GT Premium Gas...(yes, another thread)

[Diogenio]

Not to beat a dead horse, but people keep on stating that running a GT on regular gas is inevitibly going to cause engine damage. The fact that HP and fuel economy will suffer is not debatable; resulting engine damage is not a sure thing. ALL modern cars, including the Vibe GT, have effective anti-knock sensors in the block that are connected to the engine management computer. If knock is sensed (as in using lower octane fuel than recommended), the timing is automatically retarded just enough to stop it. As a matter of fact, your GT could possibly knock on premium fuel under severe load if this computer were not there, constantly adjusting the timing for best performance, keeping it just a degree or two away from knocking. Old racers like me who have cars without dynamic timing computers/knock sensors know that static timing can be set to positions where knock will always occur, or only under high torque load, or not occur at all. Old school, this art of setting ignition timing.I purchased a used Vibe GT from an owner whom always used regular gas...and at the specific OK of his Pontiac dealer! Never was any knock heard from the engine. True, performance suffers because of the retarded timing, but no knock is no knock, so no engine damage should have occured. The previous owner never really pushed the GT to what it was intended to do anyway. The engine just loafed.Pontiac puts the "engine damage may occur" disclaimer in their literature because they simply have to. Ever speak to a corporate lawyer? If the anti-knock circuitry does not perform adequately, then the engine could very well be damaged by excessive knock. In that case, Pontiac would be liable because they didn't warn you about using premium fuel. Plus, they (legally) want to make sure the car performs to their stated claims with regard to acceleration, HP and EPA ratings. It takes the right fuel to meet those specs.So, I am NOT advocating the use of regular in a GT. However, I just wanted to offer a more comprehensive viewpoint than the emotional appeals that have been written here. Engine damage is NOT necessarily a given with regular fuel.If you have ever put regular in your GT, don't dispair unless the engine was audibly knocking and you continued to push it hard (duuuuh). If you did not hear any knock (ping), chances are rather good it was not knocking! Oh yes, there is also the topic of advanced anti-knock compounds that are put in some gas that will retard knocking...regardless of the actual octane rating. Drive on, GT brothers...but with premium fuel, of course!

[StampedeVibe]

CYOAIn other words: Cover Your Own (removed)