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Yes, that is a problem in CA and other places too.
What you can do is deal with things that can cause problems when the fuel octane is marginal. So use the right plugs and keep them properly gapped. The gaps are quite stable in the factory platinum plugs, but those are costly. NGK BPCR7ES11s work well at $2.50 each or so, but will require regaps from time to time... a cost effective alternative for the DIY'er.
Poor injector spray patterns can have an adverse effect, and combustion chamber deposits create hot spots that increase octane requirements. This aquired octane demand of the engine can be reduced by using a good fuel system cleaner. Techron Concentrate will help with both and is available in most parts shops and Walmart. Suggest every 8K or 3/year.
Lower octane fuel can reduce performance. Low restriction air filters can help in a couple of ways. You can also add a SMBC to get on boost faster.
Avoid high ethanol fuels such as 10% ethanol. The higher blends are probably labeled as such. These will cost you around 6% in MPGs and this means the cost of fuel is really higher than the 'sticker price' as you will be filling up more often.
Some octane boosters will mess up the trionic's sensing at the plug gaps and will reduce performance. And note that that expensive little bottle that promises up to 4 points is really talking about 4 10ths of an octane number. So a waste of money and cannot be considered for continuous use. Spiking the fuel with 1/2 gallon of toluene, xylene or a 50:50 fix will get you a full octane number. But too expensive and difficult for routine use. But can be tried to see if the engine responds better. If no noticeable improvement with a tank of that added 1/2 gal of mix, then you can conclude that you are doing ok with the 91 octane pump gas.
You could try some different tank fulls, filling from near empty, of different brand name gas and see if things are better. But again, there is more than one way to get some improvements.
Aero academy: Guests, non driving, $200 with two lunches and the main dinner, $100 no meals. $1300 for a driving guest. It is a blast. I went 1/5 years ago, and earlier this month as a guest while Karen did the driving. She is transformed and this weekend did an accident avoidance with her new skills. She has a huge grin after that and was so happy, she was not p*ssed at the other vehicle that pulled out infront of us!
We have 91 octane here (KS), but Amoco pumps a 92 octane premium that I used exclusively. At times I had some hesitation getting on boost that suggested an octane issue. Not so much now, but now using 7ES plugs and .041 gaps and other stuff.
93 Aero manual, SMBC, air filter, SMBC, 3" turbo back, IC in hand and more to come
94 Aero auto, stock and very fast with the autobox - faster on street than a stock Aero manual
posted by 69.149.140...
, Thu, 28 Oct 2004 06:58:20
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