C4 General Discussion General C4 Corvette Discussion not covered in Tech

Fuel concerns

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Jan 18, 2011 | 08:21 PM
  #1  
JerryCVA-61's Avatar
JerryCVA-61
Thread Starter
Intermediate
All Eyes On Me
 
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 31
Likes: 0
From: Concord Township Ohio
Default Fuel concerns

I have just purchased a 1995 Corvette with just 35,000 miles on the odometer. I have read in some web postings that the LT1 350 motor with 300 horsepower must use high octane fuel. Is this correct???
Reply
Old Jan 18, 2011 | 08:30 PM
  #2  
RollaMo-LT4's Avatar
RollaMo-LT4
Race Director
20 Year Member
St. Jude 15 Year Donor
Liked
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 11,770
Likes: 175
From: Rolla Missouri
2021 C4 of the Year - Unmodified Finalist
St. Jude Donor '10 thru '25
Default

I wouldn't say "must".
I believe your owners manual will have a statement similar to "For best performance, use 91 octane or higher".

You can safely run 87-89 if you want.
If the computer detects any knocking (due to lower octane fuel), it will retard the timing and you won't get the best performance.

If you have heavy knocking with a lower octane fuel, you can cause engine damage.
Reply
Old Jan 18, 2011 | 08:36 PM
  #3  
zr1fred's Avatar
zr1fred
Race Director
15 Year Member
Veteran: Marine Corps
All Eyes On Me
Top Answer: 1
 
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 10,691
Likes: 71
From: Phoenix Arizona
Default

It will run just fine on regular, but for better performance run the premium.
Reply
Old Jan 19, 2011 | 05:02 AM
  #4  
HlhnEast's Avatar
HlhnEast
Safety Car
 
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 4,328
Likes: 15
From: Jacksonville FL
Default

As mentioned, the cars computer lets you run the fuel you want. The difference in cost of regular vs premium is about 0.20-0.30/gal. Do you really want to lose all the performance and mileage you can get for $5.00/tank??

Natty Light will give you a buzz but Michelob just tastes better.
Reply
Old Jan 19, 2011 | 08:46 AM
  #5  
j3studio's Avatar
j3studio
Le Mans Master
Supporting Lifetime Gold
20 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 8,175
Likes: 237
From: Philadelphia Burbs
Cruise-In V Veteran
St. Jude Donor '06
Default

Originally Posted by HlhnEast
Natty Light will give you a buzz but Michelob just tastes better.


There's a way to put it ...
Reply
Old Jan 19, 2011 | 10:25 AM
  #6  
Loby 1's Avatar
Loby 1
Drifting
 
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,854
Likes: 3
From: Boise Idaho
Default

Always give a muscle car muscle fuel...don't cheap out.
Reply
Old Jan 19, 2011 | 11:10 AM
  #7  
RetiredSFC 97's Avatar
RetiredSFC 97
Team Owner
15 Year Member
Conversation Starter
All Eyes On Me
 
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 73,568
Likes: 33
From: Somewhere in Mo
St. Jude Donor '09-'10, '14
Default

Originally Posted by RollaMo-LT4
I wouldn't say "must".
I believe your owners manual will have a statement similar to "For best performance, use 91 octane or higher".

You can safely run 87-89 if you want.
If the computer detects any knocking (due to lower octane fuel), it will retard the timing and you won't get the best performance.

If you have heavy knocking with a lower octane fuel, you can cause engine damage.
What he^^^said
Reply
Old Jan 19, 2011 | 11:41 AM
  #8  
j-vette's Avatar
j-vette
Le Mans Master
10 Year Member
 
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 8,041
Likes: 2
From: EOF ★ Kaliforniastan ★
St. Jude Donor '10
Default

The difference at fill up is not more than a few dollars. You already bought the car. Don’t hold back now…
Reply
Corvette Stories

The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts

story-0

Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!

 Michael S. Palmer
story-1

Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!

 Joe Kucinski
story-2

150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter

 Joe Kucinski
story-3

8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time

 Verdad Gallardo
story-4

Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)

 Joe Kucinski
story-5

Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!

 Verdad Gallardo
story-6

Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!

 Brett Foote
story-7

Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!

 Michael S. Palmer
story-8

10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know

 Joe Kucinski
story-9

5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2

 Michael S. Palmer
Old Jan 19, 2011 | 11:51 AM
  #9  
Flame Red's Avatar
Flame Red
Le Mans Master
25 Year Member
All Eyes On Me
Liked
Loved
 
Joined: May 1999
Posts: 6,515
Likes: 1,302
From: Windermere FL
Default

Originally Posted by Loby 1
Always give a muscle car muscle fuel...don't cheap out.
+1
Reply

Get notified of new replies

To Fuel concerns





All times are GMT -4. The time now is 04:19 AM.

story-0
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!

Slideshow: How to Protect A Convertible Top: 10 DOs & DON'Ts

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-03 00:00:00


VIEW MORE
story-1
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!

Slideshow: The 10 most explosive Corvettes ever built based on power-to-weight ratio.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-20 07:23:03


VIEW MORE
story-2
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter

Slideshow: From C1 to C8 we compare every Corvette generation by the numbers.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-12 16:54:12


VIEW MORE
story-3
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time

Slideshow: Some Corvette pace cars became collectible legends, while others perfectly captured the look and attitude of their era.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-11 09:50:51


VIEW MORE
story-4
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)

Slideshow: Ranking the top 10 Corvette engines by torque output.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-05 11:58:09


VIEW MORE
story-5
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!

Slideshow: A Corvette pace car nearly matching IndyCar speeds sounds exaggerated, until you look at the numbers.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-04 20:03:36


VIEW MORE
story-6
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!

Among a rather large group of them.

By Brett Foote | 2026-05-04 13:56:44


VIEW MORE
story-7
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!

Slideshow: the top 10 things Corvette owners want in the C9 Corvette

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-30 12:41:15


VIEW MORE
story-8
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know

Slideshow: 10 Important Corvette 'firsts' that every fan should know.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-29 17:02:16


VIEW MORE
story-9
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2

Slideshow: Should you buy a 2020-2026 Corvette or wait for 2027?

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-22 10:08:58


VIEW MORE