Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General General What level ocatane do you use?

I know that non-SVT contours are spec'd for 87 ocatane fuel and the SVT's are 91 Ocatane. But what about use who have 2.5 Duratec (non-SVT)I only i run the 89 (mid-grade) but was curious if its better to run higher octane since i have the duratec.What model/ocatane do you have/use? Since i have the V6 is it a wise decision to run higher ocatane fuel?

I would use 87 and save your money. Higher octane is not about giving you power, its about preventing predetonation, etc. in high compression engines.

My SVT Focus calls for 91+ and I use 93 as that is what is readily available in my area(not 91).

When I had my Contour I used 87. Seems like the couple times I did use 89 I got worse mileage than on 87.

I would just use what it is the manufacturer recommends.

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question90.htm

93 octane??? Man where the hell do you live I wanna move there. Average "premium" here is 89 or 90 octane and that's the highest you'll find in this area.

I used 87 octane until my recent trip to the Dragon. I got some knocking under moderate load, so I opted for 92 or 93. Problems solved, & I have continued to use the higher octane since the Superchip manual recommends it anyway.

Here 'round Reading PA area, i can get 87-89-91-93 and at the local track, oh yeah 110 octane!!!

The octanes available vary by area. Different altitudes, environmental conditions, refineries, etc.

Once again, using a higher octane then needed is pointless and probably hurts your performance.

I use 93, then again I'm chipped.... I tried it before I was chipped and actually felt slower.

I've run AMOCO 87 octane since day one, and have had no problems. MPG is still near 30, and the engine still runs as if it has 14K miles instead of 104K.

I run 89

I've always used 93 octane since I got my ride in april. It say's to use 91 or higher but I don't have that around here. There is also a station next to my work that has 94 and I've been using that alot more lately, noticed more mpg on the highway but no diff. in city driving.
I just feel better using the good stuff, it's not like your saving alot using the cheap stuff unless you drive a ton of miles anyway, the cheap stuff only saves you a buck or two at most each fill-up and I consider getting 1's back as change, are already spent on stupid stuff like snacks and drinks.