Super cheaper than regular?

Hanyoung · 10-12-2002, 06:59 PM

I just moved to the Midwest after living on both coasts, and noticed a relief in some of the gas prices here. I also noticed that the majority of gas stations have: lower octane (Super is 89, Regular is 87); and Super gas is cheaper than Regular! In Iowa city, Super is $1.47, whereas Regular is $1.49! One thing I noticed that was different, was that ethanol was mixed into the super. Anyone have any experience w/ ethanol additive in gas? Does it lessen the quality of the gasoline, thus making "Super" worse for your car than "Regular?" Any comments greatly appreciated. I've been paying for regular gas this whole time, ... depending on info I may save $ and help my car w/ Super.

Tommy Boomfiger · 10-12-2002, 07:51 PM

figures in iowa they use more ethanol. initially ethenol isnt going to cheat you out of good fuel. it will burn pretty much the same as pure petrolium gasoline, but over time it will leave deposits which will build up inside your engine. i dont know of any way to remove it other than to take apart the engine and clean it by hand. not an easy task. the residue is usually stickier than what is left by regular gas because ethenol is made from corn which has a lot of sugars in it.

you can take the risk of using the ethenol in your car. using a higher grade wont increase performance if your engine isnt designed for it and wont hurt it either.

Ladogaboy · 10-12-2002, 08:11 PM

I would think that ethenol is cleaner than gas.

If it's leaving sugar deposits, that's nothing more than carbon anyway, right? And isn't that the kind of build up you get from gas anyway?

Oh well.

Hanyoung · 10-12-2002, 11:55 PM

That was the push for ethanol: Ethanol- cleaner gas for Iowa.

BTW I think it helped that I'm surrounded by corn, the laws of supply and demand I figure.

Tommy Boomfiger · 10-13-2002, 12:39 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Ladogaboy
I would think that ethenol is cleaner than gas. If it's leaving sugar deposits, that's nothing more than carbon anyway, right? And isn't that the kind of build up you get from gas anyway?

Oh well.

ethanol is a cleaner burning gas which makes it better for the environment, but it leaves more deposits inside the engine. its more than just carbon and leaves more deposits than regular gas does.

ethanol is cheaper than regular gas because its home grown and we dont depend on outside sources for it. current engines and fuel systems cant take a 100% ethanol fuel which is why we dont use that now.

InfiniteNothing · 10-13-2002, 02:22 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Ladogaboy
I would think that ethenol is cleaner than gas. If it's leaving sugar deposits, that's nothing more than carbon anyway, right? And isn't that the kind of build up you get from gas anyway?

Oh well.

I swear by techron

Apex · 10-13-2002, 10:42 PM

Ethanol is also a quicker way to detonation.

Mpowered · 10-13-2002, 10:56 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Apex
Ethanol is also a quicker way to detonation.

Huh? What do you mean by that?

Mungo · 10-13-2002, 11:54 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Mpowered
Huh? What do you mean by that?

It means it combusts in your engine easier thus making it burn more efficient than regular gas.

Nanotech9 · 10-14-2002, 05:39 PM

WRONG!

Detonation is caused by the combustion of the fuel before the piston reaches TDC (Top dead center)....

Or, in other words, the cylinder fires before its supposed to and causes bad things to happen to your engine, on top or robbing you of power.

If detonation is more prone in ethanol mixed gasses as Apex mentioned, then i would definitely only use it if it was in a higher octane gas. The higher the octane rating, the more stable the gas is and the less prone it is to detonation.

BTW, use the gas octane rateing the that manufacturer of your car recommends FOR YOUR CAR, unless you have installed a performance chip in your car, in which case, you must use the octane rating recommended by your chip manufacturer, which is usually rated higher (like the 91 octane which my car now requires because of the chip installed).

Whew, that was a long sentenance.

Hoser · 10-14-2002, 11:49 PM

Does the octane that a car requires have anything to do with the size of the engine?

bachviet · 10-15-2002, 09:01 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Hoser
Does the octane that a car requires have anything to do with the size of the engine?

Not the size but mostly because of the compression ratio. My car has a 9.4:1 CR and it runs on 86+ octane so I run with 87 (regular) gas. There is a dyno comparison btw different octane gases for my car and it shows that the car loose power with higher octane. The newer Honda Accord V6 has a 10.0:1 CR but still runs on 87 octane gas because of knock sensors. There is a rumor out there from a Honda engineer that the car gains 10 hp and 10 lb-ft of torque if use with premium gas (91+ octane). If that's the case, the ECU is programmed to take advantage (advance timing) of the higher octane gas. The 2000 Odyssey has this feature and it makes 215 hp with 91 but looses

10-12-2002, 06:59 PM	#1
Hanyoung Lieutenant Junior Grade Join Date: Jun 2000 Posts: 83	Super cheaper than regular? I just moved to the Midwest after living on both coasts, and noticed a relief in some of the gas prices here. I also noticed that the majority of gas stations have: lower octane (Super is 89, Regular is 87); and Super gas is cheaper than Regular! In Iowa city, Super is $1.47, whereas Regular is $1.49! One thing I noticed that was different, was that ethanol was mixed into the super. Anyone have any experience w/ ethanol additive in gas? Does it lessen the quality of the gasoline, thus making "Super" worse for your car than "Regular?" Any comments greatly appreciated. I've been paying for regular gas this whole time, ... depending on info I may save $ and help my car w/ Super.

10-12-2002, 08:11 PM	#3
Ladogaboy Admiral Join Date: Jan 2000 Location: Hiding amongst the minnows Posts: 6,843	I would think that ethenol is cleaner than gas. If it's leaving sugar deposits, that's nothing more than carbon anyway, right? And isn't that the kind of build up you get from gas anyway? Oh well. __________________ It is not enough to merely touch the face of god; you also must open your eyes so that you may see your palm.

10-14-2002, 05:39 PM	#10
Nanotech9 Vice Admiral Join Date: Feb 2000 Location: Gone Wheeling! Posts: 4,409	WRONG! Detonation is caused by the combustion of the fuel before the piston reaches TDC (Top dead center).... Or, in other words, the cylinder fires before its supposed to and causes bad things to happen to your engine, on top or robbing you of power. If detonation is more prone in ethanol mixed gasses as Apex mentioned, then i would definitely only use it if it was in a higher octane gas. The higher the octane rating, the more stable the gas is and the less prone it is to detonation. BTW, use the gas octane rateing the that manufacturer of your car recommends FOR YOUR CAR, unless you have installed a performance chip in your car, in which case, you must use the octane rating recommended by your chip manufacturer, which is usually rated higher (like the 91 octane which my car now requires because of the chip installed). Whew, that was a long sentenance. __________________

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10-12-2002, 07:51 PM	#2
Tommy Boomfiger Rear Admiral Lower Half Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Chi town Posts: 2,348	figures in iowa they use more ethanol. initially ethenol isnt going to cheat you out of good fuel. it will burn pretty much the same as pure petrolium gasoline, but over time it will leave deposits which will build up inside your engine. i dont know of any way to remove it other than to take apart the engine and clean it by hand. not an easy task. the residue is usually stickier than what is left by regular gas because ethenol is made from corn which has a lot of sugars in it. you can take the risk of using the ethenol in your car. using a higher grade wont increase performance if your engine isnt designed for it and wont hurt it either.

10-12-2002, 11:55 PM	#4
Hanyoung Lieutenant Junior Grade Join Date: Jun 2000 Posts: 83	That was the push for ethanol: Ethanol- cleaner gas for Iowa. BTW I think it helped that I'm surrounded by corn, the laws of supply and demand I figure.

10-13-2002, 10:42 PM	#7
Apex Can you hear me now? Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Here Posts: 5,506	Ethanol is also a quicker way to detonation.

10-14-2002, 11:49 PM	#11
Hoser Commander Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: Omaha, NE, United States Posts: 1,275	Does the octane that a car requires have anything to do with the size of the engine?

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