Is premium gas necessary?
- Thread starter Paul65FL
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poniesviii
Dedicated LVC Member
Yeah as long as you don't run it hard.. I wouldn't use it often. Makes exhaust stink too.
turborich
Dedicated LVC Member
I wouldn't say that it is 100% necessary but it is a really good idea to run it since the car calls for it. I myself would never use anything other than premium in my mark. It's only a matter of a couple of bucks per tank anyhow.
MediumD
Dedicated LVC Member
If you want the last few ounces of performance run premium. If you're going on a road trip or something it's a waste to run anything better than regular.
Frogman
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Why do do people step over a dollar to save a dime?
On average premium is 10 to 15 cents more expensive than regular.
Lets have us a little math session.
We'll use rounded numbers for the slower people.
Say that your Mark will average 20 miles per gallon over the span of 100,000 miles. That gives us 5000 gallons of fuel used for that 100K miles.
At $2 a gallon for regular unleaded, that comes to $10K in fuel.
At $2.15 a gallon for premium, that comes out to $10,750.
We take the difference of the two, and we end up with $750 extra over the course of 100K miles.
At an average of 15K miles, a year, that breaks down to to 6.67 years to put 100K miles on that car.
We take this extra $750 and we divide that by 6.67, and we end up with 112.47 extra dollars a year in fuel costs.
Now you tell me, is this $113 (rounded up) worth upwards of what, $2000 dollars to replace your engine because it went south due to constant detonation?
There is a reason why these cars require premium. Otherwise FORD would have recommended regular unleaded in these cars. Will your motor absolutely bomb if you constantly run regular in it? May so, maybe not. But think of it as an insurance policy.
Yes, the car can adjust to regular unleaded. But you also won't get the fuel economy the car would get if you were to run the required premium fuel. Lets not talk about what happens when you put your foot into it. We've already discussed how much an engine can cost to replace after you bomb it.
A lot of people seem to want performance, but don't want to pay for it. They abuse their marks, and when they break, they cry out about what a piece of crap the car is, because all this stuff keep breaking. Well DUH!
So you go ahead and run regular unleaded in your car. When the engine blows up and you can't afford to replace the motor because you didn't want to spend a measely extra $3 at the pump because you had to get your $2 twelve ounce bottle of Evian and then you junk it, there will be more junk yard Mark VIII's for me to get parts for mine. And lets not talk about there being less Marks on the road, making them even more unique and rare.
On average premium is 10 to 15 cents more expensive than regular.
Lets have us a little math session.
We'll use rounded numbers for the slower people.
Say that your Mark will average 20 miles per gallon over the span of 100,000 miles. That gives us 5000 gallons of fuel used for that 100K miles.
At $2 a gallon for regular unleaded, that comes to $10K in fuel.
At $2.15 a gallon for premium, that comes out to $10,750.
We take the difference of the two, and we end up with $750 extra over the course of 100K miles.
At an average of 15K miles, a year, that breaks down to to 6.67 years to put 100K miles on that car.
We take this extra $750 and we divide that by 6.67, and we end up with 112.47 extra dollars a year in fuel costs.
Now you tell me, is this $113 (rounded up) worth upwards of what, $2000 dollars to replace your engine because it went south due to constant detonation?
There is a reason why these cars require premium. Otherwise FORD would have recommended regular unleaded in these cars. Will your motor absolutely bomb if you constantly run regular in it? May so, maybe not. But think of it as an insurance policy.
Yes, the car can adjust to regular unleaded. But you also won't get the fuel economy the car would get if you were to run the required premium fuel. Lets not talk about what happens when you put your foot into it. We've already discussed how much an engine can cost to replace after you bomb it.
A lot of people seem to want performance, but don't want to pay for it. They abuse their marks, and when they break, they cry out about what a piece of crap the car is, because all this stuff keep breaking. Well DUH!
So you go ahead and run regular unleaded in your car. When the engine blows up and you can't afford to replace the motor because you didn't want to spend a measely extra $3 at the pump because you had to get your $2 twelve ounce bottle of Evian and then you junk it, there will be more junk yard Mark VIII's for me to get parts for mine. And lets not talk about there being less Marks on the road, making them even more unique and rare.
MediumD
Dedicated LVC Member
Why do people waste money on premium gas if they're not going to be running the car hard?
Yes it will get the same fuel economy with regular as with premium, in my experiance, as long as you're not redlining it everywhere. On my ETC (which is even higher compression than the Mark at 10.3:1) I can enter PCM diag mode and watch the spark retard on it's info center. It will not retard the timing at all until the motor's over 3500 rpm even with 85 octane in 110* temps (in Phoenix even, not just up here at 5500') In normal driving people don't get up past 3500 very often if at all. This means the engine is making same amount of power during normal driving to move the car off the lowest octane gas available or off the highest octane gas available.
"Constant detonation" is NOT going to happen with an aluminum headed 10:1 motor on any gas you throw at it in the first place, and even if it did that's why Ford stuck a knock sensor in it. Also why it reduces timing in the event of a knock sensor/circuitry failure.
Yes it will get the same fuel economy with regular as with premium, in my experiance, as long as you're not redlining it everywhere. On my ETC (which is even higher compression than the Mark at 10.3:1) I can enter PCM diag mode and watch the spark retard on it's info center. It will not retard the timing at all until the motor's over 3500 rpm even with 85 octane in 110* temps (in Phoenix even, not just up here at 5500') In normal driving people don't get up past 3500 very often if at all. This means the engine is making same amount of power during normal driving to move the car off the lowest octane gas available or off the highest octane gas available.
"Constant detonation" is NOT going to happen with an aluminum headed 10:1 motor on any gas you throw at it in the first place, and even if it did that's why Ford stuck a knock sensor in it. Also why it reduces timing in the event of a knock sensor/circuitry failure.
LuxFord
Active LVC Member
thats a good point but if your trying to save your 3$ at the pump, then why did you buy a mark?
Moes8
Dedicated LVC Member
quote..
"Do You Really Need Premium?
And Answers to Other Gasoline Questions
By Philip Reed
Email | Blog
Date Posted 05-21-2006
Buying premium gas is like taking vitamins — you can't always feel the difference and yet you know it's the right thing to do. But as gas prices climb, paying the extra dime per gallon for premium is like adding insult to injury. Eventually, the thought is bound to jump into your head: Do I really need to pop for premium?
Until about 15 years ago, if a car called for premium gas and you pumped in regular, the car began to knock and ping and even vibrate. But that was before they essentially put a laptop under the hood of the automobile, said Dr. Loren Beard, senior manager of Environmental and Energy Planning, for Daimler Chrysler. Now, sensors take readings and tune the engine as you drive by adjusting the timing for whatever fuel you put in the tank.
The result is that a car that calls for the mid-grade gasoline will usually run on regular without knocking, Beard said. However, its performance will suffer slightly. How much? It will be perhaps a half-second slower going from zero to 60 mph.
Volvo cars call for "premium fuel [91 octane or better] for optimum performance and fuel economy," said Wayne Baldwin, product/segment manager for the S60/S80. "However, there is absolutely nothing wrong with using 87 octane, as the knock sensors and engine management system 'protect' the engine from knocking."
Baldwin, a former rally driver who competed in SCCA Pro Rally events, said that engines have changed a lot in the past 15 years. "Cars built before 1990 probably do not have knock sensors and many brands back then relied on high-compression ratios for the best performance. Today [performance comes from] electronically controlled spark curves, turbos, variable valve timing, supercharging and knock sensors."
Issues of performance aside, Baldwin said you should never use gasoline that causes your car to knock. "Constant knocking or detonation is a real bad thing for engines," he said.
When choosing what grade of gasoline to use, Steve Mazor, principal auto engineer for the Auto Club of Southern California, said it is important to read the owner's manual carefully. The key is to figure out whether premium gasoline is "required" or "recommended." If it is recommended then a driver could opt to use a lower grade of gas, if they were willing to accept slightly reduced performance and fuel economy. """ (it is "recommended" in Mark viii's)
p.s. in my area premium is 40 cents more per gallon
have fun
"Do You Really Need Premium?
And Answers to Other Gasoline Questions
By Philip Reed
Email | Blog
Date Posted 05-21-2006
Buying premium gas is like taking vitamins — you can't always feel the difference and yet you know it's the right thing to do. But as gas prices climb, paying the extra dime per gallon for premium is like adding insult to injury. Eventually, the thought is bound to jump into your head: Do I really need to pop for premium?
Until about 15 years ago, if a car called for premium gas and you pumped in regular, the car began to knock and ping and even vibrate. But that was before they essentially put a laptop under the hood of the automobile, said Dr. Loren Beard, senior manager of Environmental and Energy Planning, for Daimler Chrysler. Now, sensors take readings and tune the engine as you drive by adjusting the timing for whatever fuel you put in the tank.
The result is that a car that calls for the mid-grade gasoline will usually run on regular without knocking, Beard said. However, its performance will suffer slightly. How much? It will be perhaps a half-second slower going from zero to 60 mph.
Volvo cars call for "premium fuel [91 octane or better] for optimum performance and fuel economy," said Wayne Baldwin, product/segment manager for the S60/S80. "However, there is absolutely nothing wrong with using 87 octane, as the knock sensors and engine management system 'protect' the engine from knocking."
Baldwin, a former rally driver who competed in SCCA Pro Rally events, said that engines have changed a lot in the past 15 years. "Cars built before 1990 probably do not have knock sensors and many brands back then relied on high-compression ratios for the best performance. Today [performance comes from] electronically controlled spark curves, turbos, variable valve timing, supercharging and knock sensors."
Issues of performance aside, Baldwin said you should never use gasoline that causes your car to knock. "Constant knocking or detonation is a real bad thing for engines," he said.
When choosing what grade of gasoline to use, Steve Mazor, principal auto engineer for the Auto Club of Southern California, said it is important to read the owner's manual carefully. The key is to figure out whether premium gasoline is "required" or "recommended." If it is recommended then a driver could opt to use a lower grade of gas, if they were willing to accept slightly reduced performance and fuel economy. """ (it is "recommended" in Mark viii's)
p.s. in my area premium is 40 cents more per gallon
have fun
<Argumentative Posts Deleted> Lets play nice guys....
In regards to the Mark VIII, Town Car and Continental -- Premium is REQUIRED if you want a smooth running engine. Its that simple. Many people have tried to run lower grade fuel and just ended up with a sputtering engine. No lasting damage, but poor performance while the fuel is being used.
In regards to the Mark VIII, Town Car and Continental -- Premium is REQUIRED if you want a smooth running engine. Its that simple. Many people have tried to run lower grade fuel and just ended up with a sputtering engine. No lasting damage, but poor performance while the fuel is being used.
Dominus
Dedicated LVC Member
Keep in mind that knock sensors are exactly that. They sense knock. They don't keep your engine from knocking. They tune your engine down when your engine knocks. If you're OK with that going on, then you must not care about your engine.
04SSHD
Dedicated LVC Member
I run premium about 95% of the time in the mark viii, just once in a while before if my account is getting a little low and it is before pay day I switch to 89. The 69 mark iii requires preimum fuel too and that gets nothing less than 91 octane.
aggiestckl
Well-Known LVC Member
yea im in bucks... PA robbs you every chance they can