Octane Levels

>tfw you drive a golf

Where do you live that 87 octane is E25??? The highest I've seen anywhere I've been in the US is E10 for Regular/Midgrade.

>If $300 is a game breaker in your life, you need to sort your shit out or stop getting starbucks every goddamn day.
This, or stop eating avocado toast

But if using 87 octane doesn't cause knocks and only sees a drop in performance numbers, why wouldn't you use 87 on the daily commute and then fill it up with 93 when you're ready to hoon?

You don't have the right to bitch about it when you could've just gotten a different car that is made for lower octane fuel.

Generally a decrease in performance is also accompanied by a decrease in fuel efficiency. One of my Miata friends reports that he only gets around 23MPG with regular fuel no matter how he drives, but gets 25-28 when using the recommended 91 octane (he owns an NC). In addition to uncucking your engine and not risking damage, it winds up costing about the same if your car behaves this way.

If your car does NOT suffer a marked decrease in fuel economy/performance/etc this way and also does not ping, the only other thing to consider is whether it is still under warranty. A manufacturer is not likely to replace your engine if it fails and you were consistently using the wrong fuel, especially since it's not hard to tell if an engine knocked itself to death.

If none of these things are a concern, or you just don't care and want to poorfag around, by all means use whatever fuel you want.

It's really fucking simple guys. If the owner's manual says it takes premium, then give it 91 octane at minimum unless higher is specified.

Putting a lower grade fuel like 87 in a car requiring premium puts your engine at risk of damage over long term. Yes the knock sensors back timing off, but you are still putting more stress on the engine by using the incorrect fuel.

My car can run on regular gas. However, it causes knocking and will slow the ignition timing. So to get the full use of my engine I use 93 octane fuel, that way it revs smoother and I can actually use the full powerband where all the power is. Plus, the extra additives will keep the engine healthier.

Sometimes this doesn't tell the full story. A car manual could say to use 87 octane and the car will run but what it doesn't say is that at higher rpms the car will have knocking issues. At that point, use higher octane fuel.

Also, lower octane gas burns hotter, which seems counter-intuitive but whatever, so running the cheap stuff in an engine that recommends premium will lead to more problems in the long run due to increased engine wear.