Towing; which type of fuel ?

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danmp

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There is any reason to put 91 octane fuel in replacement of the regular 87 when we tow ? I have a travel trailer ( Total weight ( trailer , truck , passenger etc ) 11000 lb

I thought it was a good idea, but I just want to know if it's usefull or it's a waste of $

Here the thursday the 89 is the same price as the 91 That's why I don't ask about the 89.

thx
 

audio1der

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I use 89 because we typically tow a lot in the summer; it 91 was the same price as 89 I woud go that route, too.
I would not use 87 when working the truck hard, but you probably could without worry.
 

BoldAdventure

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What he just said.

87 around tow unloaded, 89 towing. I'm not sure there is a benefit to 91 without a tune. If you want to pay that, I'd just go get ethanol free.
 

loveracing1988

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There is no advantage of 91 over 89. Use 89 when towing that much though, especially since your overloaded.
 

h2oman

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Your computer is designed to use 87. The likelihood of there being any benefit is minimal. You're just draining your wallet.
 

nbbowhunter

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So which is it . 87 or 89 that the trucks are designed to use . Always thought it was 87
 

WalterG

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I work with a guy that just bought a '14 and his manual says:

89 octane fuel is recommended, 87 octane is acceptable.

Were we are located, the fuel availability is 85, 87 and 91. I know that if I go to CA it is higher ratings. We were reading that the altitude here allows the lower octane without performance loss.
 
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BoldAdventure

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I work with a guy that just bought a '14 and his manual says:

89 octane fuel is recommended, 87 octane is acceptable.

Were we are located, the fuel availability is 85, 87 and 91. I know that if I go to CA it is higher ratings. We were reading that the altitude here allows the lower octane without performance loss.

Mine reads the same. 87 is acceptable, 89 is recommended for best performance is how it reads.

I've seen 85, 87, 91 and 93 at a pump here. Talk about confusing.
 

Statcher1

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I run 93 year round. But even before I was tuned I ran 93 when I knew I would be towing something in the next few days.


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RamRodRic

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contrary to popular (internet) belief...the lowest octane the engine will run on w/o spark knock (pinging) will yield the best performance (power).
yes, my 2014 hemi owners manual recommends 89 octane. have i tried it? yes. have i tried 87 octane? yes. any perceptible difference? NO! i tow over 7000lbs regularly and run 87 octane exclusively!
every vehicle is different but, 87 works for me w/o wasting $$.
 

chris*1989

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Test it out. Haul your trailer on a tank of each. I doubt you'll notice a difference unless you're hooked up to a computer.
 

smiley

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Could be psychological but I do feel 89 octane feels like the truck pulls itself easier. 89 is close to the same price so I use it. There would be advantage to using 91 or 93 if you can buy it for close to the same price and it DID NOT have ethanol. If it has ethanol and you have stock tune I would always use 89 or 87 when 89 not available. The computer will adjust and run okay on either you run. When towing you will find 89 pulls better in my opinion and you might even use a little less. I don't see premium being an advantage without a tune and probably a waste of money.
 

jimboridesmtb

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I have the same truck (2014 5.7 Hemi) and pull a 5000 lb TT. I tried both 87 and 89. Better by about 10% with 89 based on the fuel computer. Not much difference with 89 when not towing.
 

cdhd2001

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On my previous 5.7 and current 6.4 I get some octane pinging towing heavy with 87 but none with 89.

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EJR_3

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I've used both 91 and 89 octane on my 1500. Only used 89 for daily driving and 91 for towing. Believe it or not, 91 performed a smudge better and according to the EVIC save 1-2 MPG with the same load on a full tank of 91 vs 89 (never hand calculated it) in stock configuration. Is it worth it, some say no, some say yes. Either way, 89 or 91 if you worried. I NEVER used 87, but as it was mention you can. I definitely wouldn't tow with it. For added peace of mine, you can get a custom tune and run what octane you're tune for.
 

HvyDuty

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Straight 87 octane in all the Hemis I've owned (4). I might consider 89 if I was towing in the mountains, but have never had pinging or power issues.
 

chrism1367

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I notice a difference with 89, seems peppier and like one said, pulls easier. Plus on evic I get 1 to 2 mpg better with 89. I ran 93 for the hell of it one day and seemed to run even better. Either it's me or maybe that 89 we buy isn't exactly 89 say 88.5 or something, and if you get a higher grade it makes up for that. That's my opinion
 

TRCM

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It is designed to use 89, 87 can be used though with slightly reduced performance.

Kind of..............

Cut & Paste from my 2012 owners manual:
This engine is designed to meet all emissions regulations and provide satisfactory fuel economy and performance when using high quality unleaded gasoline having an octane range of 87 to 89. The manufacturer recommends the use of 89 octane for optimum performance. The use of premium gasoline is not recommended, as it will not provide any benefit over regular gasoline in these engines.

The engine is designed for anything from 87 to 89......but they do recommend 89.

So it is NOT designed for 89, it is actually designed for 87, 88 or 89, and it will get the job done without damage on 87, 88, or 89 octane.

They do however recommend 89 for 'optimum' performance, and they also go so far as to tell you NOT to use premium (91 or higher) gasoline.


I have run 87 mostly, and some 89 in my truck. I tested both under the same conditions, unloaded, and towing my boat. The difference in performance was definitely not worth the extra expense, and the MPG was essentially the same (less than .2 mpg diff hand calc'ed and by the lie-o-meter in the dash).

As a result, I use 87 for everything, towing or not, and I have not had any problems or pinging or anything to indicate I needed to use anything else.
 
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