Premium Gas

[Ridgerunner665]

I used to run 89 until I learned that its mixed at the pump most of the time...a mixture of 87 and 91/93... literally mixed at the pump....so the mix is likely all over the place.

Now I run Shell premium ONLY... with the rebate I get from the fuel card, and extra mileage I get because its only 5% corn fuel, it evens out and doesn't cost me one red cent more in fuel over time.

23+ mpg from Shell premium and 21 mpg from Shell 89... not to mention the proven excellent cleaning properties of Shell premium.... that actually matters more than the other stuff in these newer engines.

Proven hand calculated better mileage with Shell premium in both our vehicles....my 2018 Ram (5.7) and her 2020 Jeep Cherokee (3.2 V6).

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[John Goodspeed]

I currently have a 2019 Ram 2500 and use 93 octane even though the owners guide says 89 octane recommended. I always use Shell or Marathon. Both Brands use top tier gas and have cleaning agents such as all Marathon gas includes STP as an additive. I also have a 2019 Corvette that likes to see 93 octane. When in doubt, why not simply use the minimum recommended octane suggested by the manufacturer. The engineers at Dodge, Chevy, or whatever the manufacturer spend many hours testing engines to ensure that the best minimum octane is recommended for a particular engine. For me, I have not purchased any cars or trucks over the past 10 years or so, where I wanted to know the fuel economy, but I am not using my Ram truck or car to earn a living. At the end of the day, the Ram truck will last for many years, and many miles simply by taking care of the routine maintenance and using the proper grade of gas. Just my thoughts.

 

[Albert525]

I reviewed the manual for 2500 2020 and it says 89 octain, 87 will work but not optimal, meaning constant knock and retarding timing.
so 89 is what its optimized for, anything higher is a waste of money and wont fully burn

 

[dtru1222]

I reviewed the manual for 2500 2020 and it says 89 octain, 87 will work but not optimal, meaning constant knock and retarding timing.
so 89 is what its optimized for, anything higher is a waste of money and wont fully burn

Unless you datalog you are just guessing. As I stated in my previous post all 4 of my 09+ hemi's had timing reduction while running 93 octane, even worse running 89. The MPG gain when moving to 93 outweighed the extra cost at the pump so there was no waste in money any my vehicles were making closer to the rated HP with less timing reduction.

Post any datalogs that prove your point of it being "waste of money and wont fully burn"

 

[2019_RPX_LTD]

...23+ mpg from Shell premium and 21 mpg from Shell 89... not to mention the proven excellent cleaning properties of Shell premium.... that actually matters more than the other stuff in these newer engines....

I assume that is for the Jeep 3.6, not the 5.7 hemi?

 

[Ridgerunner665]

I assume that is for the Jeep 3.6, not the 5.7 hemi?

No... that was the 5.7 with me driving it to get good fuel mileage.... easy on the take offs, let up (not off) at the crest of hills and let gravity work to carry you down, steady speed with no hard acceleration, etc.

All the things I do driving the semi every day...I average around 8 mpg (7.9 to 8.3) in my 2020 Freightliner Cascadia doing this, while others swear they can only get 7 mpg.

The 3.2 will get around 29 mpg using the same techniques.

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[2019_RPX_LTD]

No... that was the 5.7 with me driving it to get good fuel mileage.... easy on the take offs, let up (not off) at the crest of hills and let gravity work to carry you down, steady speed with no hard acceleration, etc.

All the things I do driving the semi every day...I average around 8 mpg (7.9 to 8.3) in my 2020 Freightliner Cascadia doing this, while others swear they can only get 7 mpg.

The 3.2 will get around 29 mpg using the same techniques.

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So what is your real world combined mileage from everyday driving?

 

[Ridgerunner665]

So what is your real world combined mileage from everyday driving?

Honestly I haven't driven it enough "everyday" miles to know exactly...its only used for recreational trips (hunting, fishing, camping, etc.)....but I'd estimate it at 18 to 19....we live in a rural area, no stop lights and such nearby.... really nothing nearby, lol...its 20 miles to Walmart.

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[John Goodspeed]

In depth testing of fuel additives/cleaning agents after 100 hours of engine use have shown that the use of non-top Tier fuel leaves an average of 660 milligrams of carbon deposits on each intake of a car engine compared to an average of just 34 milligrams for Top Tier fuel. When using Top Tier gas in your car that is a reduction of 95% of carbon deposits. That is far more than a significant difference, it can actually mean a major difference in performance and engine life for your vehicle. Also, to use the recommended octane rather than a lower octane can mean a significant difference in engine performance over an extended period of time. The bottom line is use Top Tier fuel only in your car even if you pay a few more pennies per gallon at the pump, and simply use the car manufacturer's recommended octane when filling up your car. From the member posts that I read on this forum as well as the corvette forum, most of us simply have enjoyed cars all of our lives, and it appears to be important to us that we take care of our Ram trucks. What say ye?

 

[Elkman]

Ram recommends 87 or 89 octane rated fuel for the engine. If using 87 octane the engine computer will retard the spark slightly to avoid pre-ignition or knock. The 87 octane will cost less but also reduce total power and mpg slightly.

All octane measures is resistance to pre-ignition and nothing more. And if you put in 10 gallons of 87 octane and 10 gallons of 89 octane the resulting mixture is going to be close to 88.5 octane

 

[Elkman]

In depth testing of fuel additives/cleaning agents after 100 hours of engine use have shown that the use of non-top Tier fuel leaves an average of 660 milligrams of carbon deposits on each intake of a car engine compared to an average of just 34 milligrams for Top Tier fuel. When using Top Tier gas in your car that is a reduction of 95% of carbon deposits. That is far more than a significant difference, it can actually mean a major difference in performance and engine life for your vehicle. Also, to use the recommended octane rather than a lower octane can mean a significant difference in engine performance over an extended period of time. The bottom line is use Top Tier fuel only in your car even if you pay a few more pennies per gallon at the pump, and simply use the car manufacturer's recommended octane when filling up your car. From the member posts that I read on this forum as well as the corvette forum, most of us simply have enjoyed cars all of our lives, and it appears to be important to us that we take care of our Ram trucks. What say ye?

What total B.S. - what in depth testing and by whom and where can we find your source for this information?

There are two refineries for the entire state of California and so all the gasoline is the same regardless of the retail or fleet outlet. I can pay an extra 30 cents a gallon for the gas pumped at a Chevron station but only a guillible consumer would think they were getting more for their money.

What was important was taking the tetraethly lead out of gasoline in the 1970's as this was killing engines as well as poisoning the brains of children. After lead was no longer allowed engines lasted twice as long and crime rates dropped dramatically as children became young adults.

 

[tidefan1967]

What total B.S. - what in depth testing and by whom and where can we find your source for this information?

There are two refineries for the entire state of California and so all the gasoline is the same regardless of the retail or fleet outlet. I can pay an extra 30 cents a gallon for the gas pumped at a Chevron station but only a guillible consumer would think they were getting more for their money.

What was important was taking the tetraethly lead out of gasoline in the 1970's as this was killing engines as well as poisoning the brains of children. After lead was no longer allowed engines lasted twice as long and crime rates dropped dramatically as children became young adults.

The additive packs aren't added at the refinery, they're added in varying degrees by each brand after pickup from the refinery. Top tier fuels have considerably more cleaning additives(I believe 8 times more than the minimum required by law) than the El cheapo brands and that's a fact not an opinion although like yourself I'm not willing to pay more than maybe a nickel a gallon extra for it. Lastly what does any of this have to do with Tetraethyl lead since they use ethanol to boost octane nowadays? Ethanol can go the way of lead too as far as I'm concerned.

 

[John Goodspeed]

All one has to do is take the time to research different studies conducted by varying companies regarding top tier gas compared to non-top tier gas. Refineries do not include additives such as STP in their fuel such as the Marathon corporation uses for their gas. Shell also uses additives to their fuel after leaving the refinery that other companies may not add in significant amounts to help with engine deposits. It is an individual choice as to what gas you want to use and usually is based on cost and personal preferences. There is a reason for having to brand gas in either the Top Tier or non-Top Tier category. Make sense?

 

[Octane]

What total B.S. - what in depth testing and by whom and where can we find your source for this information?

There are two refineries for the entire state of California and so all the gasoline is the same regardless of the retail or fleet outlet. I can pay an extra 30 cents a gallon for the gas pumped at a Chevron station but only a guillible consumer would think they were getting more for their money.

What was important was taking the tetraethly lead out of gasoline in the 1970's as this was killing engines as well as poisoning the brains of children. After lead was no longer allowed engines lasted twice as long and crime rates dropped dramatically as children became young adults.

And the chinamen got hold of all the lead and made paint for baby furniture and toys and then made poison dogfood for the U.S. market.All before covid 19 was released on us.But we didnt need lead in gas after we hardened the cylinder head valve seats on our cars and then that emissions thing with the converters on exhausts wouldnt allow leaded gas.

 

[John Goodspeed]

There are around 137 oil refineries in the U.S. and as many as 16 of those oil refineries are located in California.

 

[Octane]

Surprised those Kalifornia Kommies haven't kicked those refineries out of the state

 

[Ridgerunner665]

All science based facts in that video... no BS.

Spoiler alert... the title is a little misleading, the facts support the use of premium fuels on almost all engines.

The one exception being small displacement 4 cylinder turbocharged engines... they can't advance the timing enough to take advantage of the higher octane.

V8 and V6 engines with moderate to high compression ratio benefit the most from the use of premium fuel.

Economics... premium fuels do cost more... but they also take better care of your engine.

 

[2019_RPX_LTD]

So if you drive around on 4%-6% grades all the time (which you/I don't), then you might get ~7% improvement in fuel economy, which is less than what the premium fuel costs you over 89 octane fuel...

"... but they also take better care of your engine." In what way? (I totally agree that using Top Tier fuels reduces carbon deposits).

 

[HDGoose]

Gas is for motorcycles and generators.

Diesel is for trucks!

Other than that, all sides are covered already!

 

[Sherman Bird]

Looking at new 2500 with 6.4 gas. I see they recommend premium gas. Has this always been true and does anybody run regular instead? Thanks

I once owned a 2001 Miata. It called for 93. I ran regular with no issues EXCEPT, gas mileage dropped far enough to make it less economical to run the regular! 26mpg on regular and 36+mpg on 93!