How reliable is this list? Since this site is not nonprofit. They charge annual fee in order to keep your station name on the list.rjc1976 wrote:This is how I feel. I use 87, but I try to stick to the gas on this list:jute2003 wrote:yeah, I was gonna say..... quality should make much much much more of a difference than octane.
http://www.toptiergas.com/retailers.html
The gas you you put in your Kizzy really matters.
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kizashi_VA
- Posts: 35
- Joined: Sun Jun 17, 2012 6:28 am
- Location: VA
Holiday claims to be a Top Tier gas company. My old 99 Mustang Cobra did worse on this fuel. I don't think I've used it on the Kizashi yet. One time I mentioned this to a guy who worked there. His claim was their fuel cleans the engine so well that the first few tanks one might see worse MPG while it's cleaning your engine. I asked if there's any guarantees or warranties backing up the claims. There wasn't of course.
This is not true in such a blanket statement. Octane rating measures a fuel's RESISTANCE to detonation. Higher octane = more difficult to detonate. Higher octane can result in better power/economy if knock/ping is a problem, and the safety mechanisms in the engine are activating, and compression ratio is limited.JJfairway wrote:The higher the octane the better the engine performance and mileage.
In terms of efficiency, compression ratio cures all, otherwise, you will always trade power for economy.
Ethanol is an alcohol, generally made from corn, which is wait for it .... Grown in Iowa ... Of course you have more ethanol in your fuel! Ethanol has a considerably higher octane rating, but also considerably less specific energy than gasoline. Running ethanol in an engine with compression ratios designed for gasoline will ALWAYS result in lower mileage. Unfortunately, the price is not cheaper by the specific energy, so you actually spend more on ethanol, but people feel better about supporting a local farmer than some sheik.JJfairway wrote:I'm in Iowa and Ethanol is prevalent. You can pay 25% more and get 25% more mileage and have better additive/cleaners in the fuel. Or, you can save 25% at the pump, get 25% less mileage, and have harsher fuel in your automobile. Maybe I'm full of water here and I'd like to have some engineer or someone more knowledgeable clue us in to the pro's and con's of Ethanol. I know the Kizashi manual says only fuel with 10% or less is acceptable. I think Iowa has a much higher percentage of Ethanol. I won't use it in any car...
Now, if the compression ratio is designed for ethanol, then it can be a great thing, as you can get a higher compression ratio, a "colder" and slower flame front allowing better capture of the energy (and why most drag racing cars use an alcohol based fuel)
2011 Sport SLS with nav Black Pearl Metallic
So my first Premium test was this:
87 octane provided me with 29.6 MPG.
92 octane provided me with 31.4 MPG.
The mileage difference 1.8/29.6 or 6.08%.
The higher octane difference $.20/3.53 or 5.67%.
... In this case the Premium made sense.
I completed Test TWO. I tried to keep closer routes this time. Though there was some variation this test's roads and usage is closer than my first test.
87 Octane provided me with 28.06 MPG
92 Octane provided me with 30.11 MPG
The mileage difference is 2.05/28.06 or 7.31%
The higher octane difference $.4/3.79 or 10.55%
.. In this case the Permium didn't make sense.
Gas prices are dropping. I recently filled up with Premium for $3.49. Or 20 cents more than regular. I figured this 5.37% difference (.2/3.29) was less than the 6% of the earlier test so a safe bet. The first part of this tank only had 2 stops. After 99.1 miles I'm reading 42.4MPG! I took a picture just because I had to. Though after about 300 miles it's a more respectable 37.8-38.2 area. (I find my gauge reads about 2MPG to high.) It'll be interesting to see what this fill up is. I'll likely fill Tue or Wed.
87 octane provided me with 29.6 MPG.
92 octane provided me with 31.4 MPG.
The mileage difference 1.8/29.6 or 6.08%.
The higher octane difference $.20/3.53 or 5.67%.
... In this case the Premium made sense.
I completed Test TWO. I tried to keep closer routes this time. Though there was some variation this test's roads and usage is closer than my first test.
87 Octane provided me with 28.06 MPG
92 Octane provided me with 30.11 MPG
The mileage difference is 2.05/28.06 or 7.31%
The higher octane difference $.4/3.79 or 10.55%
.. In this case the Permium didn't make sense.
Gas prices are dropping. I recently filled up with Premium for $3.49. Or 20 cents more than regular. I figured this 5.37% difference (.2/3.29) was less than the 6% of the earlier test so a safe bet. The first part of this tank only had 2 stops. After 99.1 miles I'm reading 42.4MPG! I took a picture just because I had to. Though after about 300 miles it's a more respectable 37.8-38.2 area. (I find my gauge reads about 2MPG to high.) It'll be interesting to see what this fill up is. I'll likely fill Tue or Wed.
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So I'm done with the 3rd run of Premium. This one started out good as it was mostly 55-65 MPH zones for the first 100 miles. There was a 45. Either way I stuck to speed limit and saw the 42.4MPG on my gauge.
There was some dirt roads in the later half of this driving. Dirt kills the MPG! Especially without rain for a week resulting in lots of loose dirt. The gauge read 35.7MPG. In the end I went 490.4 miles and refilled for 14.6 gallons. Resulting in 33.6MPG for the tank. Not bad at all.
Again - not my typical route or driving. In daily use I see 28-30 area.
There was some dirt roads in the later half of this driving. Dirt kills the MPG! Especially without rain for a week resulting in lots of loose dirt. The gauge read 35.7MPG. In the end I went 490.4 miles and refilled for 14.6 gallons. Resulting in 33.6MPG for the tank. Not bad at all.
Again - not my typical route or driving. In daily use I see 28-30 area.