[Miller142]

Hi everyone. I recently bought a 2016 1LT Camaro. It has the V6 engine and 6 speed manual transmission. I'm trying to figure out the best fuel to use. I know the manual recommends 87 octane or higher for the V6. I tend to drive aggressive on a regular basis. (As in, I rev out the gears pretty high) I thought it may be better to use a higher octane. First tank, I used 89 and the car ran well. Second tank, I used 91 and it seems like it vibrates a little more, runs a little rougher, and revs out longer when I let off the throttle. I haven't tried 87 yet. Has anyone else experienced these differences? And/or what are your thoughts and opinions of what I should use? I appreciate any input on this. Thank you.

[Glen e]

Don't overthink this. Owners manual calls for 87 from a top-tier manufacturer....You can Google top tier gas manufactures and get a list , it's pretty much all the majors.

You do no good by running premium. Be happy you can save money and still get great performance, your next car probably wont be that way......

[nino313]

87 has been serving me well on mines

[Miller142]

Originally Posted by Glen e

Don't overthink this. Owners manual calls for 87 from a top-tier manufacturer....You can Google top tier gas manufactures and get a list , it's pretty much all the majors.

You do no good by running premium. Be happy you can save money and still get great performance, your next car probably wont be that way......

Thanks for the advice Glen. That sounds good to me.

[Wiskey]

I run 87 in mine!

Whiskey

[BigNorm4Life]

I thought the 5th LLT was happy on 93 gas... Responded better as well, is there no benefit at all? What's the compression ratio on the new V6?

[Miller142]

That is what I don't understand. The comp. ratio is 11.5:1. Same as the V8 SS.

[Jerry's 2LT]

If I were to hazard a guess, I would say that it may be due to thermal efficiency.

Two engines with the same compression ratio should perform the same unless ones cylinders run hotter than the other. Remember that the principle behind the diesel is a high compression that raises the temp of the charge and causes detonation. Knocking in a gas engine is pre-ignition or detonation due to the charge getting so hot it ignites without the aid of the spark plug.

With that in mind, I think the design of the V6 is newer than the V8. In fact Chevy touts the controlled temp of the V6 in their promos. That leads me to think that the V6 may be running cooler cylinder temps.

Just my humble opinion (and for lack of any other ideas!).

[BigNorm4Life]

Originally Posted by Jerry's 2LT

If I were to hazard a guess, I would say that it may be due to thermal efficiency.

Two engines with the same compression ratio should perform the same unless ones cylinders run hotter than the other. Remember that the principle behind the diesel is a high compression that raises the temp of the charge and causes detonation. Knocking in a gas engine is pre-ignition or detonation due to the charge getting so hot it ignites without the aid of the spark plug.

With that in mind, I think the design of the V6 is newer than the V8. In fact Chevy touts the controlled temp of the V6 in their promos. That leads me to think that the V6 may be running cooler cylinder temps.

Just my humble opinion (and for lack of any other ideas!).

I think it's one of those deals where it's cool to run 87 in the 1.4T in the Cruze but in the summer when it's 90-100 degrees Fahrenheit you have to run 93 in the summer or the engine will bog

Me personally (still debating V6-V8) I would switch to a warmer spark plug and run 93 year around for piece of mind

[Netslave]

[cellsafemode]

I would be extremely surprised if the difference between 91/93 (or higher) and 87 doesn't cause a measurable difference in timing and performance considering the VVT in the motor will adapt to make the most efficient use out of the different octane fuel, and that means not having to retard timing or worry about knocking when stressing the motor.

[Jerry's 2LT]

I once owned a Pontiac Fiero GT with the V6. The manual recommended that only regular be used. During a fuel shortage in so. cal. I was forced to put in premium for a tank.

What a difference, as in bad. The car got the worst milage with the premium and power was down.

You can overdue using the higher octane on engines that are designed for lower rating fuel. As was pointed out above, putting in hotter plugs is a solution. But, all you are doing is forcing the premium to ignite sooner than it wants. You wouldn't be getting the most performance out of that fuel using that method. The sweet spot is getting the ignition timing set properly for the fuel so that it ignites at precisely the right moment and delivers the best combustion.

Just recently I drove my wife's CRV and noticed some slight knocking. Turns out it was a non top tier fuel. So it was probably less than 87. The tank was half full so I topped off with a top tier 87. The knock went away. Bear in mind that the CRV engine has a compression ratio of 11:1.

[mgwarlock]

87
Regular
Decent station in your area

If the engine knocks then put higher grade or fuel additives. "Only if"

[MBS]

Originally Posted by cellsafemode

I would be extremely surprised if the difference between 91/93 (or higher) and 87 doesn't cause a measurable difference in timing and performance considering the VVT in the motor will adapt to make the most efficient use out of the different octane fuel, and that means not having to retard timing or worry about knocking when stressing the motor.

Agree , The higher the octane the better the performance and gas mileage, Simple as that , Not that it wont run on 87 it will just fine , but if you want that little extra zip put in the top teir good stuff with no Ethanol.