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What fuel for 5.7

dutchman187

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I just filled up with 93 at Costco for that same reason. Happened to be cheaper than other stations 89
 

reigninslayer

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Do you expect more ignition problems under the load of towing?

I can say that I'm enjoying not being required to buy premium fuel with my new truck. Filled up the 33 gallon tank with mid-grade (87 octane), 25.7 gallons. My previous vehicle had a total capacity of 26 gallons and my total expense was under $70. The station I often uses cuts off at $75 when you pay at the pump, and I usually had to start another transaction to completely fill up the Mercedes.

At some point after break in, I'll see how well the truck runs on regular.

GMAN-How's the truck running after 6-7 months of using 87? I picked up my new '19 RAM two weeks ago and now it's time for the first fill-up. I too live in CO. 87 or 91?
 

Gman

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It's running great! I buy Costco gas if I'm in the neighborhood, but it's usually Valero 87 octane since there is a station on my way home. Mileage is what I would expect depending on how I feel like driving. My first Hemi and I'm a fan.
 

Ranger482

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When I gas up at Costco I blend the two grades to get me close to 89 octane, which is what FCA recommends. I see no difference when I run higher than 89, even when I tow, so no reason to spend the extra $. I have also run a couple tanks of 87 when I was in no man's land and had no choice (thanks 26 gallon tank) and didn't notice a perceptible drop off in performance, but for the few extra bucks I'll stick with 89 whenever I can.
 

Gman

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It would probably be more useful if we referred to which grade of fuel we were using. Octane numbers don't really translate from one location to another.

I use the mid-grade, sometimes referred to as 'Plus'. Costco only sells Regular or Premium. I could try and mix the 2, but the savings wouldn't be that much (for me)...and I'm too lazy to do it. I gas and go.

My recollection is that Ram recommends mid/plus in the manual.
 
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Jus Cruisin

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Here in Florida it's 87, 89, 91and 93 at the Wawa near me. That and ethanol free and diesel. I've been running 87 but going to switch over to 89 when I fill up next. Going to be towing and the additional load on the engine will justify swapping.
 

silver billet

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It would probably be more useful if we referred to which grade of fuel we were using. Octane numbers don't really translate from one location to another.

I think you got that backwards. 89 octane is 89 octane everywhere, just like 80 mph is 80 mph. On the other hand, "plus" or "max" is completely meaningless to me.
 

Gman

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If I say 87 Octane, what does that make you think? Regular or Mid grade? If I mention 85 Octane (regular here), do you even have that as an option? People talk about 93 Octane, and that's not an option here.

The idea that "Octane is Octane" is not relative to things like elevation. The grades are more suited to the stability challenges in the location where they are sold.
 

silver billet

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If I say 87 Octane, what does that make you think? Regular or Mid grade? If I mention 85 Octane (regular here), do you even have that as an option? People talk about 93 Octane, and that's not an option here.

The idea that "Octane is Octane" is not relative to things like elevation. The grades are more suited to the stability challenges in the location where they are sold.

Elevation can change what you need in terms of octane rating, but octane IS octane. You can measure/detect/validate it. Doesn't matter what elevation you're at, 87 is 87. If you drive from sea level to 10000 ft, you can probably safely drop from 87 to 85 octane.

The first part of your sentence makes no sense. If you say 87 octane, it doesn't mean regular or mid grade to me, I have no idea what "grade" it is because different pumps/stations have different labels for the same octane. If I'm at sea level, I just need to know what octane I need.

And regardless of brand/station, I always fill up with 87 octane. Couldn't care less if one station calls it "basic" and the next "mid grade" and the third "supreme".

Here in Ontario in some stations we have 94 octane, but only fools use that.
 

Gman

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From the owners manual:
The use of 89 octane “Plus” gasoline is recommended for optimum performance and fuel economy.
If I'm referring to an octane number here in Colorado, it doesn't mean jack to someone in a lower and warmer area of the country. The US is a big place covering a lot of different conditions. Alaska isn't Florida. I can't find 89 here, so I guess I'm out of luck.

...but feel free to talk numbers without any other relative information.
 

silver billet

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From the owners manual:

If I'm referring to an octane number here in Colorado, it doesn't mean jack to someone in a lower and warmer area of the country. The US is a big place covering a lot of different conditions. Alaska isn't Florida. I can't find 89 here, so I guess I'm out of luck.

...but feel free to talk numbers without any other relative information.

This is getting silly. All you need (in terms of information) is octane rating, and possibly elevation. That's it. The labels are completely meaningless. My gas station doesn't have "plus". What the heck is "plus"? I have no idea if that is one step above rock bottom, or the max, or 2 steps below max etc etc.

It doesn't matter if you are in Florida or Alaska; 89 octane in Florida will be exactly identical to 89 in Alaska. I'm not sure what you're stumbling over there. Why do you think the owners manual everywhere in every car suggests an octane rating instead of a label? Because the octane is the octane and doesn't change from station to station. Just like driving 60 mph in florida = 60 mph in alaska.
 

Gman

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The reason I've been discussing the relativity of what the octane level means to the application is that it only relates to the stability of the gasoline and it's resistance to pre-ignition. 89 is not a magic number (neither is 87). 89 will not solve all issues with pre-ignition depending on temperature, elevation, or engine load.

What octane level does not mean is that the higher the octane number is, the more power it contains. Your engine may be able to make more effective power with a gasoline that has a higher stability, but maybe it won't. 94 octane gasoline contains just as much energy as 85.

The manual recommends 89 or Plus. If that doesn't mean anything to you, have a nice day.
 

silver billet

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The reason I've been discussing the relativity of what the octane level means to the application is that it only relates to the stability of the gasoline and it's resistance to pre-ignition. 89 is not a magic number (neither is 87). 89 will not solve all issues with pre-ignition depending on temperature, elevation, or engine load.

What octane level does not mean is that the higher the octane number is, the more power it contains. Your engine may be able to make more effective power with a gasoline that has a higher stability, but maybe it won't. 94 octane gasoline contains just as much energy as 85.

The manual recommends 89 or Plus. If that doesn't mean anything to you, have a nice day.

I think that's a strawman argument there; I never mentioned "power" or "energy".

This is a very simple discussion; an engine has an octane rating, not "label". 89 octane in one location always equals 89 octane in another location. I've been to gas stations here in Ontario where they use "bronze", "silver", "gold", "supreme?" for their labels. How do those relate to "plus"?? They're completely meaningless. However they also put the octane rating on those same pumps; so in this case, if I'm looking for 87 octane, my choice would be "bronze", but the bronze is extra "information" (completely useless information I might add); I just need to know the 87, not the bronze/plus.

And just to show you one more example:

No "plus" in that rating scale. Guess I can't fill up there, eh? Course you could, if you relied on the octane number instead of the silly labels...
 

Gman

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I judge the world based on what's in my backyard.

... And the boiling point of water is 201.1 degrees Fahrenheit (94 C).
 

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