmm, surprised it is not reasonably accessible since the EPA fuel economy stickers are in ever new car window and quoted ubiquitously.