Is there any advantage to running a higher octane gasoline in an engine that is noted as required in the manual? My fusion manual says 87 is good enough.
Experience with other engines makes me question the wisdom of 87 octane for any engine. Am I wasting my money to put in gasoline with a higher octane rating than is recommended? The cars I have owned where I have boosted the octane rating in the fill ups just seem to run better and I would like the engine to last a decade.
Please let me know your thoughts.
Thank You.
Unless your car’s engine - due to its compression ratio - requires a higher ocatane gasoline, then then only thing you get out of higher octane is a lighter wallet. If your manual says 87, the higher octanes won’t do a thing. The effects you feel are probably psychological. I could swear that if I spend a day cleaning my car inside & out including a good wax job that it runs better the next day - presumably because I’ve made it happy.
All higher octane fuels do is resist combustion better - which is required with certain engines with high compression ratios.
~ the site has been especially glitchy today ~
Running a higher than recommended octane will not extend your engine life or increase it’s performance. If the manual say’s 87 then buy 87 and drive on. At the same time…if your manual ever says to use premium fuel in your ride then don’t try to save a few pennies by buying 87.
There’s no benefit to running a higher octane than the minimum required.
I’m led to believe that in the old days the higher-octane gas might have had better additives. However, even if it did, that’s not the case today.
Just another vote of support for all that’s already been said.
If your owner’s manual REQUIRES higher octane, use higher octane.
If your owner’s manual does not, drive on with 87 octane and a wider grin.
Are you wasting money? Yes. Any benefit from using higher octane than recommended is, and was, entirely imaginary.