[BlackMz3]

Obviously i only go with supreme, just because i couldnt imagine driving with anything less. What about you guys? I know gas is becoming pricey... what do you drive around on?

 

[zimmerDN]

Obviously i only go with supreme, just because i couldnt imagine driving with anything less. What about you guys? I know gas is becoming pricey... what do you drive around on?

You are doing more harm then good to your car. Do a search on the internet or in this forum and you will know why.

 

[turtle]

or read the owner's manual
i think there's something about that in there

there's also a similar topic somewhere in the forums

 

[BlackMz3]

Obviously i only go with supreme, just because i couldnt imagine driving with anything less. What about you guys? I know gas is becoming pricey... what do you drive around on?

You are doing more harm then good to your car. Do a search on the internet or in this forum and you will know why.

how is that? I also own a BMW M3 and it only accepts supreme. How can this be bad for a car?? :?:

 

[turtle]

http://www.mazda3forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=2058&start=15

there are a couple more topics on this just do a search within the forums and u'll find a lot of answers

 

[bman]

Obviously i only go with supreme, just because i couldnt imagine driving with anything less. What about you guys? I know gas is becoming pricey... what do you drive around on?

You are doing more harm then good to your car. Do a search on the internet or in this forum and you will know why.

how is that? I also own a BMW M3 and it only accepts supreme. How can this be bad for a car?? :?:

Simple, if your car is only able to burn regular fuel in the combustion chamber what do you think happens to all the carbon that is left over from "supreme" that your engine could not burn off.

You shouln't campare the BMW M3 with the MZ3, engine compression is different and it is definitely in a much higher league than the Mazda.
BTY the M3 is a really nice car period! :smokin:

 

[budgy]

Isnt the M3 a 12:1 compression engine? Thats why it needs supreme...higher octane just mean it is more resistant to burning, putting supreme in a low compression engine like the Mazda 3 is suicide!

 

[SyChO]

Well....

I guess "BlackMz3" is freaking out right now and will regret putting in that 91' . Poor guy. :roll:

 

[budgy]

Yah I already feel bad I guess its not huge to do it for a few tanks of gas but I would switch to 87 immediately.

 

[cowtown]

Not that big of a deal for the few tanks you've used but yeah unless it says use it or you do a lot of mods to the car like a supercharger or turbo that affect the fuel burning of your car don't bump the octane unless you have to.

 

[howdy]

Umm. Not trying to be contradictory but I thought that since most new vehicles have computer management systems that they can "adjust" for almost whatever level octane fuel that's put into it. And that there's really no gain or effect if a vehicle that requires regular octane gets premium grade. It's essentially just a waste of money if the owner wants premium.

But the flip side is that if a vehicle requires premium and you put in regular that doing so can "harm" the vehicle.

I base my post on mostly what I read from my Lexus owners manual. My RX300 only requires regular octane but can use premium for "improved vehicle performance." Using lower octane than what is recommended can cause "persistant heavy knocking. If it is severe, this will lead to engine damage."

I also remember an article from Car and Driver that tested the diffs between grades and the results were that they were negligible.

Bottom line: I use regular octane in my 3 and mid-grade (for a little pinging) for my RX.

Sorry for long post.

 

[SBTanMan]

Most new cars formulated for premium can adjust to regular gas, but at the cost of performance and possibly the life of the engine. Since the Mz3 is made for regular and doesn't have an electronic knock sensor, it will not gain any performance nor MPG from premium. On the other hand, if you put premium in a car with an electronic knock sensor, you might gain a little performance or fuel economy (try it on a Honda Accord V6 or 4 cylinder as an example). Oh, and this topic is pretty similar to a previous one that got moved to Powerplant, so don't get too offended if it gets moved and locked with a link to the other topic.

 

[TheMirror]

Since the Mz3 is made for regular and doesn't have an electronic knock sensor, it will not gain any performance nor MPG from premium. On the other hand, if you put premium in a car with an electronic knock sensor, you might gain a little performance or fuel economy (try it on a Honda Accord V6 or 4 cylinder as an example).

Indeed.

Also, running 91 in your 3 will NOT make it self destruct next week. It might, over time and many tens of thousands of miles, build up more carbon than it would on a strict diet of 87. The degree of carbon buildup all depends on things like combustion chamber design, piston design, valve design, combustion characteristics, sparkplug placement, ignition performance, etc. etc. etc. Some engines will show a good chunk more buildup than others, and some will be more adversely affected than others.

Engines that routinely run for short periods and at low engine speeds in theory should build up carbon more quickly. If this is you, start running on 87.

My college shop teacher worked on E-Type jags back in the 70's. He told stories about customers would bring their cars in because they ran badly. He and the other mechanics simply took them out on the freeway and did a few high RPM blasts up the local grade in 3rd gear. They blew out the carbon deposits (no cats, don't forget), put new plugs in them, and they ran like champs.

 

[BlackMz3]

Isnt the M3 a 12:1 compression engine? Thats why it needs supreme...higher octane just mean it is more resistant to burning, putting supreme in a low compression engine like the Mazda 3 is suicide!

very well said. I never thought about it like that... and i will definitely then go with the midrange gas rather than supreme. I cant complain... if its better on my engine and better on my wallet... i should just shut up and smile.

 

[vaBooM]

Many other threads about what gas and a few are very detailed as why higher octane wont help.