Is high test really necessary?
 

Does anyone use 87 octane fuel on a regular basis? I tried one tank and didn't notice any knocking or any other ill effects but I hesitate do use it regularly. Any thoughts would be appreciated

Sorry bud, I've only ever used the recommended 93 octane.

Nope, never considered it. When I bought the car I knew it required premium and that's what I put in there. Why would you consider putting less than what the manufacturer requires in the vehicle? I mean is $4-$6 a tank going to make that big of a difference in your wallet?

On that note, the motor is engineered (compression, timing, and all that) to use that specific test. You may get away with a few tanks, but eventually you'll get that bad luck where it causes misfires or failed detonations and start causing major issues.

You do realize there's a reason they tell you to use premium, right? It's not a conspiracy between Nissan and Big Oil. The car will knock on cheap gas until it dials back enough timing to run safely. Knocking is never good, and pulling all that timing out loses power.

I looked up the price difference where you live. At $0.40 a gallon difference, if you were empty, that's $8.00.

One good denotation could cost you a whole lot more! Didn't you know the car needed premium before you bought it?

You quoted my post so I'll respond that premium is $.30 higher here. Not sure what your looking at, some stations may be that high but QT and Costco aren't.








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If you use 87 over 91, the loss of power will be X amount, meaning it will take (the same, if not more than) X amount of power to get your car up to speed.

The price difference vs the HP loss difference makes 91 almost the exact same value


This is only for cars tuned for 91

Nobody that I know of. I got in a bind and put just enough low octane in the tank to get me to a station with ethyl.

You may not have heard anything but, if you were pushing the engine very hard, it was there. The ECU can adjust to minimize knock but that decreases power. Try your test on a hot Summer day and you may be able to hear the knock.

Edit: To answer the question in your title: Yes. 89-91 octane is required for proper operation.

The engine is tuned from the factory to run on an octane (AKI) of 91 or higher.

I'll spare you the details on octane needs, (which you should do some research on), but the short version is, octane represents the ability of the fuel to avoid knock (explained bellow).

Having said that I'll mention three important issues to keep in mind at the pump.

1. A combustion engine produces torque (and by extension, power) without destroying itself rapidly in the process through a series of carefully TIMED combustion events -- that's what the ignition timing tune controls.

2. Combustion events that are NOT properly timed are what we call commonly call "knock" (auto-ignition or pre-ignition of fuel), and knock can cause severe engine damage in short order.

3. Three factors contribute greatly to the likelihood of engine knock: (1) Increases in heat in the combustion chamber, (2) High levels of compression (either based on design of piston of through forced induction), and (3) increased engine load (primarily by way of corresponding increases in heat and pressure within the cylinder chamber in the production of peak torque).

You live in FL and drive a high revving, high output sports car with fairly high compression pistons.

Does going below the recommended octane sound like a good idea, keeping these three points in mind, the nature of your engine and the environment in which it will operate?

If you think about all that and conclude, "Yes", then best of luck to you...

AKI < 91 is not recommended.

i thought this was a DUI question...

you should've bought a ecobox.

Do not use 87 octane. Also do not use diesel.

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My Z runs like a striped ape when I use JP8. :happydance:

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