What type of gas do you use?

[MPrice2984]

For all of you octane hounds, this is what Mitsubishi says about compression ratio vs octane recommendations on their cars:

Mitsubishi Motors - Specifications

My local Mitsubushi service manager says using above mid grade with a 10:1 compression ration is a waste of money. I've tracked every tank for 19900 miles
and found mid grade delivers the same mileage and performance. If these cars were turbocharged premium would make sense. Every gas car Mercedes sells in the states says to use premium even though it's not really needed.

There is nothing special about the engines in these cars.

[Godfather]

HERESY!!!!! Call the Roman guards, and have MPrice escorted out!!!!!
Or..... give 'em a medal for astutely stating the obvious. Fasten your seatbelt, it's gonna be a bumpy ride.........

[headless]

Originally Posted by smart fortimo

Ellis, I think the car reacts. No?

Boy you guys are picky, I was just trying to make it simple for some of the less techy peeps out there.
and I typed it nice and slow as well
Ellis

[randyzimmer]

Originally Posted by Godfather

HERESY!!!!! ... it's gonna be a bumpy ride...

Yes, it isn't safe to say Regular is OK here.
Yes, modern ECUs learn.
Sorry.

[blackknite]

Originally Posted by SmartDigger

all four tanks premium

i am new to owning a smart car. what do you mean by 4 tanks?

[ca smartone]

4 tanks = 4 weeks

In my case, 4 tanks = 8 weeks

Originally Posted by blackknite

i am new to owning a smart car. what do you mean by 4 tanks?

[Kermit]

Originally Posted by blackknite

i am new to owning a smart car. what do you mean by 4 tanks?

How many times have you filled up your smart? I'm at 251 tanks now, 76,000 miles. About 250 of them premium.

[Brutal Force]

I use Regular. Pffttt... when prices go back down below $3 I will use premium.

Read this for a shocker.

Or this.

Or this.

Oh, and further more, when I fill up it is 8.5 Gallons and the price difference from regular is $0.40 which is $3.40 a tank which translates to about $176.00 a year. For anyone who is counting.

[redsmart]

So true

[rfernatt]

We've beat this one a few times, but here goes my opinion:

- Premium typically costs me $.20 more per gallon, or about $1.60 per fill.
- I have observed better fuel economy with premium and I have tracked every gallon and mile put into the car since new. Better mileage in my driving in my area partially, if not completely, offsets the cost difference.
- Because of the perceived risk of engine damage over the long term due to low octane fuel, I'd rather have a little octane cushion if I happen to get mediocre quality fuel from a station. 93 may not be 93, but 87 may not be 87 either. Ethanol only increases the risk of problems and we're all pretty much stuck with that. Lower octane fuel changes the timing and could setup a situation (over the long haul) where the engine runs leaner, combustion is hotter, and exhaust valves burn from what I've read.

Will the car explode if 87 is used? Of course not, it is designed to compensate within a reasonable range to different octane levels and it must - you may be somewhere that does not offer or is out of premium.

However, for the relatively minor investment and peace of mind, I'll stick with premium in my car when it's available. As always, YMMV.