Using 93 octane in the mazda 3
12-13-2009 | 12:51 AM
#1
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Using 93 octane in the mazda 3
For some reason my GF go the idea that she needs to be using 93 octane gas in her mazda 3. she justifies this because...quote "its a nicer car and its a 6 cylinder so it needs better gas" now where did she get this wisdom
..who knows probably some *** clown at her work, but however it happened she is convinced. i understand higher octane helps prevent detonation in my rx-8 but dosent do much in cars like hers. how do i explain it to her nicely? i should alsp probably tell her that her car is not a V-6
..who knows probably some *** clown at her work, but however it happened she is convinced. i understand higher octane helps prevent detonation in my rx-8 but dosent do much in cars like hers. how do i explain it to her nicely? i should alsp probably tell her that her car is not a V-6
12-13-2009 | 01:18 AM
#3
wow.
you need to pop her engine bay and explain she has 4 cylinder. once she sees you're right on that, she'll probably believe you that 87 is fine.
and mazda3s arent THAT nice. i mean, i'd drive one. but... its not a bmw.
you need to pop her engine bay and explain she has 4 cylinder. once she sees you're right on that, she'll probably believe you that 87 is fine.
and mazda3s arent THAT nice. i mean, i'd drive one. but... its not a bmw.
12-13-2009 | 04:57 AM
#6
The Slow and the Serious
Joined: Jul 2007
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From: Communistwealth of Virginia
OP, if she's more apt to listen to and believe friends/coworkers/strangers than you, you need to get out of that relationship. But in the meantime, prove to her that she's just wasting money and that the car isn't a V6 in the first place. But don't be surprised when she gets mad at you for showing her the truth instead of mad at the person who pulled the wool over her eyes.
12-14-2009 | 02:48 AM
#10
You Dumbass!!!
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 719
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From: New York
[EMBED]<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/2wwahLXf1n0&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/2wwahLXf1n0&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/EMBED]
This!
This!
12-14-2009 | 09:07 AM
#12
When some women are confident that they are "right", nothing will sway them.
Figure this one out:
My mother in-law believes that "radar guns read the RPMs from an electronic transmitter on the engine, and that is why you downshift when you see a speed trap."
(where to begin......)
Figure this one out:
My mother in-law believes that "radar guns read the RPMs from an electronic transmitter on the engine, and that is why you downshift when you see a speed trap."
(where to begin......)
12-14-2009 | 09:44 AM
#14
12-14-2009 | 10:25 AM
#15
*sigh*
u know how long it took me to convince my father that his pos 95 Nissan Quest (sold last yr) doesnt need fuxking 93/Premium/SuperUnleaded kind of bs?
Funny thing is, my uncle "Believes" that, "the premium gas makes engine last longer" so he uses it. but his engine blew about 70K miles cuz he changes oil every 10K miles. LMAO.
u know how long it took me to convince my father that his pos 95 Nissan Quest (sold last yr) doesnt need fuxking 93/Premium/SuperUnleaded kind of bs?
Funny thing is, my uncle "Believes" that, "the premium gas makes engine last longer" so he uses it. but his engine blew about 70K miles cuz he changes oil every 10K miles. LMAO.
12-15-2009 | 04:37 AM
#19
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Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 168
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From: PA
Tell her:
Higher octane 93 fuel actually burns SLOWER than 87 octane fuels. Since gasoline is a mixture of several different hydrocarbons that burn at different rates, the cheaper lower octane mixture will start burning faster but with a less concentrated BOOM.
With a higher octane fuel, the slower burning, albeit more concentrated combustion, allows for a more controlled explosion. This in itself doesn't necessarily yield more power or better economy by itself but it can be exploited to do so assuming you have a purpose built engine.
For a purpose built piston engine this means higher compression ratios starting at 10:1. Higher compressions means higher squish and hence more torque IF you can protect against early detonation which becomes a problem since higher cylinder pressures also mean more heat. This heat contributes to early detonation on cheap fuels due to a lower ignition temp. Therefore, the use of a higher octane fuel is required with it's slower burning but more concentrated combustion.
There are many other factors affecting an engines octane needs: Advanced spark timing, short stroke vs long strong relative to bore sizing, cam timing: lift, duration, overlap; small bore vs large bore, cylinder filling, swirl etc etc with compression ratio and ignition timing being the main factors.
Today, all cars come with a knock sensor that senses pre ignition signaling the computer to retard timing should you use a lower grade of fuel than your car requires. However, compression ratios are fixed but the actual volumetric efficiency (or amount of air the engine actually ingests) often improves at higher RPM's (depending upon tuning) or with the addition of a turbo. Just because your cylinder holds 100 cc's of air doesn't mean it ingests 100 cc's at every intake stroke. This volumetric efficiency changes over the RPM band.
So really it is really comes down to this: If you have the purpose built engine that requires a higher octane fuel, then your car may drive better than if you used a lower grade, cheaper fuel. But if your car doesn't need a higher octane fuel, aside from extra cleaning detergents, you might actually find worse gas mileage off.
For the RX-8, I find mid grade fuel to be the best for me here in PA.
Higher octane 93 fuel actually burns SLOWER than 87 octane fuels. Since gasoline is a mixture of several different hydrocarbons that burn at different rates, the cheaper lower octane mixture will start burning faster but with a less concentrated BOOM.
With a higher octane fuel, the slower burning, albeit more concentrated combustion, allows for a more controlled explosion. This in itself doesn't necessarily yield more power or better economy by itself but it can be exploited to do so assuming you have a purpose built engine.
For a purpose built piston engine this means higher compression ratios starting at 10:1. Higher compressions means higher squish and hence more torque IF you can protect against early detonation which becomes a problem since higher cylinder pressures also mean more heat. This heat contributes to early detonation on cheap fuels due to a lower ignition temp. Therefore, the use of a higher octane fuel is required with it's slower burning but more concentrated combustion.
There are many other factors affecting an engines octane needs: Advanced spark timing, short stroke vs long strong relative to bore sizing, cam timing: lift, duration, overlap; small bore vs large bore, cylinder filling, swirl etc etc with compression ratio and ignition timing being the main factors.
Today, all cars come with a knock sensor that senses pre ignition signaling the computer to retard timing should you use a lower grade of fuel than your car requires. However, compression ratios are fixed but the actual volumetric efficiency (or amount of air the engine actually ingests) often improves at higher RPM's (depending upon tuning) or with the addition of a turbo. Just because your cylinder holds 100 cc's of air doesn't mean it ingests 100 cc's at every intake stroke. This volumetric efficiency changes over the RPM band.
So really it is really comes down to this: If you have the purpose built engine that requires a higher octane fuel, then your car may drive better than if you used a lower grade, cheaper fuel. But if your car doesn't need a higher octane fuel, aside from extra cleaning detergents, you might actually find worse gas mileage off.
For the RX-8, I find mid grade fuel to be the best for me here in PA.
12-15-2009 | 07:34 AM
#20
Tell her:
Higher octane 93 fuel actually burns SLOWER than 87 octane fuels. Since gasoline is a mixture of several different hydrocarbons that burn at different rates, the cheaper lower octane mixture will start burning faster but with a less concentrated BOOM.
With a higher octane fuel, the slower burning, albeit more concentrated combustion, allows for a more controlled explosion. This in itself doesn't necessarily yield more power or better economy by itself but it can be exploited to do so assuming you have a purpose built engine.
For a purpose built piston engine this means higher compression ratios starting at 10:1. Higher compressions means higher squish and hence more torque IF you can protect against early detonation which becomes a problem since higher cylinder pressures also mean more heat. This heat contributes to early detonation on cheap fuels due to a lower ignition temp. Therefore, the use of a higher octane fuel is required with it's slower burning but more concentrated combustion.
There are many other factors affecting an engines octane needs: Advanced spark timing, short stroke vs long strong relative to bore sizing, cam timing: lift, duration, overlap; small bore vs large bore, cylinder filling, swirl etc etc with compression ratio and ignition timing being the main factors.
Today, all cars come with a knock sensor that senses pre ignition signaling the computer to retard timing should you use a lower grade of fuel than your car requires. However, compression ratios are fixed but the actual volumetric efficiency (or amount of air the engine actually ingests) often improves at higher RPM's (depending upon tuning) or with the addition of a turbo. Just because your cylinder holds 100 cc's of air doesn't mean it ingests 100 cc's at every intake stroke. This volumetric efficiency changes over the RPM band.
So really it is really comes down to this: If you have the purpose built engine that requires a higher octane fuel, then your car may drive better than if you used a lower grade, cheaper fuel. But if your car doesn't need a higher octane fuel, aside from extra cleaning detergents, you might actually find worse gas mileage off.
For the RX-8, I find mid grade fuel to be the best for me here in PA.
Higher octane 93 fuel actually burns SLOWER than 87 octane fuels. Since gasoline is a mixture of several different hydrocarbons that burn at different rates, the cheaper lower octane mixture will start burning faster but with a less concentrated BOOM.
With a higher octane fuel, the slower burning, albeit more concentrated combustion, allows for a more controlled explosion. This in itself doesn't necessarily yield more power or better economy by itself but it can be exploited to do so assuming you have a purpose built engine.
For a purpose built piston engine this means higher compression ratios starting at 10:1. Higher compressions means higher squish and hence more torque IF you can protect against early detonation which becomes a problem since higher cylinder pressures also mean more heat. This heat contributes to early detonation on cheap fuels due to a lower ignition temp. Therefore, the use of a higher octane fuel is required with it's slower burning but more concentrated combustion.
There are many other factors affecting an engines octane needs: Advanced spark timing, short stroke vs long strong relative to bore sizing, cam timing: lift, duration, overlap; small bore vs large bore, cylinder filling, swirl etc etc with compression ratio and ignition timing being the main factors.
Today, all cars come with a knock sensor that senses pre ignition signaling the computer to retard timing should you use a lower grade of fuel than your car requires. However, compression ratios are fixed but the actual volumetric efficiency (or amount of air the engine actually ingests) often improves at higher RPM's (depending upon tuning) or with the addition of a turbo. Just because your cylinder holds 100 cc's of air doesn't mean it ingests 100 cc's at every intake stroke. This volumetric efficiency changes over the RPM band.
So really it is really comes down to this: If you have the purpose built engine that requires a higher octane fuel, then your car may drive better than if you used a lower grade, cheaper fuel. But if your car doesn't need a higher octane fuel, aside from extra cleaning detergents, you might actually find worse gas mileage off.
For the RX-8, I find mid grade fuel to be the best for me here in PA.
You forgot step 2:
Watch her face melt.
12-15-2009 | 08:59 AM
#21
Tell her:
Higher octane 93 fuel actually burns SLOWER than 87 octane fuels. Since gasoline is a mixture of several different hydrocarbons that burn at different rates, the cheaper lower octane mixture will start burning faster but with a less concentrated BOOM.
With a higher octane fuel, the slower burning, albeit more concentrated combustion, allows for a more controlled explosion. This in itself doesn't necessarily yield more power or better economy by itself but it can be exploited to do so assuming you have a purpose built engine.
For a purpose built piston engine this means higher compression ratios starting at 10:1. Higher compressions means higher squish and hence more torque IF you can protect against early detonation which becomes a problem since higher cylinder pressures also mean more heat. This heat contributes to early detonation on cheap fuels due to a lower ignition temp. Therefore, the use of a higher octane fuel is required with it's slower burning but more concentrated combustion.
There are many other factors affecting an engines octane needs: Advanced spark timing, short stroke vs long strong relative to bore sizing, cam timing: lift, duration, overlap; small bore vs large bore, cylinder filling, swirl etc etc with compression ratio and ignition timing being the main factors.
Today, all cars come with a knock sensor that senses pre ignition signaling the computer to retard timing should you use a lower grade of fuel than your car requires. However, compression ratios are fixed but the actual volumetric efficiency (or amount of air the engine actually ingests) often improves at higher RPM's (depending upon tuning) or with the addition of a turbo. Just because your cylinder holds 100 cc's of air doesn't mean it ingests 100 cc's at every intake stroke. This volumetric efficiency changes over the RPM band.
So really it is really comes down to this: If you have the purpose built engine that requires a higher octane fuel, then your car may drive better than if you used a lower grade, cheaper fuel. But if your car doesn't need a higher octane fuel, aside from extra cleaning detergents, you might actually find worse gas mileage off.
For the RX-8, I find mid grade fuel to be the best for me here in PA.
Higher octane 93 fuel actually burns SLOWER than 87 octane fuels. Since gasoline is a mixture of several different hydrocarbons that burn at different rates, the cheaper lower octane mixture will start burning faster but with a less concentrated BOOM.
With a higher octane fuel, the slower burning, albeit more concentrated combustion, allows for a more controlled explosion. This in itself doesn't necessarily yield more power or better economy by itself but it can be exploited to do so assuming you have a purpose built engine.
For a purpose built piston engine this means higher compression ratios starting at 10:1. Higher compressions means higher squish and hence more torque IF you can protect against early detonation which becomes a problem since higher cylinder pressures also mean more heat. This heat contributes to early detonation on cheap fuels due to a lower ignition temp. Therefore, the use of a higher octane fuel is required with it's slower burning but more concentrated combustion.
There are many other factors affecting an engines octane needs: Advanced spark timing, short stroke vs long strong relative to bore sizing, cam timing: lift, duration, overlap; small bore vs large bore, cylinder filling, swirl etc etc with compression ratio and ignition timing being the main factors.
Today, all cars come with a knock sensor that senses pre ignition signaling the computer to retard timing should you use a lower grade of fuel than your car requires. However, compression ratios are fixed but the actual volumetric efficiency (or amount of air the engine actually ingests) often improves at higher RPM's (depending upon tuning) or with the addition of a turbo. Just because your cylinder holds 100 cc's of air doesn't mean it ingests 100 cc's at every intake stroke. This volumetric efficiency changes over the RPM band.
So really it is really comes down to this: If you have the purpose built engine that requires a higher octane fuel, then your car may drive better than if you used a lower grade, cheaper fuel. But if your car doesn't need a higher octane fuel, aside from extra cleaning detergents, you might actually find worse gas mileage off.
For the RX-8, I find mid grade fuel to be the best for me here in PA.
12-16-2009 | 04:19 AM
#23
Really? Are you just running 87 in it? Any side effects?
OP, if she's more apt to listen to and believe friends/coworkers/strangers than you, you need to get out of that relationship. But in the meantime, prove to her that she's just wasting money and that the car isn't a V6 in the first place. But don't be surprised when she gets mad at you for showing her the truth instead of mad at the person who pulled the wool over her eyes.
OP, if she's more apt to listen to and believe friends/coworkers/strangers than you, you need to get out of that relationship. But in the meantime, prove to her that she's just wasting money and that the car isn't a V6 in the first place. But don't be surprised when she gets mad at you for showing her the truth instead of mad at the person who pulled the wool over her eyes.
and i have to say this is a butt dyno you can trust.. but this is the speed3..
beers
12-16-2009 | 05:32 AM
#24
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thanks for the input everyone, sorry i havent checked on htis in awhile. another question though...this morining i started her car for her while she was getting ready, when i did this i turned on her rear window defroster and her cab lights dimmed a little...i am pretty sure it was normal. I mentioned it to her later and she now thinks there is a major problem with her car and it needs to be taken into the shop....it it really that big of a deal?
Last edited by PNTitBLK_07; 01-17-2010 at 08:41 AM.
12-16-2009 | 05:40 AM
#25
thanks for the input everyone, sorry i havent checked on htis in awhile. since posting I have, at different times, considered ALL options presented in your responses but have yet to folow through with any of them...maybe i will just do a combination of each. another question though...this morining i started her car for her while she was getting ready, when i did this i turned on her rear window defroster and her cab lights dimmed a little...i am pretty sure it was normal. I mentioned it to her later and she now thinks there is a major problem with her car and it needs to be taken into the shop....it it really that big of a deal?
stop being her bitch..
good god are you a moon around her??
good luck..
beers