use 87, no point in higher octane if your engine cant "use" it

theres 10% ethanol in our gas, i want to start seeing 50% or even 100% ethanol stations around here...

can evos run on 50-100% ethanol?

 

Mitsubishi isn't on the list of flex fuel vehicles, I don't think. But you could check with your dealer or call Mitsu Corp. for a 100% answer.

And remember ethanol isn't all it's cracked up to be...most U.S. farmers of the raw material are seeing little to no $$$ from it (which is why there's no rush to reclaim old farmland for ethanol production), so it doesn't support anybody except the big ethanol refiners (who are in turn supported by big oil companies). Increased demand in ethanol fuel has also been driving up animal feed prices, which in turn drives up dairy & meat prices.

 

Just remember - if ethanol became the only fuel that we used in vehicles, the USA would have to start importing corn to cover the demand.

 

Diesel is King, i dont care what anyone says, Diesel somewhat polutes less, lol just different gases but hands down Diesel give you much better milage and great turbo power very cheaply if designed well.

I am important for a oneyear permit a Lexus IS 220d which is availible in europe.
Its the diesel version of the IS250 and compared to the Is 250 and 350. The 220d gets about 1000 km on a full tank vs. 500 on a 91 Octane fuel tank.
The compression ratio for the IS 250/350 is 12:1 so you cant cheap out with the octane. I just dont understand why Lexus isnt making that here in north america.

oh well

like i said Diesel is king for a lot of reason Fuel Econ, TQ numbers. its crazy

For get ethonal, its just another dumb idea pushed by the big 3 domestic car companies, And this is another thing i dont under stand.but that rant i will save for another day.

But the Japanese are here and they are eating the BIG 3's lunch, and to be honest , 10years from now there will only be 1 BIG one, cause my guess is that Toyota will be big enough to buy one out.

If the Big 3 had enough sense to do something new before the Japanese then maybe that got a chance to survive.

 

Diesel is awesome, but it still has this stigma in North America of being noisy, dirty, & giving a shaky ride. But technology has improved enough to where these aren't really issues anymore. Since the U.S. is about 3-5 years behind Europe & Japan technologically, maybe in the next few years diesel will finally start seeing a bigger market here (and the rest of North America) as car makers realize the benefits and start spinning those to the public.
I mean the VW Gulf GTI Diesel gets MPG's that are in the high 60's...and it has POWER too! Yet here in the states we're stuck with MPG's in the 40's to low 50's and it's on cars that feel like they're powered by 4 harnessed field mice.
I know there's the Tesla too, but that's not exactly an affordable alternative for most people.

 

Well I use 85 (that's 87 for you people who don't live a mile and a half up) and I have no problems. It's the octane rated for the car, adjusted for the rare air of course. There's no reason in spending the money for higher octane fuel when my car, well, just doesn't need it. Car companies put a lot of research into their engines and systems, and well I trust them. If they tell you to use 5w20, are you going to put 10w30 in because it's 5w10 more? You follow manufacturers spec for other fluids, why not gasoline.

Also, evo_soul, E85 is not pushed by the Big 3. It's being mandated by the US government. The Big 3 have to abide because they're domestic manufacturers and over 75% of their respective fleets are built here. Give Toyota a few more years and they'll have to meet this too at the rate they're going.

[edit] Also, you do not want to run Ethanol "enriched" gasoline over 10% in the 4B11. Ethanol is fairly corrosive and can cause problems throughout your entire fuel system (from the tank/pump, through the lines and filter, in and out of the engine) because the components are not designed to handle Ethanol's unique properties. It even states in the manual not to use fuels that are at/over 10% Ethanol.[/edit]

 

1) you run on 85 Octane? just curious but are you sure that is wise? being 2 points off in octane isnt bad in the short run, but in the long run, your fequency of detonations may potentially harm your engine. as you are out of spec, the % odds increase. Although i am sure its cheaper, I suggest you mix your fuel with 87 to bring your octane closer to spec. Your car states 87, there is no harm to using higher octane levels, but there is harm for using below.

2nd) Your correct I was being to broad with my point about the big three. it is actually i think only GM / Chevy i think that pushes Ethanol, and i was refering to their flex fuel push

 

[QUOTE=evo_soul;4926246]1) you run on 85 Octane? just curious but are you sure that is wise? being 2 points off in octane isnt bad in the short run, but in the long run, your fequency of detonations may potentially harm your engine. as you are out of spec, the % odds increase. Although i am sure its cheaper, I suggest you mix your fuel with 87 to bring your octane closer to spec. Your car states 87, there is no harm to using higher octane levels, but there is harm for using below.

He has to run a lower octane because of his elevation above sea level.

 

Aw, i c well then he has adjusted acordingly, I applogize for missing the obvious.

Cheers

[QUOTE=nj_08_gts;4926527]

 

too true. i love diesel. i heard though by like summer 09 60% of us cars will be diesel... i hope my shop teacher is correct.

 

Summer of '09 is pretty doubtful. Maybe import auto makers will begin to bring diesels over here by that time, but don't expect domestic auto makers to begin making diesel autos until...well, never.

 

Yeah like nj_08 said our fuels up here are adjusted for the rare air. Our "premium" or high octane gas is only 89. So 85 up here is the same as 87 in regular elevations.

Also another point on the whole E85 debacle. It's a stopgap solution to a widely growing problem. It costs more to produce than the energy it provides and although it may reduce certain emissions, it has been proven to actually increase the acetadehyde and formaldehyde by a considerable margin, among others. GM is pushing it for their own reasons, mainly to get the CAFE stips so they can produce their new cars which won't get the best of fuel economy (the new SS lines, Camaro, Impala, etc). Ford has been producing E85 vehicles for about 10 years, and are instantly recognizable by the FFV badges. Chrysler has also provided a pretty hefty lineup of FFV vehicles, but they don't advertise them so they're pretty unknown.

 

being a new age EFI engine with 10:1 compression and all the variable bits ecu controlled

you will see some improvemnt with higher octane.. to a point.. this however limits on 1 point... how much timing with the factory tune allow the ECU to run?

I've said it before and I will again.. running 10:1 tuned to 87 oct means 1 or 2 things..
1. very very slack/low factory timing
2. insanely good head design

all an octane rating is .. is the ability of the fuel to resist knock... more knock you can resist the more timing/cylinder pressures you can run (compression, RPM, boost, etc)

I wouldn't bother with 94... but I use 90 oct that is the same price as 87 .. sure the car may be made to run on 87 oct.. and crappy gas you may run across ... but I would be willing to bet there is a knock sensor in there that if you run say 90/91 oct would go "hey.. I can ramp the timing up some!"

either way.. it's your bank account.. do what you want.

 

Our cars are Flex Fuel, If you read our manual, they can run on 100% ethanol, but mitsubishi isnt trying to show off like domestic cars so they dont need to put a big Flex Fuel sticker on the back of the car...

 

If you stop and think about that figure, you'll realize how absolutely absurd it is.