2008 CX-7 will run on regular

[Mazda3]

The fuel rating for the 2008 CX-7 has been changed from premium required to premium recommended. However Mazda will stress that for maximum performance you will need premium fuel. I'm guessing a 30-40 HP loss with the regular fuel. This won't change anything for the enthusiasts on this board who will run the good stuff anyway, but it should help with sales.

There are engineering changes to make this happen, its not a simple PCM reprogram. So this option will not be available to 2007 CX-7 owners. Not at this time anyway. I'm sure if there's enough uproar they'll change that :)

No other changes for 2008.

[papaalex]

The fuel rating for the 2008 CX-7 has been changed from premium required to premium recommended. However Mazda will stress that for maximum performance you will need premium fuel. I'm guessing a 30-40 HP loss with the regular fuel. This won't change anything for the enthusiasts on this board who will run the good stuff anyway, but it should help with sales.

There are engineering changes to make this happen, its not a simple PCM reprogram. So this option will not be available to 2007 CX-7 owners. Not at this time anyway. I'm sure if there's enough uproar they'll change that :)

No other changes for 2008.

Wow, where did you get the infromation? (flash)

[Kansei]

40hp loss? yikes that'll be painfully slow. turbo + 87 octane = I cry at night.

[Mazda3]

40hp loss? yikes that'll be painfully slow. turbo + 87 octane = I cry at night.

They won't give the actual loss, but it will be noticeable.

[xraytedjim]

No other changes for 2008

What do you mean no other changes?? No Ipod interface?? No bluetooth?? No lighted mirrors?? etc??? Any other info??

[evilmonkeyMSP]

(werd) why buy a turbo'ed car then complain about gas mileage...
40hp loss? yikes that'll be painfully slow. turbo + 87 octane = I cry at night.

[Kansei]

I bet a lot of "normal" (read: not interested in being on an online forum about their car) buyers don't know it's turbo, weren't told it was turbo by the dealership, and will change their oil every 10k miles and use 87 octane gas all the while complaining about the gas mileage.

If you cared about gas mileage or gas costs, then yeah, what the heck are you doing buying a turbo SUV?

You want 87 octane? let's trade engines :)

[evilmonkeyMSP]

You're probably right, sdaly, and that just shows that the average consumer doesnt know dick about what they are buying....
I bet a lot of "normal" (read: not interested in being on an online forum about their car) buyers don't know it's turbo, weren't told it was turbo by the dealership, and will change their oil every 10k miles and use 87 octane gas all the while complaining about the gas mileage.

If you cared about gas mileage or gas costs, then yeah, what the heck are you doing buying a turbo SUV?

You want 87 octane? let's trade engines :)

[mikey1981]

or they know about it, then complain to high hell about why it sucks or why they think it sucks. (gas, lag, noise etc.)

i dunno, given my experience with this engine, somehow putting in less than premium makes about zero sense on the whole to this cars concept, mission, and anything else ud like to call it. to save 4 bucks on a tank of gas just makes no sense to me if you bought this car.

it seems pretty clear that MOST people who bought the 7 knew about its engine, its unique properties, wanted sport, wanted to go faster and liked teh driving experience. if Mazda is saying ok, we retuned the engine and for regular gas, what is the point? throw in the mazda6 V6 that would probably make the same amt of power if that "30-40HP" quote has any thruth to it.

i dunno. i think they should move past the people who complain about 18+ mpg in a turbo charged suv and focus on the things that we actually care about like bluetooth, ipod, mp3's, lights, carpet etc etc. thats how theyll win some people over. not by increasing mpg by 2 mpg if they r lucky, or it may even decrease with a lower octane rating who knows.

[evilmonkeyMSP]

I agree plus you'll only end up saving maybe $2 at the pump...and who the shit cares...gas is expensive and we have to pay for it...complaining about it and tracking it on a chart isnt going to make it cost less or the need to use it lessen....

[Blake]

mmm mzr in the protege wooot wooot

[Kansei]

mmm mzr in the protege wooot wooot

yeah, then I can drop my tranny and feel cool like all the MS3 guys (shady)

[Blake]

(shady)

[Dalton]

Crappiest gas you can buy in Europe would be 92
and it will be pretty hard to find even that
because most gasstations will carry only 95 and up (cabpatch)

[Kansei]

Crappiest gas you can buy in Europe would be 92
and it will be pretty hard to find even that
because most gasstations will carry only 95 and up (cabpatch)

you guys use a different octane rating though. I think you guys use RON?


In most countries (including all of Europe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europe) and Australia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia)) the "headline" octane that would be shown on the pump is the RON, but in the United States (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States) and some other countries the headline number is the average of the RON and the MON, sometimes called the Anti-Knock Index (AKI), Road Octane Number (RdON), Pump Octane Number (PON), or (R+M)/2. Because of the 8 to 10 point difference noted above, this means that the octane in the United States will be about 4 to 5 points lower than the same fuel elsewhere: 87 octane fuel, the "regular" gasoline in the US (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States) and Canada (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada), would be 91-92 in Europe. However most European pumps deliver 95 (RON) as "regular", equivalent to 90-91 US (R+M)/2,and even deliver 98. (ron)

[Dalton]

you guys use a different octane rating though. I think you guys use RON?

Ok, point taken - will use 98 anyway

[ZoomZoomH]

all modern engines (turbo or otherwise) all *should* be able to take all grades of gasoline, in case you're out in the middle of nowhere and only gas available is crappy 87 gas...

[B1GHAM]

all modern engines (turbo or otherwise) all *should* be able to take all grades of gasoline, in case you're out in the middle of nowhere and only gas available is crappy 87 gas...


you CAN do that now. Even if you read the CX-7 manual it tells you that you can use 87 octane in emergency situations (IE only gas you can find) however this comes @ the price of performance and reduced gas mileage. It is not recommended for extended use. In this instance the ECU has to reduce timing & air/fuel ratios.

Turbocharged engines CAN run on regular, but @ that point theres no reason to have a turbocharged engine. So what is really the point?

[evilmonkeyMSP]

you save that all mighty $2 yay!!!

[B1GHAM]

you save that all mighty $2 yay!!!


yeah but its PREMIUM... :rolleyes:

[koala]

gas is still cheaper than milk, so who cares.

[jersey_emt]

gas is still cheaper than milk, so who cares.

I hate that comparison.

Sure, it is true, but you don't drink a gallon of milk every 25 miles or so.

[Kansei]

Maybe you don't..

[Quickie]

I decided to do this instead. Buy a bottle of octane booster and leave it in the car. just in case i have to use crappy gas, i could just make the diffrence with the bottle add-on.

[AWmustang]

If I remember correctly the manual says specifically not to use octane boosters.

[cruzdreamer]

gas is still cheaper than milk, so who cares.

Never thought of it that way.....funny. Oh but who drinks more than a gallon a week?? hee, hee. Stick with premium gang...most had to know and did not mind about the use of premium.

[spike blue]

im happy the way my cx-7 performs and the way drinks gas so i don;t like the idea of getting a slow turbo with just 87 oct in gas i rather pay more than having a slow car it just me!!

[koala]

I hate that comparison.

Sure, it is true, but you don't drink a gallon of milk every 25 miles or so.

Indeed.

Also, consider that to get gasoline into your tank it requires a hell of a lot more resources than it does to get milk into your refrigerator.

It's also a lot more difficult to create more oil than it is to create more cows. ;)

The problem with gasoline is that we need a shit load of it to go anywhere. If it wasn't as cheap as it is, a lot of people would have major economic problems.

Europe pays about twice for gas as much as we do in North America, but they typically do not have to travel as far, either... imagine if they did. (eyeballs)

[erhayes]

There are other long term issues when running a lower octane fuel than the manufacture recomends. One such problem that often surfaces is carboning of the intake valve backside. This has been documented several times although with different manufactures. The CX7 engine is new enough to not have much long term data available to date. Why would I buy a relatively high performance vehicle with a turbo engine and not use a prferend or recomended fuel? A 25-$30,000 new vehicle that I drive ~ 200 miles per week and spend ~$0.30 more per gallon. If I get 20mpg then I'm using 10 gallons X $0.3= $3.00 per week. It is not rational thinking to be a chinze on fuel. JMO

[xtrememps]

The CX-7 will more than likely WALK on regular gas, not run. That is all.

[Laser]

There are other long term issues when running a lower octane fuel than the manufacture recomends. One such problem that often surfaces is carboning of the intake valve backside. This has been documented several times although with different manufactures. The CX7 engine is new enough to not have much long term data available to date.

Would 87 octane plus booster still exhibit carbon buildup, i.e., is it an octane issue or a refining issue? A previous poster mentioned that booster was not recommended. Why?

[erhayes]

I don't know much about "booster" but, if it is the stuff sold in the pint can it will only raise the octain # by a few tens I'm told. i.e. 90 octain + 1 can booster = 90.25 octane. The booster can is usually misleading and when it says a 5 point increase it usually mean 0.50. I have also read negitive things about some booster additives in that it does coat spark plugs and intake valves but, then again I have no first hand experience with the chemistry of booster stuff.

[Kansei]

So is there any "true" octane booster that can be purchased anywhere? It's a real issue for turbo cars or any cars tuned that need premium fuel at all times. 90% of the gas stations here offer all grades.. only ones in the ghettoes don't... but usually the last thing I'd wanna do in those areas is get out of the car...

[erhayes]

I read that toluine (sp) has been used as a real octane booster. Go to www.bobistheoilguy.com and ask the question of knowledgable people.