I've always run Mobil premium (91 octane in CA now), usually from the same gas station. For a long time, I think my car has pinged. Its a sound like keys rattling when I step on the gas hard at low rpms in a higher gear. (There was a thread about this a while ago and that's what I was told it was.) Its been getting worse lately. I filled up with Shell premium today. The sound went away almost immediately. Maybe my car's just having a good day. Or maybe Mobil, or just that station, isn't quite high enough octane.

 

I filled with Mobil 93 and I'm not pinging... Seems like CA gas is basically flammable piss. Do any other brands of cars have problems in CA?

 

I stopped using Mobil (in California) since the gas seemed to keep the engine clean (I had one glass see-through filter) that always looked great (older car), but I didn't like the performance from the gas.

I switched about 12 (or more) years ago to my corner Shell station, and they do small jobs for me and are really nice guys who do small jobs for me. The gas has worked great, no problems and no pings. I did notice a slight drop in performance when they switched from 92- to 91-octane, but it is fine in cold weather. (I still notice a power increase by bumping the octane up a few points with some 100 octane)

I tried and switched the gas a few times to make up my mind. Pretend you are doing a "medical experiment" and do it a few times to make sure they didn't just get a bad batch of gas (it happens) -- challenge the results.

The other item of note is some stations are not always run by "good citizens" -- and you may want to try another Mobil station. There have been a few stations that we won’t visit that have "rigged" pumps and have had evasive attitudes.

 

I sure see a lot of E46 M3s and other very cool cars getting a few gallons of 100 octane when I'm by there (not all the time -- ok).


Until you are in CA, any arguments, comments, or comparisons (based on non-CA gas) should be tempered with your "flammable piss" comment. It is 91-octane (max), and there are some stations that are well versed with tank rigging tricks (adding garbage gas). Add in the winter gas JUNK and you have the makings of some really lousy stuff.

THE TLS people seem to have the most problems in the Acura world. (Think of your favorite sports cars and they line up at the 100-octane station -- is that a possible clue???)

 

Yeah more than 5-7 California TL-S owners have had pinging problems. So far so good for me, still knocking on my fake wood

 

What brand do you use? Or do you just fill up where ever?

 

Oh, I guess it is nice to be in the area of open land and Colonial Pipeline...

 

Yea, and with lots of people who happily run 87-octane for their cars and trucks, leaving a ton of the "good stuff at the top" for high octane gas.

IN CAL, the land of 18-year olds driving new M3s, 330s, S4s, and other cars for their 18th birthday or high school grad present, you will see tons and tons of cars that all want high test (there goes the good stuff)...

If they dropped you from a hwy in your neck of the woods and transported you to here (in a blink of an eye) you could tell where you were just by the change in car scenery!

(Your nose would give it away about the same time too...)

 

76 is still the best, although you might have trouble finding one near your house (I think there's one in the general area?). Chevron is second best, and Mobil is a close third. I have no pinging on 87 octane from 76, which is more than I can say about "premium" from some other brands.

 

i always use Mobil simply cuz the speedpass is made convenient...

but the other day i stopped at another station... Hess maybe. I forget...

it was 92 octane over mobils 91... i didnt notice any change in performance... but i didnt notice many ticking/pinging sounds i typically have went away.

 

i have been running the taxico gas for almost 7 yrears..92 grade

 

I fill up at a local Exxon because its the cheapest around and I haven't had a problem with them yet. They have the cheapest prices around because they're right next door to the Arco.

I'm pretty lucky, I have probably 20 or so gas stations with in a 2.5 mile radius so I can always run across the street if my engine starts pinging...

 

Ive been using Amoca Ultimate for 3 years and I love it! 93 Octane and it is clear like water. Its my fav gasoline!

 

I live in CA and use 76, cheveron, exxon, shell. I've recently switched to using 89 from always using 91. Didn't really notice a big change for me...I've gotten pinging only once, and that's when I was forced to pump at a small gas station on my way back from san fran. They only had 87...blah.

 

I use the best gas at 76 and it runs REALLY good. Much better than anything else here in sacramento,ca

 

I just use Diesel in my car. Other than only being able to drive 3 miles at a time and the huge clouds of smoke that come out of my exhaust, the whole 3 miles, it seems to work great. Diesel is clear and no PINGING!!! Thank God! I couldn't stand it if my car was pinging.

 

Are there Sunoco stations out West?

They sell a 94 octane that I usually use during winter to avoid pinging. (Darn oxygenated winter blend here in Joizey.)

 

I only use 93 mobil and mobil 1 for my car.

 

i switch gas every few months (76,Chevron,Texaco only) based on the fact that they use different detergents. They also oxygenate their gas differently.

 

Go Diesel, its better for your car!

 

Sunoco 94 ownz me!

 

Why is 91 the highest available in California? All these high performance cars and its the law? That's bullshit... You guys need to do something out there before it gets worse.

 

Mobil in chicago offers 93 octane...its the only gas besides BP(amaco) that I put in my car.

 

The M3's are made to run on normal octane gas. There was a huge article on that stuff in Car and Driver. I'll see if i can find it.

 

Check this article out.

http://www.caranddriver.com/xp/Caran...words=gasoline

 

Because CA is run from SF: The eco-nazi capital of the country.

 

They are made to run on 91-octane, however, they did get a boost in output (from bumping or not lowering) as I recall. The outside temp would impact the test; the higher the outside temp and the lower the altitude, the higher the octane requirement (for a car without a knock sensor to control the timing advance). It was that Accord that got more HP from the “regular” gas!

Imagine the complaints and questions from CA buyers if the sticker said 93-octane gas required. The buyer would say, “How much power does it lose? Will it still run ok?
I don’t know about this…”

You would be interested in the people that have pinging go away by changing stations or popping in a little "rocket fuel".

I probably would do everyone in CA a service by telling some story about "how my car was ruined with high octane gas” and get my own "Low Octane is best in California” web site. Hopefully, the word would get around and the price of the 100-octane would go down.

As the 89-octane and 91-octane prices were plunging downward in CA, the 100-octane price was going up (go figure)...

AS I said, there are plenty of E46 M3s that love the 100-octane station I run by from time-to-time... (Oh, to have a decadent hobby)

 

After a 2nd day burning the Shell, I can confirm that its better. There is no pinging when before it was constantly present under load. The engine feels smoother and even seems to start smoother. It feels faster, but that's probably just the new tires.

My next tank will be a different Mobil station than my regular one to rule out that particular station doing something dishonest. If the 2nd Mobil acts just like the 1st, I see two possibilities. Either something is up at the local refinery or there's something different about Mobil gas that my car doesn't like.

 

The state capitol is fag central? Christ... no wonder that state is in such sorry shape... First the power problems and now lousy gasoline? Well... you elected those idiots... You deal with it.

 

The capital is actually Sacramento. But SF has all the liberal activists who buy and push their stuff through the legislature. So SF may as well be the capital.

 

95% of the time, I get the 93 Octane gas from the Mobile down the street. No problems here...

Oh and the other 5% is from BP/Amaco...