Does anyone use midgrade/premium fuel in their 09 Vibe?

[musicmanmu]

Just like the title says.This morning my boss and I were talking and she said with the low gas prices now, she's been using midgrade fuel as opposed to regular.I have always used regular fuel and heard that midgrade/premium were just wastes of money.Has anyone tried using pricer gas in their car? Have you noticed a difference in MPGs and/or performance?I may experiment with my next tanks by trying the higher grade fuels to see if there is a difference...doing so won't hurt my car, will it?

[Raven]

It won't hurt but it won't help either. The only possible benefit would be that some premium fuels have cleaning additives. It's been proven that it's cheaper over an extended time to just add your own.

[Silversn95]

There is no benefit to it since the engine was not designed with a premium fuel requirement. It won't hurt it either mind you.

[cerulean]

Quote, originally posted by musicmanmu »I have always used regular fuel and heard that midgrade/premium were just wastes of money.It won't hurt but it won't help either. Premium fuels have higher octane ratings (and cleaning additives). The higher octane ratings are needed for engines with a higher compression levels to prevent knocking. On modern engines, you wouldn't actually hear the knocking because the ECU would retard the timing once the knock sensor detects the knocking. You should save your money and just use the type of gas that your user manual recommends.

[djb383]

Google octane.......you'll become an expert.

[musicmanmu]

Cool, thanks guys! I figured it was a waste, but was just curious.

[elkhaze]

I Filled up my vibe with octain 91, but did not notice any milage improvement. I agree, save your money, and put the regular gas.

[cerulean]

Quote, originally posted by elkhaze »I Filled up my vibe with octain 91, but did not notice any milage improvement. I agree, save your money, and put the regular gas.I think that there are only two types of people that see a mileage improvement from higher octane fuel:1. Those who "want" to see an improvement.2. Those were were running the wrong type of fuel previously for their engine.

[lowincash]

my previous car requires premium and i hated having to fill up lol...at that time the highest was around $4.95/gallon for premium...and i am so glad i can just use regular gas on this car...when i was looking for a new car i wanted one that uses regular only =D

[ned23]

I used premium fuel occasionally in my 2004 Vibe. What I noticed was that the mileage dropped but also that the engine seemed to run a little smoother and more quietly. I definitely got better mileage with regular gas. In engines like the ones in these cars, you won't really notice a power benefit from higher octane gas except when the engine is running under a high load. If you've got a small engine and the pedal is to the floor on a steep highway grade, then you may notice a little extra power with more octane under those conditions because the engine is close to 100% load.

[Lysander]

The labeling of gasoline mixtures as 'Regular' 'Midgrade' and 'Premium' is a deceptive marketing practice. There's nothing superior or higher quality about the higher octane blends, they're just that, higher octane. Cars that require a higher octane fuel (such as those with high compression or forced induction) benefit from and often require premium gasoline. Without it, you won't achieve optimum power or economy in that vehicle. Vehicles that DON'T require higher octane will actually lose power and economy due to the lower specific energy content of the products added to increase octane. In short, use what your vehicle requires you to use, no more, no less.

[ned23]

Quote, originally posted by Lysander »The labeling of gasoline mixtures as 'Regular' 'Midgrade' and 'Premium' is a deceptive marketing practice. There's nothing superior or higher quality about the higher octane blends, they're just that, higher octane. That's not entirely true. Many companies have different additive packages and add more detergents and conditioners to higher octane gas as a selling point. Quote, originally posted by Lysander »In short, use what your vehicle requires you to use, no more, no less. This is true, but you want to make sure your gas has sufficient additives. I buy generic gas at Costco which has the government minimum required additives, but I also add Lucas Fuel treatment, which I buy at trucks stops by the gallon. One gallon for $20 will last almost a year.

[ou.grizzly]

No need to use mid-grade or premium petrol. Stick with 87 octane.

[Jyik40]

The only time I use higher grade in my Vibe, is if the weather is going to be extremely warm and I am going to be hauling with my car. I notice that I get better gas mileage with the 87, but I sometimes get knocking on hot days.

[ned23]

If you operate the car under conditions that cause audible knocking (e.g. "high load"), then you will notice a little better performance and power with higher octane. Knocking causes a loss of power. When the car knocks, a lot of the combustion energy is transferred to the detonation shock wave (i.e. "sound") instead of to expanding your piston.

[fiveoh]

Someone else touched on this already regarding cleaning additives.Though some 'premium' fuels also include more/better cleaning additives, the government does require a minimum amount in ALL fuels, including 87 "regular." This further negates one of the benefits of premium fuel, the cleaning additives.Unless you perform some modifications to increase cylinder pressure in your Vibe (turbo, nitrous oxide, supercharger, milling the heads, etc), you don't need premium fuel for its added octane.Any supercharger users out there? Good luck,

[AZViking]

Midgrade (89 Octane) is cheaper than 87 octane here in SD. I saw 87 octane for $1.75 and mid grade 89 octane for $1.65/gallon on my way home today. So... mid-grade for our cars.(The reason for the lower pric being mid grade has 10% ethanol.)Edit: I've experimented to see if I noticed a difference in mpg between the 87 and 89 (ethanol and w/o) and haven't noticed a change in mpg.

[ned23]

Quote, originally posted by fiveoh »Someone else touched on this already regarding cleaning additives.Though some 'premium' fuels also include more/better cleaning additives, the government does require a minimum amount in ALL fuels, including 87 "regular." This further negates one of the benefits of premium fuel, the cleaning additivesThe "government minimum" is not enough additives, IMO. I am a believer in top-tier gas, or at least adding your own additives in moderation unless you buy top-tier gas. The insidious thing about modern computer-controlled cars is that even as your car gets "out of tune" and performance of things like your fuel system drops, the computer makes it look like its "running "fine" by compensating. So, the car seems okay but your fuel economy starts dropping. Thena all of a sudden your engine light comes on because your EGR valve blows out or your fuel rail needs cleaning or your O2 sensor fails. So, you spend $250 to replace a clogged EGR valve 2 years sooner than you would have needed it and that negates all the money you saved nickel-and-diming cheap fuel.

[vibolista]

It seems like the gasoline marketeers are earning their pay. If you use 'regular' in an engine designed to run on regular you should never have a problem with it. If you have to run mid-grade or premium, it wont hurt, plus the oil companies will love your little extra donation to their profit fund. Personally, I'll wait for one of the major brands to finally add those cute little Scrubbing Bubbles to their regular gasoline so my fuel rails stay bright and shiny.

[fiveoh]

What is SO dirty in gasoline that we need the top shelf cleaning / detergent additives?I've left carbureted ATV's off for years and have witnessed the gummed up varnish left behind. That needed some REAL cleaning! If you use your car everyday, though, I just don't see that happening.Gasoline preference seems to be one of those topics that has very strong believers on either side of the coin, like synthetic vs. dino oil.

[ned23]

Quote, originally posted by fiveoh »What is SO dirty in gasoline that we need the top shelf cleaning / detergent additives?Well, for one, all gasoline has some impurities, sulfur etc. A couple of things happen once gasoline leaves the refinery and is exposed to air and moisture:1. Gasoline slowly oxidizes as its exposed to air and essentially becomes "rancid" like butter. This creates free-radicals in the gas that begin to form "chains" and "blobs." They're catalysts so one free radical can react with multiple molecules. These blobs gradually begin to accumulate on fuel system parts. The process is speeded up by the heat from the engine. Good additives will latch onto the free-radicals and stop them in addition to cleaning up the engine. Usually some form of phenols are used for this purpose. 2. If you don't have low sulfur fuel available to you then the sulfur in your fuel system combines with moisutre and forms acids. The sulphur also forms cross-linked rubbery molecules from the heat of the engine that harden the deposits. Sulfur is what is used to vulcanize rubber; it forms di-sulfide cross-links that "harden" rubber. The detergents help break-up these hardened deposits and addtives also neutralize acids. 3. Lighter components of gasoline gradually evaporate in air. It's not as much with today's sealed tanks but it becomes a real issue in things like your lawnmower. The fumes you smell when you're pumping fuel are lighter components. The lighter components have a solvent activity on gums and varnishes. Finally, good addtives also provide top cylinder lubrication and lubricate your valves, helping to provide a good valve seal. Raw gas does not do this. When we had leaded gas, the lead oxide deposits on the valves and cylinder walls accomplished this purpose. When they took lead out they had to replace this somehow.

[abbotlex]

Quote, originally posted by ou.grizzly »No need to use mid-grade or premium petrol. Stick with 87 octane.Be careful. At high altitude (ex. the Rocky Mountain region), octane is lower because of lower concentrations of oxygen in the air. 87 *IS* mid-grade in these areas. Regular is 85.

[isaaclud]

I tried premium in the '06 once. I detected no difference.I wasn't expecting anything though.I had a SHO that made sure you put premiumin it. But again, thats what the engine was made for.

[prathman]

Quote, originally posted by abbotlex »Be careful. At high altitude (ex. the Rocky Mountain region), octane is lower because of lower concentrations of oxygen in the air. 87 *IS* mid-grade in these areas. Regular is 85.Yes, I've noticed the 85 octane rating of regular gas when at higher altitudes. I presume there's generally no problem since the air is less dense so even after it's compressed in the engine cylinders it still has less pressure than it would at lower altitudes and therefore less tendency for preignition.But has anyone had a problem when filling up in a high-altitude area and then driving to lower elevations? I haven't noticed any tendency to knock on the 85 octane when traveling through the Rocky Mtn. area.

[abbotlex]

Quote, originally posted by prathman »But has anyone had a problem when filling up in a high-altitude area and then driving to lower elevations? I haven't noticed any tendency to knock on the 85 octane when traveling through the Rocky Mtn. area.AFIK, the fuel itself is an identical mixture (regular is the same blend at all gas stations for example), it's just that the low oxygen (or air pressure or whatever the altitude factor is) causes the octane rating to be lower at that altitude. If you could fill up in Denver and actually drive to Topeka, KS on one tank of gas that "85" octane fuel in Denver would magically become "87" octane in Topeka.Some one please correct me if this is incorrect.

[prathman]

Quote, originally posted by abbotlex »AFIK, the fuel itself is an identical mixture (regular is the same blend at all gas stations for example), it's just that the low oxygen (or air pressure or whatever the altitude factor is) causes the octane rating to be lower at that altitude. If you could fill up in Denver and actually drive to Topeka, KS on one tank of gas that "85" octane fuel in Denver would magically become "87" octane in Topeka.Everything I've seen indicates that it's a different fuel blend with a lower octane rating so it would not be good if used at sea level. OTOH, I came across one study that indicated the octane requirements go down by about 1 point for each 1000' of altitude so the 85 octane fuel should be fine when above 2000'. The places that sell it are much higher than that so by the time one drops to a low enough altitude to have an issue it would probably be time to refuel anyway.

[high revin]

My o3 Vibe GT there is a huge differance in how it runs on 93 comared to 87 I noticed most responses were from base model owners witch make sence that they probably will not benefit from a higher octane but the VVTL-I just loves it i mean night and day! but these lil motors have a ton of compression ton them.So to say there is no differance to the octane differance i disagree!

[ned23]

Quote, originally posted by abbotlex »AFIK, the fuel itself is an identical mixture (regular is the same blend at all gas stations for example),...Some one please correct me if this is incorrect.It's both correct and slightly incorrect. If you've ever worked at a gas station and seen the daily spot price feed for fuel that station onwers get you'll notice that there are at least a half-dozen blends of regular gas on the list that are available from various distributors. Generally the available blends in a particular region are fairly limited but there is still usually more than one.Even a branded station may chose an alternate wholesale blend but they then have to upgrade it with an appropriate additive package to match the brand.

[zoobernaut]

It seems most people have a static answer about which grade of fuel to use. Ive seen different cars do better with various grades and brands. I say play around with a few different picks and see what your car likes for your driving habits.