Quick question on fuel, what kind is best for the 2.4 in 2009 vibe GT?

[BLargal]

Hello to all once again I have a quick question many of you are prolly going to think "oh god not again!" but I gotta ask because all the topics I searched for are older and wasn't stated with what year of car they have. I just recently filled up from a half tank to full on E87 fuel which of course is just reg unleaded however I was wondering what the recommended fuel is for the 2009 Vibe GT with the 2.4 eng. Should I stay with E87 or switch to plus or premium fuel asap? I have knowticed (or just might be me being crazy) that my car sounds a tiny bit louder today then when I filled up two days ago should I go to plus or premium fuel and stick to that on the next fill up or is reg unleaded just fine?

[wt2ga]

[POPPAJ]

Just regular grade. No need for paying higher prices when not required. The owners manual is your friend.

[vibenvy]

Quote, originally posted by POPPAJ »Just regular grade. No need for paying higher prices when not required. The owners manual is your friend.x299% of the time, our '09 GTs get 89 octane (lowest grade available at the station we always go to) from Citgo. During the warmer weather, we average 28-29 mpg (keeping in mind, we also both have K&N CAIs). We have never had any issues using the 89 octane. With prices continuing to surge like they have been, buying plus or premium is definitely not worth it when it's not a necessity.

[ponta2147]

Quote, originally posted by J_TO_ENVY »x299% of the time, our '09 GTs get 89 octane (lowest grade available at the station we always go to) from Citgo. During the warmer weather, we average 28-29 mpg (keeping in mind, we also both have K&N CAIs). We have never had any issues using the 89 octane. With prices continuing to surge like they have been, buying plus or premium is definitely not worth it when it's not a necessity. Though at many stations, the regular grade is 87 and the plus grade is 89, with the premium being 91 or 93... I use regular 87. I think it depends on the state/location. Either way, regular is fine!

[vibenvy]

Quote, originally posted by ponta2147 »Though at many stations, the regular grade is 87 and the plus grade is 89, with the premium being 91 or 93... I use regular 87. I think it depends on the state/location. Either way, regular is fine!Very true. The Citgo we always go to is one of only a few stations I've ever seen that has 89 octane as regular. This makes the gas prices hurt a little less because you're getting better gas for the same or many times cheaper than every other station around.

[BLargal]

Thank you very much guys for the answers it quelled my slight worry, I did look at the manual (it was early when I posted this and my tired brain after work didn't think to look at it) and it dose indeed state 87 is ok to put in the car. I might move it to plus 89 grade just because I work at a gas station and I use the speedway fuel card to save 3 cents off a gallon and I don't drive to much so the extra 7 cents for 89 won't be to big an issue for me. Only time will tell and we shall see, I have to eventually go and buy some dexcool to put in the car since those cheep sob's at the dealership gave me minimum coolant heh.

[j42.snyder]

Unfortunately, the manual lets you down in one area - fluid specifications. If you look in the coolant reservoir in the car, I'll bet the stuff in there is pink - not orange. The pink stuff is from Toyota - "super long life" or something like that. I'm not 100% sure on the compatility of Dexcool and clones with the Toyota stuff - but I'd prefer to keep it all the same.As long as the level is above where it says "low" on the reservoir, you shouldn't need to worry. Mine hasn't changed notably in the past 2 years.Depending on what print you have of the manual, the ATF spec may be wrong as well. Most of the manuals say Toyota type IV - but the '09's use WS. To verify, it's printed on the dipstick. Just something to keep in mind if you do a fluid change one day - assuming automatic that is.I experimented briefly with higher octane fuels in my 2.4 - and found little to no difference. Toyota seems to have tuned it to run fine on 87 - and that's about it. If you can find gas with minimal to no ethanol content - then try that instead. I had one station last year that kept only "pure" gas - and it made a very noticeable difference in mileage. Unfortunately they no longer stock it, as it was getting too difficult for them to obtain. The only one around here I can get now is Shell V-power 91 - but the price difference is so great (53 cents/U.S. gallon) that it doesn't come close to being worthwhile.Any name brand 87 or higher should work just fine. I'd only be concerned about some unbranded fuels - as they may not have proper levels of detergents.John

[BLargal]

True but I work for Speedway which is a main brand gas station so I know our gas is safe I haven't had any issues with any cars in my four years of working there and using that gas. And yes it is pink....sooo...can I get the pink stuff at any auto store or do I have to go to a dealership to get it? As I to prefer to keep it all the same and not mix diffrent kinds as that can cause leaks and cracks in the radiator. No clue what the pink stuff is called though. *sighs* I think I might have to post ANOTHER topic in here again i'm going to take a second look first but I for the life of me can't figure out how to simply tighten the cover to the steering wheel/ignition cover...its a bit lose so I want to tighten it up but ignore that question for now as its not part of THIS topic and I am going to look again later first to see if I was just stupid and missed a bolt somewhere...

[Mark]

Quote, originally posted by J_TO_ENVY »Very true. The Citgo we always go to is one of only a few stations I've ever seen that has 89 octane as regular. This makes the gas prices hurt a little less because you're getting better gas for the same or many times cheaper than every other station around.I'd be interested to read anything, from any source other than maybe wikipedia or oil refiners, that implies that higher octane = "better gas". Unless you're experiencing pre-ignition knocking, burning anything more than the lowest octane gas is nothing more than a waste of money.