Well, I covered almost 400km on 98 Octane fuel and the verdict is as follows:
-Absolutely NO difference what so ever!!
I ensured the tank was almost empty with 91 Octane so that 98 doesn't get contaminated. The fuel consumption is exactly the same as when I was running on 91 (8.5L/100km - its higher now due hot summer temperatures with A/C constantly on). The performance has not increased at all (not that I expected it to anyway since its lower compression engine). I wasn't getting any pinging or knocking at all when I was on 91.
If you're getting knocking when running 91, don't buy "el-cheap-o" brand fuel, buy fuel at a reputable company (I buy either from Caltex or BP). And if you are still getting knock even from reputable company then you might want to look at your knock sensor and possibly replace it.
I really don't see the point of running with premium fuel in our engines, they haven't been designed to run it so there is no need for it. If you plan to keep the car till it dies, way wayyyy down the road then stick with the premium to keep the engine clean, otherwise save your self the money and stick with manufacturer's recommended fuel.
/thread
Premium fuel a waste of money?
2011 Sport SLS with nav Black Pearl Metallic
That makes more sense.
That would make the BP 91 RON = 86.5 and the Ultimate 99 RON = 93.5 .
Out of interest, what does the USA owners manual say on page 1-1 ; here's what the Australian manual says:
It makes me think that the engine ECU tunes are different for each market.
That would make the BP 91 RON = 86.5 and the Ultimate 99 RON = 93.5 .
Out of interest, what does the USA owners manual say on page 1-1 ; here's what the Australian manual says:
(bold lettering is as per the blurb in the manual.)If your vehicle is not fitted with a restrictor in the filler pipe then you may use leaded or unleaded gasoline with an octane number (RON) of 85 or higher. Note, it is preferable to use unleaded gasoline.
If your vehicle is fitted with a restrictor in the fuel filler pipe then you must use unleaded gasoline with an octane number (RON) of 91 or higher (or RON of 95 or higher if it is stated on the fuel filler lid.) These vehicles are also identified by a label attached near the fuel filler pipe that states: "UNLEADED FUEL ONLY"..... If the "RON 95" label is attached , you must use unleaded gasolene with an octane number (RON) of 95 or higher.
It makes me think that the engine ECU tunes are different for each market.
David
I'm with you 100% on this. I give my Kizashi exactly what the mfg calls for.KuroNekko wrote:I use only regular gas which is 87 octane in the US. It's what the car calls for in the owner's manual and I see very little reason why the engine would need higher octane gas. After all, Suzuki is a budget-minded brand and has always focused on the affordability and low-cost of ownership of their vehicles. It's not to say they are low quality, but to feed a Suzuki car premium gas kind of defeats the point of owning a Suzuki. They are more like a low-cost dependable car.
If I was going to constantly pay for premium gas, I would have simply got a higher performance car that would justify it like a Subaru WRX. Something that would actually have a performance return on the higher fuel investment.
I have no issues with running regular in my Kizashi and think that any MPG benefit that may come from burning premium is easily offset by the extra cost of premium.
Yes, some premium gas contains more detergents than regular, but any auto parts stores contain a multitude of gas additives to clean the fuel system. I personally run a can of Seafoam about every oil change or so into the gas. Been doing it in different cars for several years. All the engines have run very well for their age and mileage.
Lastly, if your Suzuki engine knocks from regular gas, I would look into the knock sensor of the car. These engines weren't designed with premium grade fuel in mind so knocking with regular gas may indicate an issue with the sensor, not the gas.
Just chiming in here. I've run my own comparison tests and 91 (US Octane) has always given me a boost in both my mpg and performance on hard acceleration with my Kizzy. It was enough of a boost to mpg to offset the price of higher octane fuel and then some. Does it have something to do with the combination of ethanol? I don't know, maybe.
I understand your logic on why it shouldn't, but I can't discount my results either. I will continue to use Exxon Premium for the life of this car.
I understand your logic on why it shouldn't, but I can't discount my results either. I will continue to use Exxon Premium for the life of this car.
'12 Kizzy GTS - Azure Gray
'10 Jeep Liberty
'10 Jeep Liberty
What you just noted is the ONLY reason I can seen to run premium in a Kizashi. If you run 10% ethanol blend you WILL lose some mileage. The claim is that you only lose 3-4%, but from everything I read some cars will lose as much as 10-15% on just 10% Ethanol.
I lose about 3MPG in my Mazda on 10% ethanol ~10-12%
I lose at least 2MPG on my saabaru which is is the same range.
Usually premium where I live is around 15% more expensive so I just get the 10% ethanol stuff for my mazda.
I typically look for stations with ethanol free premium for the saabaru, but the price difference is nuts right now so I have been running 10% premium in that as well. ($0.80 difference for ethanol free premium the last I saw.)
I will probably bet that Japanese cars are not tuned to run ethanol fuels as well as well as some of the US auto makers which may be prepping for up to 30% mix in some locations. (30% is the limit for some older cars)
I lose about 3MPG in my Mazda on 10% ethanol ~10-12%
I lose at least 2MPG on my saabaru which is is the same range.
Usually premium where I live is around 15% more expensive so I just get the 10% ethanol stuff for my mazda.
I typically look for stations with ethanol free premium for the saabaru, but the price difference is nuts right now so I have been running 10% premium in that as well. ($0.80 difference for ethanol free premium the last I saw.)
I will probably bet that Japanese cars are not tuned to run ethanol fuels as well as well as some of the US auto makers which may be prepping for up to 30% mix in some locations. (30% is the limit for some older cars)
http://au.news.yahoo.com/today-tonight/ ... ey-petrol/
Above is an unbiased semi scientific test done using 91 - 98 RON plus diesel using Hyundai i30's as the test vehicles.
(I would have liked to see the 91-98 RON fuels tested back to back in the same i30, or even each fuel tested in each vehicle to give results that can't be blamed on differences in vehicle manufacturing.)
Regardless, I'm not saying to use it for better economy- more for engine cleanliness and protection in harsh driving conditions. The same reason I (and many other people) choose an oil that is a higher grade than the Suzuki minimum specs.
(For Australia, the petrol i30 has a 1.8l 110kW engine with a compression ration of 10.3:1)
Above is an unbiased semi scientific test done using 91 - 98 RON plus diesel using Hyundai i30's as the test vehicles.
(I would have liked to see the 91-98 RON fuels tested back to back in the same i30, or even each fuel tested in each vehicle to give results that can't be blamed on differences in vehicle manufacturing.)
Regardless, I'm not saying to use it for better economy- more for engine cleanliness and protection in harsh driving conditions. The same reason I (and many other people) choose an oil that is a higher grade than the Suzuki minimum specs.
(For Australia, the petrol i30 has a 1.8l 110kW engine with a compression ration of 10.3:1)
David
As a reference the Swift Sport has an 11.0:1 CR and is marked "98" on the fuel filler with "95" below it. I had one for 3 years and it knocks occasionally on 95, presumably until it figures out you just put "cheap" gas in it and has to retard the timing. Since my Grand Vitara with the J24B has 10.0:1 I figure 95 is a safe bet rather than using our lowest grade, 91, which I think is what the owners manual calls out.