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

[adam1991]

Mine is similar: Costco is always the first choice, with any Top Tier being my second choice. And Costco's spot at #1 has mostly to do with the fact that it's usually at least $0.30/gallon less than anywhere else.

The fact that they've taken great pains to make that happen, while remaining not only a Top Tier gasoline but remaining in complete control of their additive package and the quality of their gas, makes me a raving fan.

They go to lengths no other vendor has. And I trust the Kirkland brand; their custom additive package is at the very least consistent across all their locations. And they have a great reputation for quality.

It certainly helps that they sell so much gas, it's pretty much guaranteed to be fresh. Who knows how long it's been since Billy Bob's Bait and Gas got a delivery of whatever the tank had left over that day.

 

[GenesisG70]

Recommend is different to Required. They know they would be liable if they don't word this correctly so yeah u can put premium or regular won't harm the car.

 

[Shockington]

View attachment 53670

In fact, Kia does say - in the owner's manual - that using fuel with a lower octane rating than 91 "could result in loss of engine power and increase in fuel consumption," and that Kia recommends using 91 for "optimal engine performance." Moreover, my manual makes no mention of 87 octane . . . only 91 octane. What this tells me is that the engine was designed to run on 91 gas. But because this is only a recommendation, and not a requirement, there is no harm to be done in running it on 87 (other than a possible loss of power and increase in fuel consumption).

The 2018 manual says 87.

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[colnago1331]

The 2018 manual says 87.

I know. Mine's a 2021, which is why I said "my manual".

 

[adam1991]

One wonders how much the 2021 manual's reference to 91 is catering to snob appeal. "I have a SPECIAL Kia; I can't have it using the same plebian gas as a Forte!"

 

[MerlintheMad]

The 2018 manual says 87.

Actually, my 2018 manual probably says 87; under the sticker that says 91.

 

[colnago1331]

One wonders how much the 2021 manual's reference to 91 is catering to snob appeal. "I have a SPECIAL Kia; I can't have it using the same plebian gas as a Forte!"

As I understand it, manuals for 2019 and newer all say 91.

 

[GenesisG70]

To put this in perspective my Audi R8 and Cayman manual says premium required, Kia manual says recommend, two different words.

 

[Travis Wills]

This my exact philosophy.

You would put Costco over Shell? I have always heard it the other way around.

 

[adam1991]

Costco is superb stuff--and their quality control is unbeaten. On top of that, around here it's generally 60 cents or more per gallon cheaper.

I know of one Shell station here in town that I wouldn't trust actually has Shell gas.

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[Travis Wills]

Costco is superb stuff--and their quality control is unbeaten. On top of that, around here it's generally 60 cents or more per gallon cheaper.

I know of one Shell station here in town that I wouldn't trust actually has Shell gas.

I normally fill up with Shell gas and I have had decent performance numbers with that. However, I put Costco 93 Octane in it today because it was so much cheaper. I will have to test it to see if it is any different.

 

[colnago1331]

Costco is superb stuff--and their quality control is unbeaten. On top of that, around here it's generally 60 cents or more per gallon cheaper.

I know of one Shell station here in town that I wouldn't trust actually has Shell gas.

Shell is good gas, and I have no problem going there if a Costco isn't available; but like @adam1991 says - Costco is just superb. And the price difference makes Costco a no-brainer. IMHO, it's worth joining Costco just for the gas savings. Right now the closest Shell has 87 at $2.27/gal and 93 at $3.06/gal. Costco has 87 at $2.07/gal and 93 at $2.39/gal. If you average 20 mpg and drive 15,000 miles/year, that's a savings of between $150 (87 octane) and $502.50 (93 octane) each year. In fact, you'd save $90/year buying 93 octane at Costco vs. buying 87 octane at Shell.

 

[adam1991]

IMHO, it's worth joining Costco just for the gas savings.

Truth.

$60/year gets you access to the gas station and access to their superb credit card. Even if you never step inside a store, those two things right there make the membership more than worth it.

If you don't mind stepping inside the store, there's also their wireless department for cell phone deals. And deals they are.

And if you buy Macintosh computers...well, you don't even have to step inside. I'm getting a new M1 Mac Mini for $669 off their web site (members only), which is $30 less than list price at the Apple Store. On top of that, Costco extends the warranty themselves an extra year, for 2 years total. And then I buy it with my Costco VISA card, which adds two more years for a total of four years of warranty.

Just for having a membership.

There's also the Costco Auto program. It's rock solid, gives good discounts on accessories and service, and gives you a great opportunity to go in on a no-BS basis and see their negotiated pricing on a car, which is reasonable--and a good place to start negotiating, if nothing else.

 

[rpoffen]

Just for another data point, I used to have a '98 SVT Mustang Cobra, this has the normally aspirated 4.6l 32V DOHC aluminum V8 (actually, my son in Delaware still drives it), but it used to be my daily commuter, approx 50mi each way to work and back. It requires 91+ octane fuel. I used to keep meticulous MPG records, and most of the time I used Unocal 76 gas (top tier here in California). I would get consistent 23.5MPG (mostly highway) using that. On a few occasions I would use cheaper gas such as those at supermarkets and what not, and consistently, MPG would drop to 22MPG for the same driving habits. This was not just one or two times, but over the course of 10+ years I drove it, maybe 20-30 fillups using the cheaper gas.
Now, this was back at a time when they used MTBE as an oxygenate in the gas (another poor decision it turns out) and Unocal 76 was the first company to phase out MTBE in favor of ethanol, and may be that had something to do with it, can't be sure. It was no secret that MTBE messed with fuel mileage, caused fuel hoses to deteriorate prematurely (a whole other subject) and in the end was banned from California because it contaminated ground water.

Anyway, just some historical reading for this thread.

 

[MerlintheMad]

You would put Costco over Shell? I have always heard it the other way around.

I do. Shell, typically, is what I fill up with on road trips; it's easier to find than Costco.

 

[colnago1331]

I do. Shell, typically, is what I fill up with on road trips; it's easier to find than Costco.

I may . . . or may not . . . map my road trips out with Costco gas station locations in mind.

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[GenesisG70]

Truth.

$60/year gets you access to the gas station and access to their superb credit card. Even if you never step inside a store, those two things right there make the membership more than worth it.

If you don't mind stepping inside the store, there's also their wireless department for cell phone deals. And deals they are.

And if you buy Macintosh computers...well, you don't even have to step inside. I'm getting a new M1 Mac Mini for $669 off their web site (members only), which is $30 less than list price at the Apple Store. On top of that, Costco extends the warranty themselves an extra year, for 2 years total. And then I buy it with my Costco VISA card, which adds two more years for a total of four years of warranty.

Just for having a membership.

There's also the Costco Auto program. It's rock solid, gives good discounts on accessories and service, and gives you a great opportunity to go in on a no-BS basis and see their negotiated pricing on a car, which is reasonable--and a good place to start negotiating, if nothing else.

Wow very nice tips thanks, but do you own lots of Costco stocks?

 

[adam1991]

Wow very nice tips thanks, but do you own lots of Costco stocks?

hehehe No, none at all, actually.

I've just managed to realize a lot of the benefits of the membership--things people don't know or think about. Usually all people know is "Costco big warehouse! Buy big bulk stuff me no need!" The devil is in the details.

One benefit that went away last year or so was on their CITI VISA credit card. They called it Price Rewind. If you bought something and paid with the credit card, bought it anywhere, you could submit it to the automated Price Rewind system and it would spend the next 90 days searching for that product at a lower price. At the 90 day point it would take the lowest price it could find, and automatically refund you the difference to what you paid. (You could also simply submit your own documentation to the system and ask for a difference refund, if you had a sale ad of some kind.)

I used this as a method to buy locally, but in the end pay Amazon prices. It worked out great. Too great, apparently; they cancelled the program two or three years after Costco switched to the CITI VISA card.

BTW, I've looked; I can't find a credit card with as many bennies as the Costco CITI VISA. Membership has its privileges!

 

[Glen1023]

Here in Colorado, the top tier gas has an octane rating of 89, but that is what I have been putting in my 2020 GTI since day one albeit it is from Sams Club.

 

[adam1991]

the top tier gas has an octane rating of 89...albeit it is from Sams Club.

don't mistake higher octane for Top Tier(R). Sam's Club is not Top Tier(R) gasoline.

TOP TIER™ Gasoline Brands

www.toptiergas.com