Fuel Prices
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 24
Likes: 0
Fuel Prices
The prices for premium unleaded are emptying my wallet! I don't expect a decrease any time soon, if at all. Anyone running regular unleaded in their daily driver? I'm just now starting to drive my 93 everyday. Thanks in advance.
Advanced
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 80
Likes: 0
From: Severn MD
Originally Posted by rws.1
Check your manual.... Depending on year it may state 87 Octane is the minimum. If you are stock or not heavily modified you should be able to get away with less than 93
Paraphrasing from the 1996 owner manual,...for the LT1 (Code P) engine, GM recommends gasoline rated at 91 octane or higher for best performance, however 89 or 87 octane may be used, but acceleration will be affected. Less than 87 octane will cause heavy knocking. For the LT4 (Code 5), 91 octane or higher only.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 7,858
Likes: 2
Prices for regular unleaded should level out around $2.40/gal and stay there. Don't expect it to decrease going into winter as refineries begin producing winter formulations. Premium should be about 20 cents per gallon higher.
My wife's Ford Taurus got totalled recently. These gas prices are why we're going to replace it with a Toyota Corolla
My wife's Ford Taurus got totalled recently. These gas prices are why we're going to replace it with a Toyota Corolla
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 46,295
Likes: 2,596
From: Northern, VA
St. Jude Donor '15
"In honor of jpee"
I don't disagree that Premium gas is expensive nor that it'd be nice to sometimes have an economical daily driver. But, may I present some figures which may provoke some thoughts?
If you drive 15,000 miles per year, and say, you average 20 mpg, and you are going to pay as Lone said, $2.40 per gallon for regular and 20 cents more for premo, that'd be $2.60 per gallon.
In a year, you'll use 750 gallons of gas (15,000 miles / by 20 mpg=750 gallons used).
At $2.40/gal.=$1,800/year. At $2.60/gal.=$1,950/year. Delta, or difference between the two is $150/year.
That is $12.50/month. Or if there're about 22 business days in the month, about an additional $0.57 per work day.
If a compact car averages 32 mpg and uses regular gas, at 15,000 miles per year, that'd use/cost (469 gallons) $1,125.
So, if you buy a car that gets significantly better mileage (32 mpg vs 20 mpg) and it uses Regular vs. Premium ($2.40 vs. $2.60 per gallon), here are the differences and savings.
$1,950 - $1,125 = $825 per year savings. Divide by 12 months and it is $69 per month savings. Again, assuming 22 business days per month, that's a savings of about $3.13 per business day. And if you pay more than $69 per month for the car itself (financing, leasing, etc.), it's more expensive to drive the more economical car.
If you drive 15,000 miles per year, and say, you average 20 mpg, and you are going to pay as Lone said, $2.40 per gallon for regular and 20 cents more for premo, that'd be $2.60 per gallon.
In a year, you'll use 750 gallons of gas (15,000 miles / by 20 mpg=750 gallons used).
At $2.40/gal.=$1,800/year. At $2.60/gal.=$1,950/year. Delta, or difference between the two is $150/year.
That is $12.50/month. Or if there're about 22 business days in the month, about an additional $0.57 per work day.
If a compact car averages 32 mpg and uses regular gas, at 15,000 miles per year, that'd use/cost (469 gallons) $1,125.
So, if you buy a car that gets significantly better mileage (32 mpg vs 20 mpg) and it uses Regular vs. Premium ($2.40 vs. $2.60 per gallon), here are the differences and savings.
$1,950 - $1,125 = $825 per year savings. Divide by 12 months and it is $69 per month savings. Again, assuming 22 business days per month, that's a savings of about $3.13 per business day. And if you pay more than $69 per month for the car itself (financing, leasing, etc.), it's more expensive to drive the more economical car.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,159
Likes: 0
From: royal palm beach florida
Originally Posted by sonomacrew01
My vette is my 2nd car. I own a GM diesel. Costs me around $80 a week. I feel that if you own a vette, you shouldn't have to worry about fuel prices
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 46,295
Likes: 2,596
From: Northern, VA
St. Jude Donor '15
"In honor of jpee"
Wow, Sonoma! $80 a week? that's $4K per year, give or take. And a diesel,too. You must rack up a lotta miles. Drive well and safely. PS. good friend is in Barrington, so it's close to you. Heck, everything in RI is close to you!!!! 
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 810
Likes: 1
From: Las Vegas NV
I've always found that filling up the Vette with premium and filling up my truck with regular (Both have the same size fuel tank.) the difference is only a couple of bucks ($2-4) on a fill up. Not enough of a difference to notice. When I bought the Vette gas mileage/price was not really a consideration. I bought the Vette for pure driving pleasure. I am very happy however with how efficient the Vette has been on gas.
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 19,653
Likes: 428
From: Melbourne Florida
Cruise-In IV Veteran
My 93 is clearly marked "93 Octane Only"...I picked up a little Mazda pick up with a 5 speed for my DD...I filled up the Vette last week and it cost me about the same as a fax machine...lol
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 57,132
Likes: 90
From: Kennesaw, GA www.96LT4.com
Former Moderator
Cruise-In II Veteran
Cruise-In III Veteran
Cruise-In IV Veteran
Cruise-In V Veteran
Cruise-In VI Veteran
CI3 Car Show Winner
St. Jude Donor '03 thru '26
For the 20 cents difference, you give up performance and gas mileage.
Let's say you're getting 20 mpg and you drive 20K miles a year. That's 1000 gallons @ 20 cents or $200. That breaks down to less than $17 a month or 50 cents a day.
Use the good stuff and live with it.
Let's say you're getting 20 mpg and you drive 20K miles a year. That's 1000 gallons @ 20 cents or $200. That breaks down to less than $17 a month or 50 cents a day.
Use the good stuff and live with it.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 783
Likes: 2
From: Wake Forest, NC
St. Jude Donor '05
Don't expect prices to drop anytime soon. In fact, I seriously doubt if prices will ever significantly ever drop again. I think we can all say goodbye to the days when you could get gas for $1.xx... (or less).
It's over $2.00 and we're still buying it so it won't go down.
I run 87 in my 84 and it doesn't ping so thats what it gets.
It's over $2.00 and we're still buying it so it won't go down.
I run 87 in my 84 and it doesn't ping so thats what it gets.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 6,715
Likes: 2
From: Santa Teresa New Mexico
Originally Posted by Lone Ranger
Prices for regular unleaded should level out around $2.40/gal and stay there. Don't expect it to decrease going into winter as refineries begin producing winter formulations. Premium should be about 20 cents per gallon higher.
My wife's Ford Taurus got totalled recently. These gas prices are why we're going to replace it with a Toyota Corolla
My wife's Ford Taurus got totalled recently. These gas prices are why we're going to replace it with a Toyota Corolla
A Corolla is a small car and it might not do as well. Something to think about.
The VW new Bettle has a five star crash rating and the turbo diesel gets 44 mpg.
Regular here is $2.65 Corvette gas is $2.75 a gallon.
By the way the Tauras uses 87 and mine with the duratech 4 cam engine gets 28mpg.
My LT-1 gets 29mpg at 75mph.
My Lincoln LS V8 gets 22mpg all day long. It is one of the 10 safest cars of all time.
Theres a lot more to car than mileage.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 2,137
Likes: 5
From: Howard PA
Didn't read all this but DON'T use regular in your LT4 car, it'll knock like hell on startup. It sounds real bad and embarrassing.
I ran it for bit without knowing I was supposed to be running high octane only. I though it was just recomended untill I finally put 93 in it and that horrible knocking went away.
I ran it for bit without knowing I was supposed to be running high octane only. I though it was just recomended untill I finally put 93 in it and that horrible knocking went away.
Large Impressive Member
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 65,811
Likes: 71
From: Good health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die
St. Jude Donor '04-'05-'06-'07
Around here, most of the premium is 93 octane with a few selling 92. I haven't seen 91 anywhere. It's irrelevant to me anyway. I'm currently running an 11.3:1 CR so I won't be skimping on octane, needless to say.
Racer
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 300
Likes: 0
From: Mountain View CA
I am a student. I have no $ for gas or anything else, which is why I bought an '88 for a low price (lets not talk about how much I've had to invest in it since...) I never in my life before now bought premium gas, but now that's all I buy bcz that's all that's been put in this car since it left the lot in 1987.
I am MAD about corvettes, and there's no way I would buy my dream car, no matter how little money I have, and not fill it with top grade gas, esp. if it'll hurt performance or long term engine wear. Even if I pay $1000 extra a year to fill up my 20 gal. tank with premium instead of a honda civic's 12 gal tank with lower grade fuel, it's worth it. Just means sacrifices elsewhere.
Even if I don't strictly have to use hi octane fuel, I feel good pressing that button at the pump, and knowing I have a performance car, while everybody else around me is driving "practical" vehicles.
My vette is my daily driver, and it's worth all the sacrifices that that entails...
I am MAD about corvettes, and there's no way I would buy my dream car, no matter how little money I have, and not fill it with top grade gas, esp. if it'll hurt performance or long term engine wear. Even if I pay $1000 extra a year to fill up my 20 gal. tank with premium instead of a honda civic's 12 gal tank with lower grade fuel, it's worth it. Just means sacrifices elsewhere.
Even if I don't strictly have to use hi octane fuel, I feel good pressing that button at the pump, and knowing I have a performance car, while everybody else around me is driving "practical" vehicles.
My vette is my daily driver, and it's worth all the sacrifices that that entails...