Schembri says Regular OK

[Okie Boy]

[QUOTE=rawlus®;118004]i'll retract my remarks when i hear from him why he is directly contradicting both the user's manual, factory advice and the fuel octane warning sticker on the fuel lid door in his newspaper interviews.

[QUOTE]

The fuel door is labled RON, ROZ 95 (Min 91). Do a little research and you will find that that translates to 91 octane with a min of 87 octane. I have personally tried 87 octane in my smart and it does cause a small decrease in power and lowers MPG by aabout 2 mpg. The car ran ok but there was no savings on operating cost because of the lower fuel econmy.

[kwagar]

I just don'y "get it"!!!People are putting hundreds of dollars and in some cases 1000s of dollars into graphics, wraps, exhaust sytems, GPS, new radios and speakers, oversize wheels and tires, chrome, cruise control etc and are unwilling to put $2 per week into good fuel for the car?????????Would you use cheap motor oil? Would you use a no name oil filter? Would you skip scheduled maintenance? Why would you compromise on the reccomended fuel?

Sorry but again I just don't get it!!!!!

[amad1972]

Originally Posted by kwagar

I just don'y "get it"!!!People are putting hundreds of dollars and in some cases 1000s of dollars into graphics, wraps, exhaust sytems, GPS, new radios and speakers, oversize wheels and tires, chrome, cruise control etc and are unwilling to put $2 per week into good fuel for the car?????????Would you use cheap motor oil? Would you use a no name oil filter? Would you skip scheduled maintenance? Why would you compromise on the reccomended fuel?

Sorry but again I just don't get it!!!!!

I agree. At less than $2 per fill up, who cares if it will run on 87. Just put the good stuff in and don't worry about it. It costs maybe $50 - $60 a year difference. I have nothing against 87 octane gas. I use it in all my vehicles that call for 87 octane. But smart recommends premium. Would you feed your child moldy bread? It may not make him sick, but it's not recommended.

[Prospero]

Ok, I love this place.

Way back on P1 of this thread, there is a link to an article last Sunday's NY Times. Interestingly, the article wasn't mainly about Smart cars, but was about the need for higher octane gasoline in general. We've had a huge discussion, but no one, it seems, wants to discuss the point of the article.

I read the article this weekend (the Times server is down, as I write this, so I have to go from memory).

Essentially, it says that the NEED for higher octane gasoline was to stop engine knock. Most cars, including the Smart, electronics that adjust for octane, so this won't be a problem. Additionally, the article goes on to say, that if the car is designed for higher octane gasoline, you get a small HP boost -- about 2% (if memory serves). Which, if you've spent mucho $ for a car that has Mucho HP, that extra 2% really means a lot -- It's a guy thing. It also says that you shouldn't see a mileage difference.

Vis the Smart -- Schembri says that you won't hurt the car if you use regular. My dealer uses regular for the test cars. I've read that you get a couple more miles a gallon using the higher grade, but the Times says you won't.

I think ever reputable source I've seen says you won't hurt the car using 87 octane, and it may (or may not) help.

Bottom line -- I'm kind of anal, so I use 93 octane when I can find it, but that's me. However, if the pump said 'out of order' for the higher grade gas, I wouldn't lose sleep over a tank or two of 87.

And remember .... Your Mileage May Vary.

[johnssc]

Originally Posted by kwagar

I just don'y "get it"!!!People are putting hundreds of dollars and in some cases 1000s of dollars into graphics, wraps, exhaust sytems, GPS, new radios and speakers, oversize wheels and tires, chrome, cruise control etc and are unwilling to put $2 per week into good fuel for the car?????????Would you use cheap motor oil? Would you use a no name oil filter? Would you skip scheduled maintenance? Why would you compromise on the reccomended fuel?

Sorry but again I just don't get it!!!!!

I second that emotion! Not to mention $4 for a cup of coffee that many seem willing to pay for no questions asked...

I sure hope you don't go into any of the oil change threads where people are complaining about the price of synthetic vs the Wally World Generic with the live dinosaur bits still floating inside and wondering "how bad could it be" or the $7.99 oil filter designed to get the bigger chunks of basalt and so "save" over the overpriced filters from the dealer...