Can you drive our cars on 87 Octane stock

[Lee_Burough]

I ran a tank of 87 while roading the TTA to Texas a while back. Knock detector sounded briefly at 12 PSI....With alchy, it would go 21 PSI with no knock

A custom chip with not much timing would help you if you run 87.

 

[fitz3820]

There isn't much point in running a GN with low boost/87 octane - the car will be slow and you may cause engine damage - detonation is evil, headgaskets are the least of your worries.

Detonation puts tremendous stress on every moving part.

 

[watz]

When my mom owned my T she ran 87 for the first 9 years of the cars life. It will be fine if it's totally stock. The car has a 130k on the clock now and has sat in the back yard for the past 10 years.

I just got it back on the road last month. Still works fine, stock is stock is stock is STOCK. It'll be fine. Won't perform like the others but if it's stock it's not going to kill your car.

Just my life experience talking

 

[AKTURBOTA]

Just as a comparison of how much difference Octane booster added to pump gas makes. When I purchased my 89 TTA in 1993 from the original owner the best pump gas in Alaska at the time was 90 octane Chevron Supreme. With the car bone stock and half tank of 90 octane fuel it ran 13.9 at 98 mph at the drag strip. It really felt like it was laying down on the top end = severe ignition retard. I added a 16 oz can of Super 104+ to the half tank of 90 octane fuel and it ran a best of 13.4 at 102.

 

[Marc87GN]

Even at stock boost?

Maybe Ill just get a lil honda civic or any 4 cyl to get back and forth to work and save on gas

Smartest move you can make. My Little 02 Sentra SE-R gets 28-30 mpg on 87 octane. I would highly recommend a little foreign car as a daily so when you jump in the GN, it feels like a rocket.

 

[rodman99999]

Smartest move you can make. My Little 02 Sentra SE-R gets 28-30 mpg on 87 octane. I would highly recommend a little foreign car as a daily so when you jump in the GN, it feels like a rocket.

'93 Geo Prizm here! That's when I'm not driving my '77 Harley FX(50 MPG ).

 

[BlackBandit]

I just got it back on the road last month. Still works fine, stock is stock is stock is STOCK. It'll be fine. Won't perform like the others but if it's stock it's not going to kill your car.

Factory recommended premium fuel for stock. Also, what happens if a 20 year old knock detector fails/comes unplugged or a condition occurs that causes more detonation than the ECM can pull timing for.

I agree it CAN be done, but it probably shouldn't (IMO) and if you decide to you really SHOULD take precautions.

Another thing to think about is that detonation has to occur in order for the ECM to compensate for it.

 

[cool 84]

I would like to add that while I was running 87 I had the wastegate off for part of that time. Every Honda in the area seemed to find me and want to run during that time period. Talk about frustrating.

 

[KEVINS]

Under "normal" driving (ie. no boost) these cars are simply low compression, 6 cyl vehicles (and just as powerful..yuck) so they will run on about anything. Most people that are replying are assuming that you will be using it as a perf. vehicle to some level just like the factory that specifies Premium fuel. If you keep the boost below 10psi (or better yet 7psi) then you can run just about whatever you want. I run whatever is cheap at the pumps unless I plan on running boost. I have no problem keeping my foot out of it especially if there is cheap fuel in the tank.

ks

 

[SPOOLN]

It is a safety issue. what would happen if you have to get out of harms way and floor it. There goes the head gaskets and maybe an accident.

 

[neat]

It says on the underside of the sunvisor on mine that the car runs best on high octane gas, but that lower octane can be used if I wish.

I would think you would be fine if the car is 100% stock and the knock sensor is working properly.

 

[BlackBandit]

I would think you would be fine if the car is 100% stock and the knock sensor is working properly.

Exactly. And if the knock sensor is not working properly it could be a big deal...unless you never see boost. Also If you're using an aftermarket chip you should make sure it aggressively pulls timing. There is no standard for it. It's up to the chip guy. He can make it so it ignores some knock, pulls it slowly, feeds the timing back slowly, feeds it back quickly. So if you're going to do it that's something to think about as well.

 

[madhat]

have someone burn you a chip for 87 octane...and get an alky kit when you can

 

[77tech9]

I run 91 oct on a 93 oct chip.

Not sure how much altitude affects turbo cars and gas, but theres no knock.

 

[madhat]

I run 91 on Red's 93 chip and my knock sensor is over in the red @ 10# of boost...I accidently hit 20#+ before(it took that much boost before audible knock so I wonder what is causing the false knock since I can see it on the highway crusing sometimes...)

 

[77tech9]

Hmm, I run the same reds 93 chip. What do you have your fuel pressure set to?

 

[marred4life]

unhook the wastegate

and let the farting begin, stick with a 3 banger if you want to save gas

 

[madhat]

my pressure is set to 45# I believe(its set to what everyone always says to set it at ) At 10# I anoccasionally see a bit of black smoke behind me...I would guess I'm getting enough fuel.