88 octane gasoline

[wch]

Anybody know if I can safely run 88 octane gas in an engine rated for 87 octane?

[megasupermagnum]

That's usually high ethanol gas, so no.

[Winger Ed.]

Anybody know if I can safely run 88 octane gas in an engine rated for 87 octane?

I don't see why not.
Whatever the additives package is, the difference between 87 and 88 is so small,
the engine probably won't know the difference.

[GregLaROCHE]

It used to be that the octane rating for an engine was the minimum requirement. You could always run higher octane. Maybe things have changed.

[rockrat]

Should work just fine, and no, 88 octane is not necessarily an alcohol fuel. Our 88 octane at one station here is alcohol free.

[Fitz]

here in Oklahoma we have 100% gas from 87 to 93.5 octane you can safely run higher octane without problem its when you go lower that you get pings and knocks .

[Multra]

Yeah, no issues. You could run 93 in it if you wanted, would be a waste of money though.


That's usually high ethanol gas, so no.
That's e85

[Hick]

The octane number is related to the ability of the engine to avoid "knock" which is when the fuel ignites too soon in the cylinder (the heating of the fuel in the compression stroke causes the fuel to ignite before the piston has moved far enough to smoothly go back down-- which causes a definite knocking sound in the engine and can lead to damage). Higher numbers mean greater resistance to knock. So, you need to use gasoline with an octane rating that is at least as high as the one the engine is rated for. If your engine is rated for 87, then anything above 87 is also OK.

[redneck1]

Yes you can run the sbeetz gas ... it's fine . Just keep the price quiet till July 5

[Gator 45/70]

Should work just fine, and no, 88 octane is not necessarily an alcohol fuel. Our 88 octane at one station here is alcohol free.

Same here at Racetrack 88 is non-ethanol

[bosterr]

Google said 88 octane is 15% ethanol and should only be used in vehicles that are flex fuel rated. The higher 88 octane is from the extra ethanol. It's usually cheaper because ethanol is cheaper than gasoline. The higher ethanol could damage fuel system components.

[kerplode]

I don't see why not.
Whatever the additives package is, the difference between 87 and 88 is so small,
the engine probably won't know the difference.

Well, it's a little more nuanced than that. If it's 88-E10, then yeah, no worries.

Problem is, there is more and more 88-E15 being sold. The EPA says that E15 is suitable for model years 2001 and newer, however almost no US automakers approve E15 unless the vehicle is already E85 rated.

Toyota, in particular, says absolutely no E15 as it will damage the fuel system and they will not warranty the damage.

Edited to add:
88 Octane E10 is possible when the low-octane is 86 and the high-octane is 91 (mid is generally a 50:50 mix of low and high...)
The stations here have 88-E10 AND 88-E15. It's well labeled, so it's hard to confuse, but the 88-E15 is noticeably cheaper

[Noah Zark]

Refer to the owner's manual.

The manual for my Gladiator specifically prohibits use of fuel with >10% ethanol, including 88 octane / E85.

My 2011 Crown Victoria was Flex Fuel rated and ran like crap on E15. Stumble on acceleration, worse than average mileage for the same, average routes driven. A tank mostly full of 87 straightened it out. I did "the other half of the experiment" and tried a second tank mostly full of E85 and it ran poorly again. Didn't go back. YMMV (heh-heh).

Noah

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Anybody know if I can safely run 88 octane gas in an engine rated for 87 octane?

I assume this is MN?

In MN, Some Gas stations (Kwik Trip and maybe others) are offering E15 and calling it "Unleaded 88". The label on the pump says it's OK to run in any 2001 and newer cars. In MN, the standard Unleaded (87 octane) is E10.
https://www.kwiktrip.com/unleaded88

The Cenex gas station near me offers, E10, E20, E30, E50, E85. There is a pretty good price break starting at E30 due to Gov Subsidies. I have two Toyotas (neither are flex-fuel). one is a 2005 Matrix 1.8 ltr and when I run E30 for a couple tanks fulls, it throws a check engine light, with a code about low pressure on Rail #1, but it seemingly runs fine and I get same gas mileage. My 2008 RAV4 with 2.4 ltr runs well and doesn't throw any codes.

Can you safely run Unleaded 88 in your car?
Maybe, depends on your car.
Good Luck.

[jim 44-40]

It should tell you in the owner manual,or it is labeled on the fuel cap E15

[Wag]

Octane ratings are badly misunderstood, most of the time. Many people believe that 91 octane gas is "better" or "premium" gas. Not true. At least, not in a general sense.

If you put 91 octane in an engine that is rated for 87, then you're paying way more than you need to pay AND you're likely getting less mileage. No sense paying more AND gassing up more frequently!

91 gas is for high compression motors and it works well in engines that require it. It supports better performance (mileage, power) in the right engines.

In ALL cases, use what your owners manual tells you to use. You'll be better off, I promise.

As for ethanol, I try not to use it. Note that ethanol ratings are not an indication of octane, nor is octane an indication of ethanol percentage. At least, not in all cases. Read the fine print in your owners manual and read the fine print on the pump. Best to be a knowledgeable consumer. You'll save money at the pump as much as you're able and you'll avoid damage to your car.

--Wag--

[Cast10]

We have non-ethanol Unleaded……It’s 90 octane. I run it in the old Jeep, all ATV’s, outboard, weed-eater, chain saws. It sure does start easy and fuel stabilizes much better!

[Brassmonkey]

I ran a tank of e15 in a 1996 Chevy 4.3 v6, on a long trip few years ago, ran fine slight mpg hit think I got 20 compared to the normal 22 highway.

[Hannibal]

Speaking of ethanol, unless you look hard for ethanol free fuel it's difficult at best to find and in some places simply unavailable in my home state but the auto parts and discount stores still sell Heet and people still buy it.

So long as it makes them feel better then they can have at it.

[MostlyLeverGuns]

Octane is not ethanol, higher than required octane(88 rather than 87) should not be a problem. Ethanol is only a problem in older engines or in at very high percentages. In older engines it can affect old gasket materials, same at very high percentage in newer engines. Some engines are certified for E85 which is a very high ethanol percentage. Ethanol reduces energy content and also reduces some emissions. Some stations do stock 91 Octane alcohol free gasoline, but it is a super premium product and priced accordingly.

[rockrat]

We have 88 octane and 91 octane alcohol free gas here in town. The 91 octane is about 75 cents a gallon higher than the 88 octane stuff

[john.k]

Ethanol (sometimes called oxygenated fuel to decieve) has about 1/2 the energy content of gasoline,and every time Ive worked out prices ,the E gas is more expensive ,even if its cheaper per gallon.

[45DUDE]

Keeping the engine under 200 degrees and it will live longer. If the engine has clatter use a higher grade. Modern engines have knock sensors to retard timing and you get lower power and fuel mileage. Prove it to yourself. Drive 200 miles with the best and 200 miles with 88 and decide for yourself. Fuel increase has more than doubled since I voted last. Of the 4 vehicles I drive there is a total of about 625000 miles with the cheaper grade and no problems. I use high grade in chain saws and things like that. My wife burnt the motor on the weed eater last week because the intake vent got stopped op with grass:groner:

[reddog81]

88 octane is perfectly fine for car that recommends 87 octane. It might be E10 ethanol mix or not. 87, 88, 91, 93 octane gas could contain ethanol or not. Some states require stickers on the pump if ethanol is in the mix some states don’t. One station might have e10 88 octane gas and the staton next door might have 88 octane that’s not an E10 mix.

Some states even require all gas to be E10 or higher. Most states don’t.