gas type on the 6s ~ 87 or 89? [Archive]

mp5jeff

11-02-2004, 12:06 AM

believe it or not, when going above octane rating that the car is supposed to run on, can actually result in loss of performance...now if it runs on 87 and you put in 89 i doubt it will hurt at all but you are just paying more money for nothing really...

seanmcsean

11-02-2004, 12:08 AM

that's what I've heard, but I can swear it runs better on 89. I get better mileage and the car responds better.

CrazyXZac

11-02-2004, 01:20 AM

that's what I've heard, but I can swear it runs better on 89. I get better mileage and the car responds better.

that's what i heard... so wondering if i should switch to that? (braindead

ZoomZoomH

11-02-2004, 01:53 AM

nope, a GOOD 87 gasoline should be all you need

*GOOD means from a big name gas station (Shell, Exxon/Mobil, BP, Sunoco, etc)

CrazyXZac

11-02-2004, 08:09 AM

gas really differs that much from BP/Mobil/Shell vs. the no names stations?

weird... (braindead

ZoomZoomH

11-02-2004, 09:21 AM

well it still depends station-by-station, because sometimes fuel from different stations do have quality differences. I prefer to choose the 'name brand' gas stations because they *usually* have a more consistent control on gasoline quality.

ZoomZoomH

11-02-2004, 09:22 AM

plus they usually don't cost that much more than the no-name/local name gas stations, so meh :p

russr

11-02-2004, 09:23 AM

I don't think it differs so much from big names vs. no names, but it usually depends a lot on the owner of the gas station. Some no-brand places have great gas and there some stations that are shell, exxon, etc., that do weird stuff to the gas to reduce their costs. So really depends a lot on the place itself and not necessarily the brand. The places that charge more usually do just because they can, not because their cost is more, the exception of course is when they are paying more for the property their station is on.

crossbow

11-02-2004, 11:30 AM

Some intake owners (non CP-E) put in 89 to prevent pinging during the summer. The Injen and AEM CAI's on the 6s lean out the closed fuel loop modes, which can cause a slight ping every once in awhile which is solved by 89 octane. Otherwise stick to 87. Just remember to run some sort of injector cleaner every other oil change (or every oil change) like chevron techron or fuel power. (FP is actually every tank thou)

seanmcsean

11-02-2004, 11:34 AM

I actually did the same thing last time I got my oil changed. I ran some techron through it when I put my next tank of gas in. I heard somewhere that its especially important to do that after your first oil change to clean out any metal shavings or other things that your engine tosses out during the break in period.

russr

11-02-2004, 11:50 AM

Sean, don't you have a 6i though? I don't think the 6i ever needs 89 octane gas.

seanmcsean

11-02-2004, 12:41 PM

yeah I do have a 6i. I'm pretty sure 89 octane is probably overkill. Everything I've read said that putting it in won't hurt my engine at all. I'm sure its probably a psychosematic thing but I could swear my car responds better when I put 89 in.

crossbow

11-02-2004, 02:07 PM

Technically you should run the fuel cleaner right "BEFORE" the oil change. This makes sure any of the gunk it cleans out, which then falls into the oil, gets removed after the change.

Though it doesn't "really" matter if you do it before or after, its usually considered more correct to perform the cleaner a week or so before the change.

CrazyXZac

11-02-2004, 07:10 PM

how about for a 6s? (braindead

colin949

11-02-2004, 08:27 PM

just use 91 it will run like a champ!!!!

CrazyXZac

11-02-2004, 08:44 PM

just use 91 it will run like a champ!!!!

lol riiite... maybe if i put some sort of mod in there... right now its stock...

crossbow

11-02-2004, 09:52 PM

Remember too high an octane has negative side effects...including loss of power (as one of the primaries).

Larger #'s aren't always better people. Why are americans so obsessed with that? Education! Its not just for nerds!

russr

11-02-2004, 10:35 PM

Yeah I don't know why American are obsessed with that. Damn SUVs and Hummers all over the place now...

I'm still trying to figure out why most Americans choose Automatic Transmissions. In Europe they'll throw you in jail if you don't know how to drive stick. ;)

Remember too high an octane has negative side effects...including loss of power (as one of the primaries).

Larger #'s aren't always better people. Why are americans so obsessed with that? Education! Its not just for nerds!

crossbow

11-02-2004, 10:38 PM

Americans = Lazy

ATX =?
MTX =?

And before you flame me, I had a ATX 6s, so pfft! :)

seanmcsean

11-02-2004, 11:34 PM

my 6 is my first mtx car, and I'm never buying another car that isn't stick.

Mikey444

11-03-2004, 01:01 AM

my 6 is my first mtx car, and I'm never buying another car that isn't stick.
Same here, but I love at least once a week, driving the Mazda 3 that we have, it's a GT tiptronic. And I am telling you it is fun slapping that thing around a corner. But ever since I got my Mazda 6, I dont think I can ever go back to Auto trannies. MTX's rock (rockon)

CrazyXZac

11-03-2004, 01:09 AM

i didn't have that much of a choice... i got the Sports A/T, just incase my parents had to use the car...

no complaints... its a car... and i'm not paying?

russr

11-03-2004, 09:34 AM

my 6 is my first mtx car, and I'm never buying another car that isn't stick.
I'm still getting used to mine as it is my first stick car as well and I havne't driven it much. Today's the first day i drove it to work. I'm still stalling at hills, turns and in rolling stop n' go. I think it's mainly cuz I'm getting nervous about hitting the car behind me. I often will just peel out instead of stalling (drive)

Mikey444

11-22-2004, 05:47 PM

Just a heads up, I switched to 89 octane just a week and a half ago, and I am noticing better fuel consumption, I have not changed the style of my driving. For the 3 pennies extra per liter, it's worth it, end up saving a few bux per tank and poluting the enviroment a lil less.

seanmcsean

11-22-2004, 07:16 PM

I'm still averaging only 20mpg because I do mostly uphill city driving, but its even worse when I put 87 in.

crossbow

11-22-2004, 09:54 PM

Here's an excellent article (posted on 6club in the EXACT same thread) by USA today which details the myth's, falacies, and general misconceptions of the american public on octane, and their utter obscession with thinking higher = better/faster/cleaner/better mileage.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2003-0...remiumgas_x.htm (http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2003-0...remiumgas_x.htm)

In an 87 octane car, if you throw in a higher octane (and its stock), your ADDING to the deposits, not subtracting them.

seanmcsean

11-22-2004, 11:09 PM

your link is busted crossbow.. here's the real link

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2003-07-30-premiumgas_x.htm

this is also useful

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/autos/octane.htm

long story short, I'm filling up with 87 next time.

crossbow

11-23-2004, 08:52 AM

Sean,

Thanks for the link fix :).

russr

11-23-2004, 11:11 AM

I do a combination of city (20-35mph) and fast city (40-50mph) driving and I'm not even at 900 miles on the odo and I'm getting around 27mpg. As we all know cars do not get good mileage until they are broken in around 5-10k miles. Given that, I think the above is pretty good. I use regular gasoline and would only use higher octane fuel is the owner's manual required or recommended it.

seanmcsean

11-23-2004, 03:23 PM

yeah, I've got 6k miles on mine and I'm still getting garbage mileage.. I do a lot of uphill stop and go though, which probably has something to do with it. I'm gonna see what happens when I switch back to 87 though.. that article crossbow found scared the bejesus out of me.

edit: crossbow, where is silver springs MD? how far is that from the philly area?

ZoomZoomH

11-23-2004, 03:28 PM

silver spring md is about 200 miles from philly, IIRC

crossbow

11-23-2004, 04:49 PM

Do note that any of my statements regarding using 87 octane ONLY apply to unmodifed (engine wise) Mazda 6's.

If you start running an intake that throws lean cel's, you may have to run 89 octane to help prevent possible pinging while cruising or at low rpm's.

CrazyXZac

11-24-2004, 03:04 AM

i get some shitty gas milage... i'll calucalte it next time i fill up the tank... and currently i put 87'

crossbow

11-24-2004, 09:16 AM

Around the city I'd generally get around 18-20 with the 6s ATX. You'll get 16 if your heavy on the throttle. Past 4500 rpm the car is just dumping fuel into the engine.

russr

11-24-2004, 09:23 AM

i get some shitty gas milage... i'll calucalte it next time i fill up the tank... and currently i put 87'
You my friend have the v6 engine and even on the sticker the mileage sucked. I would expect real world mileage, esp. on a car with just a few miles on it to be abysmal. Around 10K miles start worrying about mileage.

Da 6

11-25-2004, 10:11 AM

Past 4500 rpm the car is just dumping fuel into the engine. as slow as my car is I really don't beleve it's even going into the engine :( almost as if there's a bypass tube leading to the header.

seanmcsean

11-27-2004, 05:46 PM

well, after running two tanks of 87 through my car, I didn't really notice any difference besides different fuel economy.. I got 30.2mpg doing mostly fast highway miles (70-80mph) which is pretty incredible.. I'm not complaining.

CrazyXZac

11-28-2004, 09:35 AM

right now, i fill 87, but ONLY from BP or Mobil... and that is as expesive as gettin' 89 from other normal gas stations... so i might fill up 89 in the next tank and see...

Da 6

11-29-2004, 12:52 PM

After late unfortunate incident (Engine Blown) I'm hopoing for a better MPG friendly one in place of it :) Wish me luck!

seanmcsean

11-29-2004, 07:07 PM

how the hell did you blow your engine

Garfinkle

11-29-2004, 09:41 PM

Always 87 for me. Usually they recommend premium fuel if it is at all necessary and in the case of this car it is not recommended. I am not an expert but why not just do what the manual says of you care about your pocketbook at all.

CrazyXZac

11-30-2004, 12:03 AM

how the hell did you blow your engine

i wanna kno too (pullup)

Suomi

11-30-2004, 12:11 AM

Quick FYI: If you have a Speedway/SuperAmerica gas station near you, find out what type of gas they get. Different locations get different brands of gas. Many actually get Marathon or Shell gas, but sell the gas up to $.10 less per gallon.

Da 6

11-30-2004, 12:29 AM

how the hell did you blow your engine
suposedly it may have fell under a 03 recall. I didn't do anything out of the ordinary. Warmed it up and drove in auto mode. climbing a hill I just made it to the top when it blew and I coasted down the hill. With oil light on a cloud of smoke and strong smell of 0W-20 coating a hot engine, tranny, and heat shield I got out and poped the hood to see oil everywhere and engine fragments in under carrage splash guard. Back to basics no mods and break in period all over again. engine should arrive early this moring sometime but who knows how long it will take for them to clean up and install it. The thing that pissed me off the most is the car is soo sensitive to cels but not even one misfire code when pistons punch holes thru engine?

Always 87 for me. Usually they recommend premium fuel if it is at all necessary and in the case of this car it is not recommended. I am not an expert but why not just do what the manual says of you care about your pocketbook at all.
Yeah why pay for food that tastes better if you have no sense of smell. Why spend more on trash bags that you plan on throwing away. 87 is us spec. If you get ahold of a jdm spec vehicle then 91 would be practical.

colin949

11-30-2004, 01:33 AM

yeah gas is gas i usually use 89 but i got the cp-e intake combo, very nice combo if i might add, but yeah 87 is probley the way to go stock no matter what, i used to say premeium but its a waste of money unless you are a balla and have no spending limits

Greenbread

01-06-2005, 04:27 PM