[bboucher]

OK, well I'm one of those guys that kinda bought into the fact that the R/T would gain the extra 10HP or so by using premium gas! I actually used 92 octone for over a year. Anyway, for about the last three weeks or so I've been using 87 octane and noticed the car ran just as good, if not better! Well, I made my monthly trip to the drag strip tonight and ran my best time EVER, on 87 octane! So, any of you guys using more than 87 octane cuz you think it's giving more HP please stop wasting your money! I'm done spending the extra $.20/gallon! By the way, my time was a [email protected] Not as good as Spook's, but it also wasn't 38 degrees outside. I haven't run a 15.65 since April using 92 octane, then I switch to 87 octane and run a 15.65! I could've done better too, but it was raining and I didn't get a chance to make another run.

 

[SPOOK R/T]

bboucher i agree with you mine runs just as good on 87 octane as 92 octane. I ran 15.606 on 92 octane and a 15.131 on 87 octane. It also seems to run better on the 87 octane. The weather here has been great high 50`s the last 2 weeks and they say the same for next week.

 

[Candyman]

Have either of you noticed any difference in fuel economy 87 vs. 92+?

 

[TehKing]

The old butt dyno tells me that I am losing a wee bit of performance and there is also very light audible pinging when I run regular unleaded. The car runs like a top on mid-grade so that is what I always buy.

As for mileage I get about 20-30 miles more out of a tank of regular, but that isn't enough of a trade off, plus I don't want the car to be knocking and eventually ruin something.

Probably has something to do with the high compression on the 1G 3.5L's.

 

[bboucher]

I stopped trusting the old butt dyno a long time ago! Everytime I changed something, it always felt like the car was faster, than I'd go to the track and it would be just the same, or even slower in one instance.

I know a car can get used to the higher octane's and won't run as good with regular anymore, that's one reason why I'm posting this. Switch back to regular now and save yourself some money

 

[TehKing]

Nah, I'll stay with the mid-grade. No knock, plus at the station I fill at they charge the same for regular and midgrade.

Currently $1.049 a gallon.

 

[JoeKD]

I agree that the extra octane is a waste. I ran Mobil Super+ for three weeks to see if there was any difference and there was none. I switched back to 87 octane and am happy to be saving the money.

If there are no real gains to be had why spend the money?

 

[Candyman]

I usually just use mid-grade, but if I can save another dime or so per gallon without losing performance or fuel economy, I may try out the cheap stuff, especially at $.99 a gallon! Could use a few extra bux in savings.

 

[IntrepidXJ]

I use midgrade from Mobil and have no plans on changing...it's a habit

 

[SPOOK R/T]

The mpg seems the same for my car. Gas here is $1.07 for 87 octane.

 

[TehKing]

Where do you gas up Spook? If you are in the area at all, the Conoco station down on the corner of Humbolt and 69th in BC is selling 87 and 89 for $1.04. They always have the lowest prices around.

Hell, 4 blocks away the gas stations along 252 sell for 10 cents a gallon more!

 

[lusting4intrepid]

1.04 a gallon?! i havent paid that in years. i believe when i turned 16 gas was just over a buck out here in cali and it hasnt really gone down since. im outraged...is it really that more expensive to ship it here compare to anywhere else in the us...i think not.

 

[Lafrad]

about the octane thing.... the first gen 3.5's were setup to run best on 89 octane, not 87. thats why they run better on mid-grade

 

[DMAG]

We are paying about $1.29 for regular at the cheaper stations out here on the island. At least that's what I'm finding...

 

[btc909]

I've always thought my 98 ES ran a bit better on 89 then 87 but being Cali gas prices were pathetically high for awhile. Stick with 89 & if you run the cheap **** pray it doesn't clog up your fuel filter, it isn't a cheap fix.

Some stations don't even sell 87 anymore, just 89 & 92. Eventually 92 will be gone anyways.

 

[btc909]

I've never run on a drag strip but these are all of the little things I can think of to improve times without modding your car.

-Windows Up.
-Leave the spare tire & carpeted cover at home. (should save you 40-50 pounds)
-Traction contol off.
-Avoid spinning the tires (it looks cool but yout not going anywhere)
-AC & vent off
-Dead empty on 89 grade gas

Any other ideas?

 

[bboucher]

Gas here right now is 1.61/gal for 87 octane, down from 1.75 a few weeks ago. That's on my military base though, off base it's about 1.80/gal for 87 octane. The "cheap ****" shouldn't do any harm at all to your car since it's what is reccomended in the owners manual.

As for track times: you have to drive with your windows up (safety rules), 87 octane gave me my best ET thus far, I always run with less than 1/4 tank of gas, always take the spare tire out, spinning the tires isn't a huge problem for the intrepid since they don't have alot of "off the line power". Traction is kind of a problem here in Hawaii for most people, and I can't brake-torque at all or I will spin. If I just slam the gas when the light goes green, I usually don't have much a problem with traction, and I don't have traction control in my 2000 R/T.

 

[Don Hardy]

Brad and others - I've tried low and high as well as a mix (to try for a mid grade) since they only sell 2 grades here. I've not seen any advantage to either grade so I have also been using the low grade. I just got an issue of Car and Driver (we get mail slow) dated November and there is a story about octane -prem vs reg - and it says there were no gains and in a few cases a loss of power by running a higher grade than the maunfacturer says to use. Seems the computers are set to run best at the grade they set it for and the computer will NOT adjust for higher output with higher graded gas. Did that make sense? Uh, it did to me. My $.02 as I got it from C&D.

 

[Candyman]

Well, I can say, at least to this point, I spent 99 cents a gallon on 87 and at a quarter tank I have run 120 miles, mainly all freeway. I always fill up at a Speedway/Super America, seeing as how I live right down the street from one as well as have one near work. Prices are also always reasonable too.

Previously I had been running mid-grade and usually would top out at 105-115 miles after the first quarter. So, at least for now, I am having better gas milage with the cheaper fuel. I also have yet to notice a loss in power or overall performance, and so am liking keeping an extra buck or two in my wallet! Now I'll just have to see how things hold up after a few fillups.

 

[SPOOK R/T]

LHSer thanks for the info about the gas at Conco.