Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Duratec Performance Octane...

Originally posted by Big Jim:

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I've been avoiding this thread, but now I'll jump in.

I'm extremely picky about how I take care of my cars.

I have a lot of accumulated experience with many high performance cars.

I have a lot of knowledge gained from schooling as well as from personal experience about taking care of cars.

I run 87 octane in my SVT.

I'm not crazy or ignorant. I know what I'm doing.

I have run both 87 and 91 (highest available in California) in it enough to determine that there is absolutely no difference in how it runs or what the fuel consumption is.

As long as I can tell no difference, I'm not spending the additional money for higher octane.

I've owned the car since new. In that time there has been only two times that ANY ping has been observed. Both times (over a year apart) it was on a warm winter day (we get a lot of those in California) with winter blend fuel. There was a very slight part throttle cackle that went away with just a very little bit more throttle. I can live with that.

This has not been the case with any other high performance car I have owned. If it needed premium fuel, it got premium fuel.

As long as I take good care of mine (agressive maintenance) and it doesn't need premium fuel, it probably won't get it.

Normal disclaimer -- your results may vary.

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Just because your human ears cannot detect ping, doesn't mean it isn't happening. When you HEAR it with your own ears it is at a point where it is a BAD AS IT CAN GET. But at levels below your audible range it is STILL DAMAGING THE ENGINE. Next time you do a plug change, shine a light down the plug hole and look at the tops of the pistons. If they are speckled - which I can garantee you they will be, then YES, you are pinging and it is eroding way the face of the piston.

Jim, I'm really disappointed in you. Please don't be a stingy bastard in the name of saving $2!

When you run 87 it WILL pull timing as the knock sensor CAN detect ping even when yours ears can't. That REDUCES performance and REUDUCES mileage. If you think otherwise then you're sadly MISTAKEN. You've probably become so disensitized over the years of running 87 and are probably convincing yourself of no difference that you refuses to acknowledge the difference. For YOU only a dyno can prove that you are wrong. I have WITNESSED many SVT's trying to dyno with 87 and the operator INSTANTLY knows they are running less than premium gas as SOON as they get on it. From outside of the car we could hear ping even though the driver/operator inside the car couldn't. Also the dyno graphs told the tale - less power all across the rev range and worse as the rpms increased.

If you know say "Well I don't race the engine" or "I don't care if it makes less power" then I ask why in the hell do you have an SVT?? If it's for the looks or the leather interior then I say "Shame on you" because that's gay!