No, I'm not saying that. See below
Ok, let's start by removing the money argument. If everyone on this forum was wealthy they wouldn't be driving a Kia Stinger. The fact the car cost 50K has exactly nothing to do with the required octane. If filling with more octane does nothing "better" for the engine, then you are a poor money manager and are throwing away your cash. I'm not into throwing away money and that's why I can afford a 50K car.
In terms of fuel "quality" I fully support the "Top Tier" standards because they reduce engine issues such as deposit build up that actually impacts an engines longevity and efficiency.
TOP TIER™ Gasoline Brands. All retail locations within the licensed country must meet the high standards of the TOP TIER™ program.
www.toptiergas.com
In terms of octane, this is simply the fuels ability to resist detonation (knock). So if you run 87 octane, which the
3.3T can run - it means that the car may have to reduce ignition timing or boost if the ECU see's knock. Seeing mild knock is completely normal in a stock engine, even if you run 91, 93 etc.. There is no "right" octane number. It depends on other variables such as temperature, humidity, elevation etc. I have found through JB4 logging that my car doesn't knock (pull timing) on 87 octane in Winter, Spring and Fall and most of Summer UNLESS the ambient temp is on the hotter side and heat soak starts. Let's say 80F or so... Now - even if the ECU does pull timing (knock) - it's not a bad thing.. it just means a bit less power. So again, there is no harm to the engine in any way.
Think of this... Some of the same people arguing that you must run 91 octane on a stock car, purchase tunes to increase power but still run the same octane they did when stock. If 91/93/94 was a MUST, then why would they stay on the same octane? Wouldn't that cause damage? It doesn't because there is headroom built into the factory tune. In other words, our engine's have a mild tune that is completely safe on 87.
Point #2 - Higher octane fuel is more resistant to detonation. This means it's burn is more controlled, which means it has a slower flame propagation.... which means less power. Science. The ultimate would be a variable octane fuel that can be adjusted based on things such as temp, pressure, humidity etc.. but that's not really possible on a stock car.
Do I think you should run 87 all the time. Nope. It's your choice. I'm just saying it's not a big deal and calling out those that do by saying they are cheap, makes no sense.
For those of you running 87.. I'll see you on the Porsche forums because we've saved enough to afford one
