Hi. I read that the 2018 2.0 needs 93 Octane. Well that is not available in North Dakota so how screwed am I for engine issues down the road? We only got 91. :surprise:
I think with 91 you will be fine with expected performance. 93 is "strongly recommended", not required. If you have knock, you might want to see the dealer or trade it in if no 93 is available anywhere. In Michigan where I am our min standard for premium is 90 but we have 92 and 93 almost everywhere. Here is the quote from the user manual for other owners that read this thread (Pg. 263):
"For vehicles with the 2.0L L4 engine, premium unleaded gasoline meeting ASTM specification D4814 with a posted octane rating of 93 is highly recommended for best performance and fuel economy. Unleaded gasoline with an octane rated as low as 87 can be used. Using unleaded gasoline rated below 93 octane, however, will lead to reduced acceleration and fuel economy. If knocking occurs, use a gasoline rated at 93 octane as soon as possible, otherwise, the engine could be damaged."
In my 2019 2.0 Equinox Redline, I use both 91 and 93 octane fuels. The 91 is from a BP, Phillips, or Cenex, and is a no ethanol fuel. The 93 octane is from another local BP station, but this one is E-10, 10% ethanol blend.
In colder weather I tend to prefer the 91 no ethanol; when ambient temps are higher and I am using AC and traveling higher speeds under higher loads, I prefer the 93 octane for maximum performance and engine protection.
I had an Audi that needed premium. Sure it was fun to drive, but with our Malibu Hybrid I don't miss that (here in WI) 20% premium......on premium......
That’s something I just don’t get peoples hang up on, the need for premium fuel.
Normally I fill up at just under a half tank but at times will go down to a 1/4 or so which makes a fill up around 10 gallons roughly. If you’re looking at a $.50 per gallon difference on premium fuel, and it’s usually more like $.25 or so, that’s under $5 a fill up.
The car runs better, it’s peppier, the car is more fun to drive all for less than a crappy Taco Bell lunch or a coffee at Starbucks. I fill up both vehicles maybe twice a week, so figure about $15 for me having to run the good stuff.
Seems like it’s not that big of a deal in my book.
I wonder what changed between 2013 (91 or higher) to 2018 (...93 is highly recommended)...very grateful that a couple members of this Forum way back when got my attention to this early on...
I understand your position in regard to fuel economy, but there is more to the story besides MPG.
The engines that are smaller displacement, direct injected, and boosted, that are calibrated for higher output will benefit from the recommended premium fuel.
These engines in order to tolerate lower octane fuels will retard ignition timing and add fuel to keep temperatures and preignition at bay. There are circumstances where the electronics cannot compensate for the lower octane fuels, and there is potential for engine damaging preignition and excessive heat.
Operating engines calibrated for premium fuel in high ambient temperatures, at high speeds, and under high accessory loads or towing are especially vulnerable to potential damage by using a lower octane fuel.
The GM powertrain engineers recommend premium fuel in the 2.0 for a reason; I'm not one to take their recommendation lightly or test to see if there will be consequences.
when the GF bought her 2.0 Turbo in 2013 it was not mentioned in her owner's manual, the window sticker or at the dealership (I asked when we were negotiating the price) about premium fuel being recommended...and my GM vehicles that recommended premium had a sticker on the fuel door, the window sticker as well as in the owner's manual...it was mentioned several times on this Forum that I should use premium in her Turbo and I resisted.
a short time later, I was shown that there was a newer version of her owner's manual where it was mentioned that premium fuel of 91 octane or above was recommended and I tried it...at first I didn't see any improvement either in performance or mileage (it is her car and I rarely drove it) and I thought those who pushed the premium fuel were wrong...
but not long after we started trying premium (93 octane near me) I saw her mileage jump from the steady 18 MPG (mostly city/short trip driving) to better than 21 and nearly 22 MPG...but the big change was performance as it seemed to me to be greatly improved...and performance is more than the "stoplight drag"...her car gets premium, always...and has always had synthetic oil but for the oil that came in the car when new...
I have read on this Forum of several issues people with the Malibu with 2.0 Turbo have had but hers has not experienced any of these issues...I'm glad I finally listened to several good and knowledgable members here opened my eyes to the need for premium when it really is recommended...YMMV and good luck with your choice
I have a friend at the dealer that asked the mechanics. They said that mid-grade is fine so that's what I've been using in my 2017 2.0 Turbo. No problems at all. When I do get into it I've had nothing but fun.
Have you ever run a few tanks of 93 to see if it seems smoother, more powerful, or gets better mileage overall? If not, why not consider it as a cheap test just to see? Like others have said, a fill-up of 10 gallons at "only" 30¢ a gallon more than mid-grade is only $3.00 a tank, and 3 tanks like that is still less than $10.
What's more, if you discover that it feels better or you can mathematically determine that it gets better mileage, you win. If not, what's $10 these days compared to a single trip to any service facility?
When I first bought it I did use premium. When I found out that mid-grade would be OK I switched. I didn't notice a difference then but I suppose I could do the experiment again. I live in Atlanta now, I was in Texas then. Now I have a lot more seat time and may notice the difference more than I did before.
I'll try it on my next full tank.
do either of those vehicles recommend or require higher octane than 87???...the 2.0T does and there is far more to the higher octane recommendation than gas mileage...good luck with your choice.
Your owners manual does say that premium fuel is recommended and there is a small sticker located on the fuel door that suggest the same thing. Using anything less then premium fuel then the computer will adjust accordingly to protect the motor and ( NO ) you won't notice a difference unless you where doing time trials. Your 0 to 60 times will definitely be much slower using lower grade fuels. As with the new Honda 2.0 turbo it tells its owners to use premium gas if you don't the motor will lose between 30 up to 40 horsepower, and degrade gas mileage.
I ran 1 tank of premium and got the exact same MPG number and didn't notice any performance gain. I may run a few tanks like suggested, the $ isn't the issue for me. I'm just skeptical of the perceived difference.
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