First let me introduce myself. I'm 21 years old and I'm in Chicago, Illinois. I have owned a 1994 Mustang GT for 3 years and it now has 109,000 miles and is starting to be a pain in the neck. I need to spend about $200 on it every month just to keep it running, and I do most of the work myself. Also I am a guitar player and have just joined a band and I need a car that I can fit my big half-stack amp into. Also, gas is going up in cost, and I get 12 mpg in the city. The mustang is modified quite a bit and it is fast, but it is also loud and terrible in wet/snowy weather.
So I'm thinking about getting a Ford Contour SVT. I want to stick with Ford because I'm pretty loyal to it. I have had an Escort and Lincoln Mark VIII previously and both were great cars. So what I'm looking for is a sedan that's about $7,000 and gets good gas mileage and has room in the back seat in which I can put my amp. I think the SVT fits the bill. I have a couple questions though...
1. How reliable are these cars? Anything that usually goes wrong at a certain mileage?
2. Is it a bad idea to buy a Contour SVT with over 80,000 miles? I bought my mustang with 85,000 miles and it was fine until about 100,000 miles and stuff started breaking.
3. What octane gasoline do they use?
Thanks and I hope to purchase a Contour SVT soon, and if you know anyone that is selling one in Chicago please let me know.
If you're looking to spend 7k you can find a very nice SVT with ~50,000 miles on it.
First off, welcome to CEG!
Watch out for the search nazi's. Lots of questions get asked and re-asked many times and the answers can be found simply by searching.
Sounds like the SVT will fit your needs well.
IF you are nice to her she will be reliable. I beat the piss outta mine and the trans broke. But to be honest if I hadn't modified it...I wouldn't have broken anything. I have 90k and running strong.
Originally posted by KingDiamond:
I'm looking for is a sedan that's has room in the back seat in which I can put my amp. I think the SVT fits the bill.
make sure you sit in one first before you buy one.
premium fuel only but decent mpg, even when you get on it. (at least compared to a V8)
i think at that mileage you need to find one that has been well taken care of. (not just looks clean)
for $7-8k you can find one with 50k miles, even you have to ship it cross country (about $700).
hey your on stangnet aren't you.......yes an svt will definitely suit your needs,it is a great daily driver,and you should be able to find a nice one for that price or maybe even a little less
My SVT is the most fun to drive of any car I've ever owned. I'll not tell you my age but my oldest is 27. Aside from one major scare (thought my engine was dead but it turned out to be bad gas), I've had no major problems and I'm on my second Contour. The car is known for a few problems but what car isn't? Do some searching and you'll find them. Mileage is like anything else, if the car has been maintained reasonably, it's not a big deal. As far as the gas goes, you'll be running on 92 octane. Not the most desirable in today's world, but if you wanna play, you gotta pay. Just don't drive like a maniac all the time (kinda hard not to but....). I really like my car and drive it as much as I can.....just not in the rain unless I have to. I hate getting it wet, dirty, etc!!! Good luck, and welcome to the CEG. You'll find this to be one of the best automotive sites around.
Originally posted by chrisilversvt:
hey your on stangnet aren't you.......yes an svt will definitely suit your needs,it is a great daily driver,and you should be able to find a nice one for that price or maybe even a little less
Yeah I'm on Stangnet. Selling the mustang unfortunately 
My SVT 'Tour happens to be for sale at the moment, details can be found in the classifieds.
What problems have you been having? Stick or Auto? Color? Options? How much are you looking to get out of it?
Originally posted by KingDiamond:
1. How reliable are these cars? Anything that usually goes wrong at a certain mileage?
2. Is it a bad idea to buy a Contour SVT with over 80,000 miles? I bought my mustang with 85,000 miles and it was fine until about 100,000 miles and stuff started breaking.
3. What octane gasoline do they use?
3) They use 91 minimum.
1) Pretty reliable with a few glaring achiles heel's:
- Waterpump implosion
- 3rd gear syncro goes
- Intake system easily gets dirty and causes all sorts of idle / throttle problems
- Fuel pump is kinda weak
- Unfixable '3rd gear' bucking at light throttle (some cars have it, some dont')
- Long sweeping right hand turns at rpms > 2.5k will deprive engine of oil and implode. "Fixes" are running extra oil (6.5qt) and an accusump unit as a 'just in case'.
2) Get it checked out. Check all the issues I listed above cause the person may be selling for that reason. If it's ticking/pinging/knocking -- that's the oil issue and the bearings are knocking and the engine is on it's way out. Many people have transplated a 3.0L when that happens.
Some of the above listed problems apply, some are avoidable, some caused by abuse, some are easy fixes, some apply to certain model years. I have not had any of these problems.
All platforms have issues, driving habits and maint. play a big role in reliability.
Originally posted by Pope:
My SVT 'Tour happens to be for sale at the moment, details can be found in the classifieds.
What problems have you been having? Stick or Auto? Color? Options? How much are you looking to get out of it?
It's a Black 94 Mustang. Converted from Auto to a T5. It has 108,000 miles. There is a 5.0L V8 which is the same engine as the 87-93 mustangs. Most people don't know that the 94-95 were the last two years with the 5.0. It has black leather, 2003 cobra machined wheels, G-Force KDWS 275/40ZR-17 tires. Power everything. A/C. Basically here's a list of problems recently...
Last week the rear caliper failed and had to be replaced. I also had to do the rear pads and rotors. So they're all new.
There is a wierd vibration problem that started a month ago. If the engine goes over 3000 rpms you can feel a vibration, which gets progressively worse with higher rpms. This could be a bad trans mount, engine mount, or something isn't balanced in the clutch assembly. It has a King Cobra clutch and adjustable cable which I installed a month ago and that's probably what is causing the vibration problem. But I don't have time to tear the thing apart and see what's wrong.
The front brakes were replaced with 2003 Cobra brake calipers and 13-inch slotted and drilled rotors in January.
There's also a rust problem on the driver's side rear quarter panel. There is rust under the paint along the edge. When I bought the car in 2001 it already had this rust. But if you want to get it repaired you either need a new quarter panel or have a shop cut out that spot and weld in a new piece. Either way it's about $900 with paint everywhere I checked.
Other mods:
Bassani Stainless High-Flow catted X-Pipe
MAC 2.5" cat back exhaust
1" wheel spacers on back wheels
$2000 Focal/PPI/Alpine stereo that I'm not sure if I'll be including.
And here is a picture of the back of the car I took in March of this year (both pics don't have the wheel spacers on the back. It looks nicer now with the wheel even with the fender).
and another from Demember of last year:
Originally posted by KingDiamond:
and another from Demember of last year:
That's a good looking car...
Welcome to CEG!!
The engine vibration you are having is more than likely a bad harmonic balancer. Not at all uncommon on the 94-95 cars with high mileage.
While it is possible, I doubt it is due to the clutch install; it is pretty tough to screw that up that badly and still have everything go back together at all. Unless you damaged something pretty bad.
btw, a better option than the rear wheel spacers, is to convert to an 03/04 IRS
That's what I did w/ my 94 Cobra.
Thats a good looking 95. The only thing you will miss is the ability to get oversteer on command and being able to do burnouts without worrying about anything blowing up. Those are my favorite parts about drving a V8 Mustang.
Originally posted by Rara:
The engine vibration you are having is more than likely a bad harmonic balancer. Not at all uncommon on the 94-95 cars with high mileage.
While it is possible, I doubt it is due to the clutch install; it is pretty tough to screw that up that badly and still have everything go back together at all. Unless you damaged something pretty bad.
btw, a better option than the rear wheel spacers, is to convert to an 03/04 IRS That's what I did w/ my 94 Cobra.
Yeah that's what I thought it was, I replaced the balancer with a new Ford Racing part and it didn't change the vibrations. I think either the pressure plate, clutch disc, or flywheel is out of balance.
Originally posted by J "BBQ"CSVT:
Thats a good looking 95. The only thing you will miss is the ability to get oversteer on command and being able to do burnouts without worrying about anything blowing up. Those are my favorite parts about drving a V8 Mustang.
Yeah RWD is nice but not during the winter. This is a torque monster, and the rear gear ratio was changed to 3.73 Ford Racing gears so 1st gear lasts only a second. It's almost impossible to hook up in 1st with street tires at WOT. And I had the rear diff rebuilt when I had the gears installed. So it's a fresh T-lok.
Have you had your driveshaft looked at? You might try and have it balanced, to see if that's what is causing the vibration. A buddy of mine had a similar problem with his Supercharged 92' LX.
Mark
Originally posted by Y2KSVT:
Have you had your driveshaft looked at? You might try and have it balanced, to see if that's what is causing the vibration. A buddy of mine had a similar problem with his Supercharged 92' LX.
Mark
Yeah it's not the driveshaft either, it does this even when revving in neutral when the car is at a full stop.
I went from a 1990 Mustang GT to a 1998 Contour with the V6 and 5-speed.
Pros of the Contour:
-4 Doors
-Less of a cop magnet
-Great handling
-Drives well in the winter
Pros of the Mustang:
-Torque!
-Lots of go fast parts available
-It's just a cool car
I missed the Mustang a lot though, so I bought a 1991 Mustang GT last year! Still have my Contour, the Stang is a weekend car.
As far as reliability, I don't know if you'll find a Contour any better or worse than the Mustang...
Originally posted by dbateman:
-Less of a cop magnet
I disagree 
Originally posted by ODC:
- 3rd gear syncro goes
meh, i have 96000 miles on mine and all syncro's are original. They're all fine, except 4th gear, but that's my fault. I also had ford check it out when the trans was torn apart for the new clutch/flywheel...and they said all the syncro's were fine. Even 4th gear, so I really dunno why it grinds when shifting fast.
Originally posted by ODC:
- Fuel pump is kinda weak
define weak. For stock application there's no problem with it. The only people who have had to upgrade are people who went FI. How can you consider something it was never designed to handle a weakness???
Originally posted by ODC:
- Long sweeping right hand turns at rpms > 2.5k will deprive engine of oil and implode. "Fixes" are running extra oil (6.5qt) and an accusump unit as a 'just in case'.
What?? That's not even in the powerband of the engine. If that were true alot more engines would have blown up by now. I can't think of anyone who keeps their contour UNDER 2500rpm...except maybe roger r 
Make it higher than 5k, and for extended periods of time.
Just run the 6.5 qts and don't worry about it. The odds are in your favor that it will be fine.
Welcome to the CEG!
That's a nice looking Mustang. I'm sorry about all the trouble that you are having with it though.
Good luck with your search for an SVT.
Originally posted by TGO:
What?? That's not even in the powerband of the engine. If that were true alot more engines would have blown up by now. I can't think of anyone who keeps their contour UNDER 2500rpm...except maybe roger r Make it higher than 5k, and for extended periods of time.
Just run the 6.5 qts and don't worry about it. The odds are in your favor that it will be fine.
What??? wow.
Powerband has NOTHING to do with oil drainage issues. If the oil doesn't drain, it doesn't drain. The powerband could be from 6,500 to 6,599 and it would still have drainage problems at anything high enough to demand any oil to the heads.
FWIW: ask around.. 3K is borderline, if it is a tight sweeping right hander (keeping in mind that how tight, speed, and lateral g's are all a factor, so NO one RPM can be made "THE" limit.. Typical onramp clovers at 3-3.5 have proven fatal more than once.
And, for that matter, even if the range WAS able to be proven higher, simply stating that YOU feel the "odds" are in his favor, certainly doesn't make ME feel any better.
I, personally, wouldn't take ANY one person's "positive" experience at a high rpm as the end all-be all of testimonials.
Run 6.5qts of HIGH quality oil (majority use Mobil1 Synth, or Royal Purple..)
Install an Accusump as another means of safe measure
AVOID high speed, tight rand handers.
Do your OWN research, and don't base your determination of "safe" limits on ONE post. (including mine)
Ray
Ray if I ever meet you, I'm going to give you every cent of my saved money so you can buy yourself many, many beers.
Originally posted by J "BBQ"CSVT:
The only thing you will miss is the ability to get oversteer on command
Yeah, but you'll learn to love lift-throttle oversteer on comand
BTW, you might want to check out the space in the trunk/back seat of a Contour... the trunk is huge, but unfortunately the trunk OPENING is not. You'll probably be able to fit a half-stack in the back seat, but it might be tight. Plus you'll be worried about tearing up the leather every time you take it in and out.
I'll never steer anyone away from a Contour, but let's just say after having to move a few big items, I've come to curse the sedan layout a few times.
You need to learn to pack, then!
I've moved 30 pieces of 4ft 2X4 in the trunk.
I also moved twelve seabags, and three people across the country.
I can pack enough stuff in the trunk/backseat of the SVT to enable us to live comfortably away from home for an EXTENDED period of time.
I've moved 9 sets of skis, two snowboards, and a 12ft. white water raft.
Ray
Call me when you fit a Marshall 4x12 cabinet in the trunk
Originally posted by Ray:
Powerband has NOTHING to do with oil drainage issues. If the oil doesn't drain, it doesn't drain. The powerband could be from 6,500 to 6,599 and it would still have drainage problems at anything high enough to demand any oil to the heads.
FWIW: ask around.. 3K is borderline, if it is a tight sweeping right hander (keeping in mind that how tight, speed, and lateral g's are all a factor, so NO one RPM can be made "THE" limit.. Typical onramp clovers at 3-3.5 have proven fatal more than once.
Ray
What i'm getting at is if these failures were prone to happen at such low rpm then many, many more people would have blown their engines.
Just look at how many people autocross regularly, or even how many track race their cars. Tell me you don't pull massive g's in an autocross.
Didn't the roush test find that the least amount of oil was in the pan @ ~5500 and above?
And FWIW, there's a bunch of people here who run regular dino oil as long as synthetic in their engines as per the recommendations of blackstone labs.
It's not as much a necessity as so many people make it out to be.
I'm not saying the engine doesn't have an oiling issue. But driving the car like that is a waste. I can't name anyone who slows to 2.5k or less on a right hand turn of any type, unless it's a 90 degree. Hell, 3000-3500 is still taking it easy. I've been driven around gingerman raceway in an SVT with race slicks at redline in every gear (until 4th)...right turn, left turn...whatever. And that car was autocrossed regularly. And it was also properly maintained. AND it's still running. And for every 1 car who spun a bearing at 3000 rpm there's atleast a dozen more who were treated like i just mentioned and are fine.
Relax a little...
I'm pretty sure the cab won't fit in the trunk, but my friend has a 2000 Escort which looks to be smaller than the Contour, and he can fit his cab in the backseat, and the amp in the trunk. The only thing I'm worried about is that the doors don't open wide enough to easily slide the cab into place.
keep the Stang.
Originally posted by Goonz SVT:
Originally posted by dbateman:
-Less of a cop magnet
I disagree
Me too. If it wasn't a cop magnet, why would a local cop I know drive a 98.5 Silver Frost SVT? LOL
Originally posted by CSVT1214:
Originally posted by Goonz SVT:
Originally posted by dbateman:
-Less of a cop magnet
I disagree
Me too. If it wasn't a cop magnet, why would a local cop I know drive a 98.5 Silver Frost SVT? LOL
local cops see my car all tinted and lowered and are like AHH PRIME TARGET..i get pulled over for the stupidest thing liiiike...tint percentage..front plate...however i think that be being brown gets me pulled over! dammn 50
I certainly hope that you aren't insinuating that the fact that you
- have your car tinted too darkly
and
- have no front plate (which is legally required in your state)
would cause them to pull you over.. hmm.. WOW!! maybe because it is illegal?
Just messin' man.. You gots to pay to play.. you wanna play in that manner (tint, plate, etc) you gots to pay the price.
Ray
Originally posted by CodeRed18s:
keep the Stang.
maybe you shoulda kept the 'tour
I have a question for you on the vibration. Did you have any work done to it right before it started? Besides the clutch? I would check the belt drive line be sure its all straight. Is motor rebuilt? The crank and fly wheel may be out of balance, and yes the clutch may have shifted the material which will cause the vibration. My contour had that vibration going and once I swaped tranny's I noticed the material was pulling off the clutch plate. When done all was good. No more vib's. Oh and Nice Stang man!! Love em!
Originally posted by Goonz SVT:
however i think that be being brown gets me pulled over! dammn 50
Yea, it sucks doesn't it. I get a lot of funny looks from cops.
Don't complain about getting pulled over when your car screams "pulls me over".
KingDiamond:
I live in Oak Brook man, if you need ANY help finding a Contour SVT, please contact me! Lets just say I have some good connections in the car business...
Originally posted by KingDiamond:
First let me introduce myself. I'm 21 years old and I'm in Chicago, Illinois. I have owned a 1994 Mustang GT for 3 years and it now has 109,000 miles and is starting to be a pain in the neck. I need to spend about $200 on it every month just to keep it running, and I do most of the work myself. Also I am a guitar player and have just joined a band and I need a car that I can fit my big half-stack amp into. Also, gas is going up in cost, and I get 12 mpg in the city. The mustang is modified quite a bit and it is fast, but it is also loud and terrible in wet/snowy weather.
So I'm thinking about getting a Ford Contour SVT. I want to stick with Ford because I'm pretty loyal to it. I have had an Escort and Lincoln Mark VIII previously and both were great cars. So what I'm looking for is a sedan that's about $7,000 and gets good gas mileage and has room in the back seat in which I can put my amp. I think the SVT fits the bill. I have a couple questions though...
1. How reliable are these cars? Anything that usually goes wrong at a certain mileage?
2. Is it a bad idea to buy a Contour SVT with over 80,000 miles? I bought my mustang with 85,000 miles and it was fine until about 100,000 miles and stuff started breaking.
3. What octane gasoline do they use?
Thanks and I hope to purchase a Contour SVT soon, and if you know anyone that is selling one in Chicago please let me know.
Welcome to CEG! I am also new here and just bought a SVT Contour. I am also a guitarist with a half stack to lug around every once in a while and this is a great car for that. I can fit my cab in the trunk laying down but it would fit in the back seat too. Its fast and practical. The reliability has been mentioned in other comments so i wont add any more. Same with the mileage. The one thing that i will add that noone seemed to mention is that if you are that strapped for cash, the contour CAN use regular grade fuel (for those of you that havnt read your manuals, its on the last page of the SVT guide). You will get a slight loss of performance when you do switch though. I personally am using 91-93 because when gas prices are so high, the 20 cents more that premium costs is less of a percentage of the gas price then when gas is cheaper.
hope this helped
And I would strongly advise NOT using regular unleaded fuel in the SVT!!
Mark
Originally posted by Y2KSVT:
And I would strongly advise NOT using regular unleaded fuel in the SVT!!
Mark
why not? explain...
simple explanation - it say not to use anything below 91 in the manual.
Hotter cams, higher compression, basically the motor was not designed for 87 octane.
before you go off spouting that it CAN use it.. but will lose performance.. listen up:
The performance lost will not be negated by money saved on mileage (via the cheaper gas).. You will use MORE of the cheaper gas than you would if you filled with premium. You "saved" money is going to actually be MORE money spent on cheaper gas, because you fill up MORE often.
If you REALLY want to save <$2.00 a tank, go ahead.. don't come on here and start whining when your car takes a dump on ya.
Ray
If you do want to get a C-SVT, take your time and find the best one for the $$. There are a lot for sale in classified ads here and be picky.
Originally posted by TGO:
simple explanation - it say not to use anything below 91 in the manual.
Hotter cams, higher compression, basically the motor was not designed for 87 octane.
i suggest you read your manual again. the last page says that regular fuel can be used and the knock sensor will adjust the engine so that it will run. so it CAN be used
I suggest you read my post above, again.
I'd certainly
LOVE stopping MORE often, to spend MORE money, and get LESS performance from it.. all just in the mindset of SAVING $2.00..
Ray
why would it use more gas? that doesnt make sense at all. have you tried this? has anyone tried this? i think my next tank is going to be regular so that i can see how many miles i get on a tank versus the premium.
Actually, funny you should be talking about this. I am on my first tank of 87 gas. I have not noticed a performance differnce at all so far.
The previous owner said he used 87 all the time and never had a problem.
As soon as I bought it from him I put in 92 octane, but recently been reading how the svt will adjust and that it is not a matter really.
Anyone care to speculate or share knowledge? Should I continue with 87 or 92?
Oh, and just to comment, I dont think I am burning through the fuel any faster then 92 octane, milage is exact same so far at 1/2 tank.
The fuel gauge (on my E0 at least) says PREMIUM FUEL ONLY.
'nuff said.
Originally posted by muskamike:
Anyone care to speculate or share knowledge? Should I continue with 87 or 92?
Stick with 87 if you like reduced performance, possible detonation and ping, and possible damage to the engine if you drive it hard regularly.
Use 92 if youre concerned with having your car run at its best, and want to use the car's POWERBAND (5-7000 RPM) without problems.
There's a difference, on average of $3 PER TANK from using Premium (92-93) over 87 tractor-piss ($0.20 more per gallon for 92-93, @ 15 gallons). $3 farking dollars!
Hmm, using 87 = detonation (yes even if you can't hear it) = eventual engine damage = new egine = $2000 >> $3.
Now, $2000/$3=667 tanks of gas. At an average of 22mpg you get 330 miles per tank. So we can expect that 667 tanks of gas gets us 220110 miles.
So unless you can show me how you are going to get more than 220k out of your SVT engine, while running it on 87, and therefore negate the need for premium - Please STFU!
Why buy a performance car and then be a cheap [censored] without really knowing what you're tlaking about and without doing the math?
Originally posted by guitarman19853:
why would it use more gas? that doesnt make sense at all. have you tried this? has anyone tried this? i think my next tank is going to be regular so that i can see how many miles i get on a tank versus the premium.
Your car will lean out and then be out of tune which will affect its efficiency.
Muskamike: Chevron 92 Octane. Enough said.
Originally posted by guitarman19853:
i suggest you read your manual again.
I suggest you look at the fine print on your fuel gauge again...
and the manual hardly recommends using 87.
Okay I was going to let this go because it looks like just a matter of opinion. However, when people try to say that it can't be used or that is does not say in the manual that you CAN use regular, then I have to proove them wrong.
So here it is, scanned from page 13 of the SVT Contour Owners Guide Supplement which applies to all years as the 99's and 00's came with the same ones printed in 1998.
Argument Closed.
Originally posted by guitarman19853:
Argument Closed.
LOL!! 
Mark
oh.. since when do any of us believe anything Ford states?
Originally posted by Ford:
Also available is an optional V-6, 2.5-liter Duratec engine. This low-maintenance powertrain features platinum-tipped spark plugs, enabling Contour to travel 100,000 miles before a scheduled tune-up
Ray
If you don't believe anything Ford states, then why the heck do you even own one?
The oil companies get rich from high octane sales. People will claim that your engine will blow up, but who ever has had this happen and can prove that it was 87 gas? Ask a real car technican, not a zealous Contour enthusiast about what gas to burn.
BTW: This thread bleongs to the Stang guy, go to an oil company chat room to sell 91 gas.
Thought I would chime in here, I bought my SVT three months ago, I drove it home to AZ from New Orleans, anyways on the way back I used mostly 91-93 octane but for two fill ups i put in 87, I got about twenty miles less per tank, so in my mind it's worth the 2-3 dollars for the 91......I do have a good friend that bought a 99 SVT brand new and has run 87 from day one and hasnt had any problems with it and he has put almost 120k on it now, so it really comes down to the saying here that you have to pay to play......
Do you sincerely think that there is no beneficial gain to higher octane fuel (in a vehicle that is tuned specifically to use it)?
You also seem to state that there is NO danger in using less octane on the same vehicle, and the fear of "blowing up your engine" is not rational, nor probable. You seem to lump "no damage" in there with blowing up your engine. Just like they are one in the same.. of the same magnitude.. you just blew right over any detrimental things that COULD happen (though not completely "blow up your engine") and skip to the worst of the worst.
I'm sure you're right. Car companies are sure to make GOBS more in sales because the potential clientele will certainly purchase MORE of these vehicles because they are going to cost MORE to operate. That makes sense.. Last time I looked in to it, the way to make more money/sales was to offer a vehicle that required more money to operate. (enthusiasts aside)
Oil companies are controlling everything, right?
91+ is just a gimmick to make some CEO rich..
Ray
Just to comment...I am not a cheap (blank) that the member seemed to impose that people wanting to put 87 octane in were.
I dont seem to remember being cheap when I decided to buy this car.
The whole reason I was wondering was if you CAN put 87 in. Obviously you can, and that deteriation is speculation based on performance.
I mean, I haven't read anything up on it, and I understand the SVT is a performance car, but shouldn't you be able to put whatever the heck gas you want in it?
It's my understanding that its not the oil companies that make the $ off of higher octane gas... its the gas stations... the way that i have been told that it works (correct me if im wrong please) is that gas stations buy all of one kind of gas... all the gas that is shipped to them is, say (for example) 87. they then add in special additaves to boost up the octane rating. Kind of like those fuel additives that you can buy in any auto parts stores to add octane to your gas except on a larger scale. they mix up the 89, 91, 93 and whatever else there. either that or they buy 87 and 93 and mix them to get the 91 and 89... its one of the two... lol i've probably just confused people...
A knock sensor functions by DETECTING knocking. Therefore, detonation, or at least pre-ignition must occur before the sensor can tell the PCM to retard timing. Knocking and pinging will damage the engine over time, even if it isn't severe enough for catastrophic failure at the time.
Using below 91 octane should be viewed as a safety net, rather than a hammock. Use it when you have to, but not on a regular basis. Or engine life will be reduced, as well as catalytic convertor life.
SVT engines have 10 to 1 compression. 87 octane = stupid!
the only thing that would be saving your motor is a little thing called a knock sensor. say your sensor was bad and you were in 5th gear with the air on rolling three deep up a hill with crap gas...BOOM! engine rebuild please.
