What octaine gas should I use for my 97 CL?

I dont know what type of cl you have, but in a test that I seen the 3.0 actually did better with 87 octane than it did with 92 octane. Most of the time now I use 89.

I have a 3.0. I guess I'll use 89 as well.

i have a 2.2 97. i have been using 93 octane but with the hike in gas prices i might switch. what octane should i use for better performance or better fuel eco?

Our engines were designed to run on 87 octane. I have only used 87 octane in my 3.0CL. That will hopefully change this week as it's recommended to run 92/93 octane with nitrous!

so if i put 93 does the peformance increase or am i wasting my money. what about milage?

thanks

by the way good luck with the nitrus let me know how it goes

In the report that I saw, I believe it was in car and driver, they did a test on a bunch of different engines. The only one that had a HP increase from using 87 octane instead of 92 was the accord 3.0 v6 engine.

Generally, i use regular- that's what it was made for... But just like a dog, you gotta give it a bone every once in a while or at least dump some left over gravy on its food... Especially when it's been good.

well I haven't really posted anything in a while since the change and all but for the gas thing...i used to use 93...then gas went up so i went to 89. Funny thing is that it seems like my car likes that better hehehehe...but i think i read that the higher the number the less chance it has to detonate(which is ignite before it is supposed to)...i think...that is why race fuel is so high like 100 or more...and used usually in turbo's and higher compression engines because higher compresion i think means more heat which means chance to detonate...but i like to think that a higher octane will help(even though not really unless u use like a turbo or have a higher compression engine) like the prelude engine but that is my $0.02:P

I have always used 87. From what i have read higher octane is just a waste a money and can acually decrease the performance of this particular engine

actually I think the higher octane detonates better, thats why it is suppose to give you more power and is more expensive.

detonation, as it applies to cars, is that knocking sound you hear when step on the gas on a hot day. It is actually pre-detonation, i.e. the gas explodes before the spark plug ignites (usually as the piston is still traveling up, bad news for internal engine parts if allowed to go on too long). Octane ratings are actually a measurement of the fuels ability to avoid this early detonation. An engines need for certain octane is dictated by compression ratio and combustion chamber design. But even after considering all this I say don't use unleaded regular because it is ALWAYS DIRTIER than 89 or 92-3. I use 93, my fuel injectors never need cleaning, my mom uses 87, her injectors need cleaning every 5-10k. sorry about the long post!

Thanks for the correction. All that I know on my part is most of the time 92-93 is better.

I drive a '01 CLS, so I have to use 93, however, even if I drove a Geo Metro, I would use 93. The reason is simple, the octane measurement is actually a percent. The percentage is the amount of Carbon atoms in Gasoline that are NOT in a straight chain. So in 93 octane, 7% of the carbon atoms are in a straight line. In 87, 13%. It is MUCH easier for an engine to break up gasoline if it is not in a straight line.

Ex. Lets say that this was a molecule of gasoline C-C-C-C-C

It would be substantially easier for an engine to break up this:


C
l
C - C - C
l
C

Using premium fuel WILL make your engine run smoother and stay healthier.

I came across this on the Av6 site.
http://www.v6accord.com/forums/showt...ght=higher+gas

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/autos/octane.htm

thanks for the sites, they provided a lot of info expecially the second one issued by the goverment. It did kind of make sense about the timing being off and therefore decreasing performance as it did for the v6 accord. On the goverment site they said that you should use the octain rating from the manual, which is 87 for my 2.2cl and only go up if it knocks. they also asured that higher octane does not make the engine run better, smoother, or cleaner. is this true?

Some say yes, but I stand strong in saying that the higher the octane the better the engine will run. Its simple organic chem as I explained in my previous post.

It's your money.............I switched over to 89 and reset the ECU and now my car runs a lot better and my wallet in getting fatter!

high compression engines require high octane so that the gasoline will not pre-detonate (pinging). Just take a look at all those cars with high compression ratios and the fuel type they require. So, if you have a low compression engine (like ours) and you use a high octane gasoline, what happens? i dont know, but i will tell you this.

All gas, no matter the octane rating, is clean. Nobody is going to sell you dirty gas.

If you say you notice a difference using premium gas, then use premium gas, but most people will tell you that you get better milage and performance by using regular gas. High octane is just harder to combust- use it if you have N20, forced induction, or turbo. Otherwise, what is the point besides it being more expensive?

"Nobody is going to sell you dirty gas."
Ummmm... I'd have to imagine that it would be cheaper to not clean the tanks than to clean them. I'm sure that many particles exist at the bottom of the huge tanks that gas-stations have. I'd also have to imagine that when the tanks get low- dirty gas is sold... Also, when the tanks get filled- i'm sure those particles are all mixed around. I don't think it's avoidable but i disagree. Isn't that the main reason we have fuel filters and the reason they get clogged?

From my experience, having a 68 Plymouth and a 74 AMX both with 8cyls., running 93 octain- it was very easy to tell good gas from bad gas. I don't know if it was because it was dirty or the octain level wasn't correct. I personally think some gas is better than others... I also think that business owners sometimes cut around the edges to save money. I'm sure they have some kind of law for that but i've ran a stop sign or 2.

Thanks for all the info- i thought octain just made it smell better

sorry to bring back old threads but does anyone know for sure what octane gas i should use if i have my cam gear set at 3-4 degree RETARD? Im thinking advance timing requires higher octane but what does retard require?

Doesn't what octane you use all depend on your engines compression level. Turbo cars should only use premium and the have lower compression levels. Something for everyone to marinate on.

the dealer recomends premium for the 3.0...