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Is anyone using regular or mid grade due to the gas prices? Is it safe to do so? Just paid 6 dollars per gallon for premium. I'm going to be taking a road trip soon and looking at the possibility of using mid grade
I always run top tier premium. Its only a few dollars more per tank. Im in Ca. and paying almost $7 for premium now. These cars get decent milage anyway. I just returned from a 500 road trip this morning. Always a blast driving my corvette.
I have not in this corvette! Seems like years ago I used mid grade in another corvette and it ran fine. I would saw as long as it’s top tier you will be fine. I use 93 octane Chevron 100% of the time in this vette.
I'd be afraid to run anything less than 91 octane in these cars. Even using 91 octane I can hear mild pinging at part throttle (never at full throttle though) When I run 93 or 94 octane that pinging goes away. The spark advance curve at part throttle is very aggressive in these cars, and so they are very sensitive to low octane. Running 87 octane is just a recipe for disaster.
Let's say you go on a 1,000mi road trip, and you average 25mpg. Let's say premium costs a full dollar more per gallon. It will cost you $40 more to run premium fuel on that road trip.
Is $40 in savings worth it to you? I can't imagine it is.
I only run 93 octane Shell V-Power in my C7.
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I only run 93 octane as not worth the risk in running less. Kroger food stores premium is Shell 93 octane in my area, so using our food purchase points will typically knock cost down 20>30 cents per gallon.
I prefer Shell.
When I want to use 87 octane in the race-car style engine I reduce compression ratio around 9.4:1 and add a turbocharger,
For 87 octane limit boost to approx 3-5psi ~400rwhp max @ roughly 5.5L displacement
For 93 octane it can 650rwhp ~20psi of boost
For E85 it will 1000rwhp ~28psi of boost
Then it will have its cake while eating cake but not at the same time with the same tank of fuel
I'm lucky to find 93 around here, I actually don't remember the last time I saw it. 91 seems to be the standard unless I want to drive quite a way to get it.