Anyone switched to 87 octane?

[Jeepwalker]

LOL ...of course. I've used nothing BUT 87 in all my lawn tools/mowers etc since ...forever. At least 25 some years +. I haven't experienced the fabled 'water build-up' and other boogyman problems internet city-slickers warn around. And I have NEVER used STA-bil either. Never had a problem. And on the farm (any farms I know about) where machinery may sit for months at a time, nobody I ever knew growing up ever used Sta-bil either. It probably can't hurt, but the sun will still rise in the east if you don't use it.

But up here in the N, it's real cold in the winter and gas doesn't really go bad rapidly over the winter. In other parts of the country, I'd probably run some 'non-ethanol' gas through a mower or lawn tool before putting it to bed in the fall.

Make sure, whatever you do, read your equipment's manual and run the fuel type and octane rating they recommend.

 

[HEMIMANN]

I've seen a number of carburetors ruined by both alcohol gasoline an unstablilized gasoline, both at work and from friends we had to either clean or order new carbs. Gas does go "bad" over winter. This is professional experience. If some of you have magic home experiences, more power to you.

A not commonly known fact is lower octane gasoline burns more completely and is preferred for low performance engines with low cylinder pressures (Briggs & Stratton, etc., with compression ratios of only 6:1). Therefore,, 87 octane without alcohol is ideal for such engines. As you move up the stratum of engine performance, they can tolerate alcohol since they have closed loop fueling systems (can sense the correct AFR), but again, the fuel system components must be resistant to alcohol solvency. And fuel mileage is reduced significantly.

Higher octane is only useful in those engines with spark advance control that takes advantage of higher compression ratios, etc. Result is better torque and mileage, depending on compression ratio (or turbo) increase. Using higher octane than engine is capable of spark advancing is actually harmful, because the engine doesn't adjust advanced timing, thereby leaving more unburned deposits in the engine.

End professional rant.

 

[Silver21Ram]

When I fill up today, I suspect I'll continue to get some mileage.

 

[Burla]

Dodge HEMI Octane Requirements

The octane requirements of a vehicle vary according to the compression ratio of the engine. The Chrysler Hemi is a relatively high-compression engine and requires fuels that adhere to the manufacturer's recommended octane rating. Higher-compression engines create greater cylinder pressures and...

itstillruns.com

The standard or "base" Hemi engine has a slightly lower compression than the SRT8 performance version. When the Hemi is matched with an automatic transmission, Chrysler recommends 89 octane fuel for peak performance. 87 octane is the minimum octane rating listed for the base Hemi regardless of transmission, but for the best mileage and performance, the higher-octane recommendations should be followed.

 

[HEMIMANN]

Dodge HEMI Octane Requirements

The octane requirements of a vehicle vary according to the compression ratio of the engine. The Chrysler Hemi is a relatively high-compression engine and requires fuels that adhere to the manufacturer's recommended octane rating. Higher-compression engines create greater cylinder pressures and...

itstillruns.com

The standard or "base" Hemi engine has a slightly lower compression than the SRT8 performance version. When the Hemi is matched with an automatic transmission, Chrysler recommends 89 octane fuel for peak performance. 87 octane is the minimum octane rating listed for the base Hemi regardless of transmission, but for the best mileage and performance, the higher-octane recommendations should be followed.

Note the very 1st sentence. I don't have a marketing wordsmith to help me anymore.

Btw, we here would change this because octane level is relevant to maximum compression pressure, which is the combination of compression ratio and boost level (Hellcat has a blower, for example, and reduces compression ratio to prevent too high a compression pressure).

And of course some guys customize by adding turbos or blower with custom tuning with specific octane requirements.
My tuner has a performance mode requiring 93 octane,, for example. That means the tune advances the spark timing beyond the factory tune.

 

[Jeepwalker]

I've seen a number of carburetors ruined by both alcohol gasoline an unstablilized gasoline, both at work and from friends we had to either clean or order new carbs. Gas does go "bad" over winter. This is professional experience. If some of you have magic home experiences, more power to you.

We've had ethanol in gasoline here since the 80's, which I've always burned. I've never experienced a carb ruined by ethanol fuel ..and I've had many apart. Maybe I didn't know what to look for. IDK...

 

[pacofortacos]

Just tried the 88 octane E15 in my wife's Mazda 3 - high compression DI engine, I think 12:1 compression..
While it didn't seem to affect mpg a whole lot, maybe a mpg or 2 lower, it definitely killed low rpm power vs. 87 octane.

So much for saving a few $$, I was actually surprised to feel such a drastic difference. Put 87 E10 (max) back in and the power came right back.

On my Ram, I never really notice any difference between 89 and 87, but do tend to run 89 when towing. I never hear any pinging even when towing with 87, but in the heat of the summer I feel better running 89 when loaded.

 

[HEMIMANN]

We've had ethanol in gasoline here since the 80's, which I've always burned. I've never experienced a carb ruined by ethanol fuel ..and I've had many apart. Maybe I didn't know what to look for. IDK...

Good for you. My experience differs greatly. We only shipped around 20,000 gasoline engines annually. Insignificant, I imagine.

 

[HEMIMANN]

Just tried the 88 octane E15 in my wife's Mazda 3 - high compression DI engine, I think 12:1 compression..
While it didn't seem to affect mpg a whole lot, maybe a mpg or 2 lower, it definitely killed low rpm power vs. 87 octane.

So much for saving a few $$, I was actually surprised to feel such a drastic difference. Put 87 E10 (max) back in and the power came right back.

On my Ram, I never really notice any difference between 89 and 87, but do tend to run 89 when towing. I never hear any pinging even when towing with 87, but in the heat of the summer I feel better running 89 when loaded.

E15 is nothing more than taxpayer welfare program. Yes, yes, I know - so is the oil industry. We just want the facts exposed instead of hidden behind flowery misleading commercials to sucker people, is all. Your experience shows the physics of reality.

My wife's Mazda CX-5 has the turbo DI engine, 91 octane is recommended. I suppose the compression ratio is lowered to accommodate the turbo boost pressure, but the overall compression pressure is high. I don't know if the turbo engine ECM is smart enough to r*e*t*a*r*d spark timing for lower octane fuel, but we're not going to risk it. Premium non-oxy (alcohol) top tier gas is all this motor gets. Mileage is 23-30 mpg with full time AWD!

 

[Travis8352]

Where can you get non oxy gas for a street vehicle?

I can actually get non ethanol 89 for my truck... unfortunately costs the same as 93 with ethanol at the same station

 

[Jeepwalker]

Good for you. My experience differs greatly. We only shipped around 20,000 gasoline engines annually. Insignificant, I imagine.

What kind of carb failures were you seeing? Moisture relate? Seals? Just curious.

 

[62Blazer]

Not saying people have not had issues with gas going "bad" or ethanol fuel, but just giving my experience. I've had ATV's, SxS's, mowers, and other small engine equipment since the 80's. None of these have ever used anything but the normal 87 octane with whatever ethanol in it that was readily available at the gas stations. I do not put any additives or stabilizers in the fuel, and have never had any ruined carbs or even required any work on carbs. Currently have 3 mowers, with 2 of those being from the mid to late 90's. One of those is a 20 HP Kawasaki twin and the other a 15 HP Briggs single. I know the history of the 15 HP Briggs since that mower was brand new back in the '90s and it has never had anything but normal 87 octane and no additives and never had any fuel related work done besides for a fresh filter every couple seasons. It sits in the garage for around 4 months every winter. I've owned the 20 HP Kawasaki for close to 10 years now. I'm not 100% sure if it ever had any carb or fuel work done to it before I got it with 1,000 hours on it, but I've never touched it. That machine is used for some snowplowing in the winter, but not uncommon for it to sit for months without starting. The 3rd mower is just a pushmower with a Honda engine that rarely gets used....probably only 4-5 times a mowing season. Again, never had any issues with it and it runs great.

 

[VB712]

Got tired of filling up with 93 so I contacted my tuner lastnight for an 87 tune. Done deal.

 

[Justin33]

LOL ...of course. I've used nothing BUT 87 in all my lawn tools/mowers etc since ...forever. At least 25 some years +. I haven't experienced the fabled 'water build-up' and other boogyman problems internet city-slickers warn around. And I have NEVER used STA-bil either. Never had a problem. And on the farm (any farms I know about) where machinery may sit for months at a time, nobody I ever knew growing up ever used Sta-bil either. It probably can't hurt, but the sun will still rise in the east if you don't use it.

But up here in the N, it's real cold in the winter and gas doesn't really go bad rapidly over the winter. In other parts of the country, I'd probably run some 'non-ethanol' gas through a mower or lawn tool before putting it to bed in the fall.

Make sure, whatever you do, read your equipment's manual and run the fuel type and octane rating they recommend.

My step father always told me to never full up whacker or mower entirely end of season so you didn’t have that ethanol sitting in the engine. So is that not a thing?

 

[2012RAM1500RT]

Got tired of filling up with 93 so I contacted my tuner lastnight for an 87 tune. Done deal. View attachment 494020

I have the same thing and I have NO complaints or problems. I've had it for about 20,000 miles now!

 

[ramffml]

Got tired of filling up with 93 so I contacted my tuner lastnight for an 87 tune. Done deal. View attachment 494020

I have the same thing and I have NO complaints or problems. I've had it for about 20,000 miles now!

Don't leave me hanging, what are you guys using to tune (device or software) and where did you get the 87 tune?

 

[turkeybird56]

I have the same thing and I have NO complaints or problems. I've had it for about 20,000 miles now!

I run all the fuel out on anything that sits. But I run my riding mower all year. Also, I do run my MC all year, dependent upon temp and Rain/Cold. I do have my chain saw run out till I need, as it is a new Stihl and runs on 89 mixed, and I need to pull out my generator and run the fuel out, but that is stored with Stabil. Just how I do it.

 

[2012RAM1500RT]

Don't leave me hanging, what are you guys using to tune (device or software) and where did you get the 87 tune?

I got the Diablo Sport tune through Hemifever tuner. I'm sure you can google him, that was how I found him. It's not cheap and I didn't buy it for the 87 tune at the time but he gave me the 87 and 93 tune for one price. It may not be worth the price to you but at $15 to $20 a tank difference it may not take long to pay for it if the fuel prices don't change. I figure we have 2 more years of it at least. I forgot to add that if your truck is newer than 2014 you have to get another PCM that is unlocked. That may change your mind. Wouldn't hurt to contact him to find out for sure.

 

[Jeepwalker]

My step father always told me to never full up whacker or mower entirely end of season so you didn’t have that ethanol sitting in the engine. So is that not a thing?

IDK ....I've never done anything different than just put fuel in and use my equipment. Sometimes it sits a long time. And lawn equipment always sits over the winter. I have vehicles I don't drive all summer long (plow truck). Or vehicles I don't drive during the winter ...and other cars that get driven intermittently. I just run normal gas through them with 10% alcohol like I've always done and shut them off when I park them. Never had any problems. And I don't know too many people who take any extra precautions with their equipment either.

It can't hurt putting premium or no-ethanol fuel, in at the end of the season. A snow blower even more-so. Fuel will probably evaporate quite a bit over the summer, and if you keep it in your garage, it's going to smell a little like fuel too. I DO always run my chain saw empty on fuel before storing it (that's what the direction suggest too), since I don't use it regularly year round. Otherwise the gas will evaporate and you'll have too much oil (proportionally) even if you put more fuel in it.

Whatever guys want to do ...that's ok by me. I'm just suggesting that's what I've always done and my world hasn't come crashing down.

 

[HEMIMANN]

I can actually get non ethanol 89 for my truck... unfortunately costs the same as 93 with ethanol at the same station

It's worth it for the better fuel economy, usually. In any case, you don't have to fuel as often than alcohol gas.

Holiday Gas Station?