What brand and octane level of gasoline do you use? [Archive] (2024)

MX-5 Miata Forum > NC (2006-2015) Miata > NC Maintenance > What brand and octane level of gasoline do you use?

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Spitfire/2D-Roadster

5th March 2012, 22:15

Do you stick with a particular brand gas? If so then why? Do you stick with the recomended octane level or do you drop to a lower octane? Do you ever boost it with an additive and if so when/what reason?

wooo

5th March 2012, 22:21

I use SuperStore gas because they give a 3.5 cents/litre coupon to use on groceries and underwear and such. And no more for premium.

No additives for the car. I use Tums occasionally, and the little dog has vitamin pills. They look similar and sometimes we mix them up.

Billy

5th March 2012, 22:43

cheapest gas available, recommended octane level.

Makes life simple.

Several cars with tens of thousands of miles have never cared a lick. Some of those even had Fram filters and dino oil too. :thumbs:

WHY!

5th March 2012, 22:53

Sunoco 91. Sunoco is the only one around here that carries it.

goldenpony

5th March 2012, 23:30

Shell V - Power 93 octane

Grey Beard

5th March 2012, 23:31

Shell, 91 octane.

IFLY152

5th March 2012, 23:47

BP Ultimate 91 because (until last Saturday) they give 5% cash back.

mystahagy

5th March 2012, 23:48

Brand: Whoever I feel like has the best underground tanks. Water and sediment is no good. Most of it comes from the same loading rack anyways.

Octane: Knowing full well that higher octane does not mean moar power, I tend to run premium for the warm fuzzies.

sprorchid

6th March 2012, 02:15

Chevron girl here. 91. once in a blue moon I'll settle for shell or 76.

redox

6th March 2012, 02:18

Whatever 87 is cheapest/most convenient at the time.

Draxx

6th March 2012, 02:57

Generally Chevron 91 or on occasion Sam's club premium if I am in the area .

bazmx5

6th March 2012, 03:17

Super unleaded here, we only have two options and one supplier for the whole country!

Joe Schmoe

6th March 2012, 04:01

I've never seen any message board so obsessed with gasoline. I vote we create one sticky and delete any others that come up.

pbellew

6th March 2012, 07:33

Shell V Power 93 octane.

Redster

6th March 2012, 08:55

Cheapest closest premium. No additives. Never any problems. I do not fill up when station is refueling to avoid any stirred up undesirables.

JasonD

6th March 2012, 09:14

I use 93 octane from any of the Top Tier gas retailers. Top Tier came around when some car manufacturers (Mazda was not among them) were not happy with the ever dwindling level of detergents being put in gas. They put out a call for gasoline retailers to add more than the EPA-mandated level of detergents. Many, not all, retailers did just that. To be able to call yourself Top Tier, the higher levels of detergents must be in all octanes levels and all of the stations must carry it -- it's not like hunting for 110 octane racing fuel.

You can read more about it and find a list of retailers here: http://www.toptiergas.com/

angelos

6th March 2012, 09:24

My "fave" stations are PetroCanada so most of the time I can run 94 octane (all the old Sunoco stations that converted to PetroCanada still carry "Ultra94"). Otherwise it's Shell 91.

And CanadianTire 91 octane when on the 401 highway since they have now been given the contract for the rest stops.

For the Canadians here (wooo), does anyone know who still consistently carries ethanol-free gasoline? I *think* Shell 91 has zero ethanol (conversely Ultra94 has ethanol). Anyone know?

dla

6th March 2012, 09:34

Whatever my neighbor uses. I fill up after he goes to sleep. :)

xbeatles4x

6th March 2012, 09:47

Whatever my neighbor uses. I fill up after he goes to sleep. :)

Made me laugh a little.

Sent from my iPhone using Magic

t0ast

6th March 2012, 10:17

QuikTrip, 91 octane.

I've been frequenting them for ~10 years now without issue. They also happen to have some of the best-kept premises (and more importantly, bathrooms) I've ever seen and surprisingly good and cheap food/beverages.

mitchman

6th March 2012, 10:57

Exxon, 93 octane. Or Chevron or Shell. Exxon is currently the closest to home, so I've been going there for a few years. Chevron is my favorite though.

whaap

6th March 2012, 11:06

I use 91 in my '02 NB. When at home we use COSTCO. When on the road I use what ever is next.

Jmikbo

6th March 2012, 11:07

No brand preference but definitely Non E gas when I can find it

Stukov

6th March 2012, 11:10

Oil industry is a monopoly in my country, the government controls it with it's own company called PEMEX.. so I don't have any other option

I always use 92 octane :)

spitefulcheerio

6th March 2012, 11:14

Sunoco 93 or Chevron 93. The nitrogen that shell advertises has been in chevron (techron) for many years

wooo

6th March 2012, 11:21

Sunoco 93 or Chevron 93. The nitrogen that shell advertises has been in chevron (techron) for many yearsYou'd think that since the engine uses about 14 times more air than gasoline that it wouldn't be short on nitrogen.

But I suppose that if it's good for the tires it follows that it must be good for the engine.

Wot's puzzling though is that NOxs aren't supposed to be in the exhaust, so why add extra N?

Amoore311

6th March 2012, 11:28

91 Octane if the place has it, 90% of the time it's 93 Octane though.

I don't care where I get the gas to be honest.

humfrz

6th March 2012, 11:31

...........I use Tums occasionally, and the little dog has vitamin pills. They look similar and sometimes we mix them up.
......well, mr wooo, that certainly explains certain posts.....:D

I use the least expensive premium gas when filling up locally and the most convenient, brand name, premium gas, will filling up while traveling.

humfrz

wooo

6th March 2012, 11:33

......well, mr wooo, that certainly explains certain posts.....:D ...And wooof wooof to you out there on the wet coast. :)

Where would an octane thread be w/o us?

humfrz

6th March 2012, 12:24

And wooof wooof to you out there on the wet coast. :)

Where would an octane thread be w/o us?
hmmmm.........just a thought. If a persons ability to hear high pitched sounds diminishes with age and assuming an engine "pinging" is a high pitched sound, how do older folks, who use regular gas in their NCs, know whether or not the engine is pinging or not.....thus maybe causing engine damage......??

humfrz

wooo

6th March 2012, 12:34

hmmmm.........just a thought. If a persons ability to hear high pitched sounds diminishes with age and assuming an engine "pinging" is a high pitched sound, how do older folks, who use regular gas in their NCs, know whether or not the engine is pinging or not.....thus maybe causing engine damage......??

humfrzWell there are a lot of assumpts in that, but IIRC when I had cars that pinged and knocked on occasion, it wasn't just the ear that detected it, but also the butt, in fact a whole body experience.

But anyway it's the Knock Detector that's supposed to do the hearing these days. Possibly invented so aging MGB drivers could carry on.

And then there's the ScanGauge.

Don't forget the Experiment. You could do a test by putting in some 57 octane, and see if you can hear anything.

askut

6th March 2012, 13:43

Premium at whatever's near when I need gas. It's usually the 76 station 1/2 mile from the house.

DaBrizat

6th March 2012, 13:54

Citgo is the only place nearby that carries 100% gas, and only at premium octane levels. And that number is 93 I believe. Most premium gas around here is 93, but there is one place where it's 91. I usually get my gas at Costco with their Amex card for the kickback, but they have up to 10% ethanol. So I try to use Citgo for the Miata. We'll see what happens this summer if gas really goes up to $5.00+ per gallon. If I get one of the jobs I've applied for that require a substantial commute, and gas is that expensive, I'll likely start getting Costco gas and maybe even 87 octane. But that would only be in my daily driver.

ALAN553

6th March 2012, 13:56

You can read more about it and find a list of retailers here: http://www.toptiergas.com/

Ditto, which is either Shell or Exxon around here, but always 93

hoppekw

6th March 2012, 14:10

Shell 91 for me. Got the car used and a few tanks of v-power really helped it run a little smoother.

BRUCE!

6th March 2012, 15:42

Costco 91 octane!

JD0x0

6th March 2012, 16:22

I prefer my gas to come from Velociraptor fossils. Everyone knows that T-rex and Brontosaurus fuel is slower.

humfrz

6th March 2012, 22:31

..........And then there's the ScanGauge...........Don't forget the Experiment. You could do a test by putting in some 57 octane, and see if you can hear anything.
....a ScanGauge can't "hear" anything.......silly......:rolleyes:

Too expensive to do a test.....first I'd have to buy a hearing aid.......:O

(at least you didn't bring up that dang tree-falling-in-the-woods thing.......:eek:

humfrz

wooo

6th March 2012, 22:38

.... (at least you didn't bring up that dang tree-falling-in-the-woods thing.......:eek: ...At least you didn't ask how to get 57 octane. It's complicated.

AutoMiata

7th March 2012, 00:03

I usually go back and forth between Chevron and Shell. Even on an odd occasion, I go to Arco. As for the octane business, I think that's been covered ad nauseum by now.

Spitfire/2D-Roadster

7th March 2012, 00:24

Thanks for the replies. So, those that run 87 octane have no issues with the engine running bad and no one tries to run any boosted octane for track days?

As a new guy in this forum, I have not been exposed to those previous conversations. I did look back and did not see one recently, sorry for any hard feelings.

DaBrizat

7th March 2012, 00:50

For street driving I've run 87 with no noticeable change in performance, but I have no ScanGauge. Nor did I have any change on mileage, and I do keep detailed fuel records. And I've got a 6-speed by the way.

Joe Schmoe

7th March 2012, 00:53

As a new guy in this forum, I have not been exposed to those previous conversations. I did look back and did not see one recently, sorry for any hard feelings.
Don't sweat it. It's just an odd thing to see. I find this board to be representative of a mix of a lot of different kinds of car people...I'm trying to understand what segment of the owners drive the fixation.

I still think it would be far more efficient to make just one post for all things gas. But I'm being repetitive now.

RubyDoo

7th March 2012, 07:33

I prefer my gas to come from Velociraptor fossils. Everyone knows that T-rex and Brontosaurus fuel is slower.Though 70% of petroleum deposits were laid down in the Mesozoic, they are the result of buried marine algae, not dinosaurs. The only gas that ever came from dinosaurs was produced beneath their tails. So if it is speed you are looking for, you want gasoline made from Jurassic petroleum, which might include a trace of Ichthyosaur. Perhaps "Shell" is a promising brand?

ourlee

8th March 2012, 08:59

Hess 93, go JETS! [they suck :cry:]

On The Run

8th March 2012, 16:32

Shell VPower 91 here for 3 reasons: 1) The gas station is the closest to my house 2) 91 is the highest I can get easily 3) Vpower has never done me wrong.

Lone Wlf

8th March 2012, 16:46

Mainly Shell and Chevron, but only because they seem to be most convenient when I need to fill up. I've done 76 a few times for the same reason. I would only use Top Tier, and always 91 because that's as high as it goes where I live.

Not to derail, but I'm curious - has anyone had experience with 91 vs. 93, especially in an NC? Is there any difference?

bnovak

9th March 2012, 13:00

Sams / Walmart 93 octane, or Chevron 93.

It's funny with gasoline right now. There are a lot of "tricks" that the blenders are using so that there's actually a helluva lot less "gas" in the gas. We all know about the ethanol (which is a joke) but here's an interesting one - a couple of the major players are actually blending in butane at about a 1:5 ratio since it's cheaper than gasoline. It also allows them to use a lower octane base fuel, and blend in the butane to bring the overall octane rating up. (Butane is something like 120octane)

Cedge

9th March 2012, 13:40

Local convenience store, 1 mile from home offers 100% gas, albeit at premium prices. Usually run 89 in cold weather and 93 when things warm up. No problems, so far, with any knock or ping, running it with the M45 SC.