Joel Torres

I own a 2012 TL base, and at my local Wawa. I have the choice of ethanol free gas which is midgrade. So would I be better paying more for the ethanol free midgrade or staying with premium? Has anyone else run Ethanol free gas and seen a difference?

csmeance

Wawa near me has 89 Octane ethanol free which will NOT work for the TL. TL requires a minimum of 91 octane, and even then it tends to ping and have to reduce timing once the engine gets hot and heatsoaked.

Ethanol has a higher octane than regular fuel, but less energy per gram of fluid compared to gas.

Super high output cars are tuned on E85 because the E85's octane is much higher, like 110 vs 93 with premium. With the E85 use, larger fuel system needs to be used as almost 2x the fuel needs to be used for the same amount of air.

a35tl

I would stick with the premium. There's a station near me that sells all 3 grades of ethanol free gas but their premium is $4.99/gallon. The normal premium around here is $2.35/gallon. I would love to use the ethanol free but at $2.64 more per gallon, I can't justify it.

mvp2765

iTrader: (1)

Unless im driving through Iowa where mid grade is cheaper than regular, I use premium only in my TL & Z. With gas prices @ 60 cents higher per gallon for premium over regular, I will never buy a high compression v6 again.

SirCarroll

I'm in Iowa and we have $hit loads of places that have ethanol. It's terrible as it kills my mileage. I only run BP premium. It has no ethanol. When I go up to Okoboji I always fill up at the Dyno station. It's 92 octane with no ethanol. I've yet to find something closer to my house that burns as good as the Dyno stuff.

dtrayers

In MN all gas has ethanol unless labeled without. They call say it's for recreational vehicles only (boats, bikes, etc.). My local Kwik Trip has 91 Octane recreation for about $.15 higher than other stations with ethanol added. I think it gives me an extra 2-3 MPG over the normal stuff, so I use it.

However, lately, I have been getting little knocking, so maybe it's not quite high enough octane.

jim_c

I have used 89 octane regularly for three years in my 3.5L TL, with and without ethanol. I've driven on many long trips at 75 - 80 mph. Never had an issue. Yes, I know what knocking is, heard it many times in the '60's and '70's. This car is a rocket, considering it weighs almost 2 tons.

echodigital

In Canada, I usually go to Shell. Based on my research, they don't have ethanol.

Shell V-Power NiTRO+ FAQs - Canada

sockpuppet

Again, in Canada, I'm fairly certain the premium at Hughes is also ethanol free. I still go to Shell, however; for the Airmiles. A few more fills, and I'm going to Disneyland.

Now if you want to save a few bucks, check out Costco. Several months back, the Costco station attendant told me their premium was also ethanol free (which makes sense, since they take their deliveries from Shell).

Also in terms of saving money (and at the risk of steering off topic), it's worth looking at the GasBuddy app. I got it when we were on a road trip, and it was very useful for deciding whether to fill up on one town of the next. As well, it gives alerts when prices in the area are set to jump (the 12.5 cent jump a litre warning last week was right on the money).

turner

Tried ethanol free the other day. Got home and the car was pinging/funny noises. Just like my old 3.5 TL did when not on premium. It doesn't work. Always use premium 91 octane. Lesson learned.... lol

dzionny_dzionassi

Whut? You are sure it was gasoline, maybe diesel?

dainmezron

The fact that you went with the cheapest gas in the first place (Wawa) was your first mistake!! Stop saving pennies now and risking expensive repairs later on a car like Acura!! Read the manual, and use ONLY top tier Premium!!


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WheelMcCoy

I've used ethanol-free for my Mazda3 and saw an improvement of highway mpg (33mpg to 40mpg). But the Mazda uses regular.

if you want to experiment, check if WAWA has 93 Octane. Then fill your tank half way with it. Fill the remaining half with 89 ethanol-free. That should give you a 91 octane rating with half as much ethanol. You'll have to do the math and the mileage to see if it's worth it.

thisaznboi88

iTrader: (7)

Its 2 different thing. Ethanol free = more mpg.

High octane = detonation suppression.

Ethanol + high octane = less prone to knock, but a minor hit in mpg because ethanol is less energy dense vs pure gas. I believe it was 40% less energy volume per volume.

csmeance

I've been going to sams club, wawa, racetrack, raceway, etc for years without much of an issue. As long as it's premium fuel that's all that matters.

csmeance

Yes, it is something like that. With your turbo setup you can run E85 in the future for way more power and less potential damage. Need to upgrade fuel rail & injectors because almost 2x E85 is needed.

Joel Torres

Actually I've been running wawa's premium for a couple of months now and I've noticed nothing different. But now I'm on that Shell V-Power and I'm loving it. Thinking of adding a octane booster to see how she reacts.

nist7

Yeah the Corvette Forum guys love the Shell V-power...swears by it.

I might have to try that gas out more...filled it up once but might try it again....

Anicra

Ya I love the Shell V power too.

foxriderar77

I have had good success with my 3G and shell v power, is it definitely ethanol free? the pump still says may contain up to 10% ethanol

the_razor

I find when I use PetroCan Ultra 94 little to no ping, but when I use Shell V Power Nitro+ I get some ping specially when I just fueled it pings like crazy but then its gong after few seconds.

I always preferred Shell V power specially the new formula they got now vs PetroCan Ultra 94.

Joel Torres

So I got She'll V-power with Nitro and then added a octane booster. I felt the difference. She was zippy. But I'm trying to find out if adding maybe racing fuel. 101 octane will hurt my engine or what?

sockpuppet

The vehicle is tuned for an octane of 91; increasing the octane (in the absence of a problem with your engine) is unlikely to improve performance or fuel economy. The extra "zip" you feel is, in all likelihood, a placebo effect.

I can't imagine a good reason to use racing fuel. If it's a race car you want, the problem stems from the decision you made at the dealership.

Alexns05

I think you may have been confused as to what you put into your car. Just because it is ethanol free doesn't mean it is premium. Your car requires 91 octane or higher. Ethanol-free gas can come in 87 octane, 91 octane, etc. You probably put in ethanol-free 87 octane gas.

I just discovered an ethanol-free gas station in my city and am on my first tank. In my un-scientific experiment so far, I reset my mpg when getting on the highway and then tested it while I hit the cruise at 70MPH. I got 40MPG during about a 5-6 mile stretch on the highway. I think the highest I've previously ever gotten on the highway was 36MPG for a few mile stretch and that was when the wind was at my back.

Overall I did a whole day of driving and averaged 26mpg mixed driving. I usually get 23mpg mixed driving long term. I'm going to drive it for a few more days and report back. Other people have said it increases performance by about 10% and I wouldn't be surprised.