Superchip and High octane Gas
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Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 134
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From: Dallas,Texas,USA
Superchip and High octane Gas
Mike,
On a local news website there is a story that says that the Federal Trades Commision has stated that using High Octane Gas is not benifical to your vehicle. They say that oil companies have used marketing to promote the use of this gas as being better.
The difference in prices here in Dallas between regular and premium is about 20 cents. Please Mike awe us with your wisdom and reasure me that 92 + octane is good for our trucks.
Here is the website: www.kdfw.com
------------------
2000 White sport
4.2l V6 5spd
K&N filter
e-mail: XLR8@f50guy.com
Superchip
Single in dual out 40 series Flomaster
As soon as i can afford it: Airaid FIPK
On a local news website there is a story that says that the Federal Trades Commision has stated that using High Octane Gas is not benifical to your vehicle. They say that oil companies have used marketing to promote the use of this gas as being better.
The difference in prices here in Dallas between regular and premium is about 20 cents. Please Mike awe us with your wisdom and reasure me that 92 + octane is good for our trucks.
Here is the website: www.kdfw.com
------------------
2000 White sport
4.2l V6 5spd
K&N filter
e-mail: XLR8@f50guy.com
Superchip
Single in dual out 40 series Flomaster
As soon as i can afford it: Airaid FIPK
Former Sponsor
Joined: Mar 1998
Posts: 13,385
Likes: 4
From: Virginia
Hi Snow White,
Well, the first thing we would advise is to not be reactionary, that story didn't change the basic laws of physics.
Nothing anyone says changes the fact that you need to run the Superchip on premium gas, or the fact that more power is made using the Superchip on premium gas, just as it's designed to do.
None of that changed when that story was broadcast.
I'm sorry, but unfortunately, we just don't have the time to read all the various rumors, stories, claims, etc. that people tell us about, as we get many posts about all kinds of stories every day; but I'd be willing to guess that this story is from the standpoint of how these vehicles come from the factory these days, meaning how they are tuned, premium gasoline doesn't provide any specific benefits in anything other than true performance vehicles, that are specifically tuned for premium gas. With the factory programming, in anything other than a real performance vehicle, like the Lightning for example, premium gas generally does *not* provide much of a benefit, that is true, but only because these vehicles are tuned specifically for the use of regular gas; in other words, it's a no-brainer! Which is why many Ford owners manuals (as well as other automakers) mention not to use premium gas, to use 87 octane regular gas in these trucks. And for the factory tuning, that is generally correct and appropriate.
However, when you install the Superchip, that changes, as the Superchip re-tunes the engine *specificially* for the increased anti-knock properties of premium gas, and that is how much of the additional power is made. This is not only from a spark advance standpoint, but also the fuel curves themselves must be compensated for the different burn rate of premium gasoline, etc.
Years ago, premium gas generally had better detergent additive packages, but the Feds mandated that the same level & quality of detergent additves must be used on all grades some time back. Texaco is the only company we know of that had the same additive package in all grades before the Feds mandated this in I think the early to mid- 90's. And of course when I grew up, premium gas *was* generally a better fuel most of the time, as compared to what "regular" gas was back then, so this is somewhat of a "tradition", if you will. Many of us grew up with fathers who would use nothing but premium gas in their vehicles regardless of what kind of vehicle it was, because premium gasolines tended to be better fuels than lesser grades, for many years. And back then, prior to the days of fuel injection and computer controls, you didn't have to worry about different burn rates between various grades of fuel in older vehicles.
That has all changed over the past decade or two, as fuel injection has become standard along with computer controls, and so all these parameters must be very precisely programmed for in the vehicle's computer software program. Unless it's a true performance vehicle (Mustang GT, Lightning, Corvette, Viper, etc.), vehicles of today are generally tuned specifically for 85-87 octane regular gas, and that combined with having to have the same grade of additives in each grade of fuel generally negates the "traditional" benefits of premium gas over regular.
I hope that makes you feel a little better,
------------------
Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Performance Products F150Online Superchip ordering system: F150Online Superchip Ordering System
First National F-150 Online Rally Event Organizer
[This message has been edited by Superchips_Distributor (edited 09-01-2000).]
Well, the first thing we would advise is to not be reactionary, that story didn't change the basic laws of physics.
Nothing anyone says changes the fact that you need to run the Superchip on premium gas, or the fact that more power is made using the Superchip on premium gas, just as it's designed to do.None of that changed when that story was broadcast.
I'm sorry, but unfortunately, we just don't have the time to read all the various rumors, stories, claims, etc. that people tell us about, as we get many posts about all kinds of stories every day; but I'd be willing to guess that this story is from the standpoint of how these vehicles come from the factory these days, meaning how they are tuned, premium gasoline doesn't provide any specific benefits in anything other than true performance vehicles, that are specifically tuned for premium gas. With the factory programming, in anything other than a real performance vehicle, like the Lightning for example, premium gas generally does *not* provide much of a benefit, that is true, but only because these vehicles are tuned specifically for the use of regular gas; in other words, it's a no-brainer!
Which is why many Ford owners manuals (as well as other automakers) mention not to use premium gas, to use 87 octane regular gas in these trucks. And for the factory tuning, that is generally correct and appropriate.However, when you install the Superchip, that changes, as the Superchip re-tunes the engine *specificially* for the increased anti-knock properties of premium gas, and that is how much of the additional power is made. This is not only from a spark advance standpoint, but also the fuel curves themselves must be compensated for the different burn rate of premium gasoline, etc.
Years ago, premium gas generally had better detergent additive packages, but the Feds mandated that the same level & quality of detergent additves must be used on all grades some time back. Texaco is the only company we know of that had the same additive package in all grades before the Feds mandated this in I think the early to mid- 90's. And of course when I grew up, premium gas *was* generally a better fuel most of the time, as compared to what "regular" gas was back then, so this is somewhat of a "tradition", if you will. Many of us grew up with fathers who would use nothing but premium gas in their vehicles regardless of what kind of vehicle it was, because premium gasolines tended to be better fuels than lesser grades, for many years. And back then, prior to the days of fuel injection and computer controls, you didn't have to worry about different burn rates between various grades of fuel in older vehicles.
That has all changed over the past decade or two, as fuel injection has become standard along with computer controls, and so all these parameters must be very precisely programmed for in the vehicle's computer software program. Unless it's a true performance vehicle (Mustang GT, Lightning, Corvette, Viper, etc.), vehicles of today are generally tuned specifically for 85-87 octane regular gas, and that combined with having to have the same grade of additives in each grade of fuel generally negates the "traditional" benefits of premium gas over regular.
I hope that makes you feel a little better,
------------------
Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Performance Products F150Online Superchip ordering system: F150Online Superchip Ordering System
First National F-150 Online Rally Event Organizer
[This message has been edited by Superchips_Distributor (edited 09-01-2000).]
