Premium vs Regular on 2.0L
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I read page 298 of the owner's Manual...only if engine knocking occurs can you not use 87 octane...then 91 is suggested. Yes, performance/economy may not be as good with 87, so it says, but don't see it mentions a warranty problem.
Never noticed knocking...been using 87 octane for 8,900 miles, in pretty close to sea level Texas.
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Dealer told me that it's a "recommendation", not a "requirement". If regular is used it won't violate warranty or cause any issues. Might just notice it being a little less performant and fuel efficient.
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Reading the owners manual, the primary recommendation is to use TopTier fuel.
Octane 87 only becomes a problem if engine knocking occurs.
Other than that it seems like a trade off between performane/economy and price.
Here in north Texas you'll pay around $2.19 for 87 octane while 93 octane is around $2.69.
I've been using 87 octane and have no complaints with performance or economy.
How much impact does premium fuel really have on economy (other than my finances)?
Octane 87 only becomes a problem if engine knocking occurs.
Other than that it seems like a trade off between performane/economy and price.
Here in north Texas you'll pay around $2.19 for 87 octane while 93 octane is around $2.69.
I've been using 87 octane and have no complaints with performance or economy.
How much impact does premium fuel really have on economy (other than my finances)?
From the Service Manual:
"Use premium unleaded gasoline meeting ASTM specification D4814 with a posted octane rating of 91 or higher. Regular unleaded gasoline rated at 87 octane or higher can be used, but acceleration and fuel economy will be reduced, and an audible knocking noise may be heard. If this occurs, use a gasoline rated at 91 octane or higher as soon as possible. Otherwise, the engine could be damaged. If heavy knocking is heard when using gasoline with a 91 octane rating or higher, the engine needs service."
"Use premium unleaded gasoline meeting ASTM specification D4814 with a posted octane rating of 91 or higher. Regular unleaded gasoline rated at 87 octane or higher can be used, but acceleration and fuel economy will be reduced, and an audible knocking noise may be heard. If this occurs, use a gasoline rated at 91 octane or higher as soon as possible. Otherwise, the engine could be damaged. If heavy knocking is heard when using gasoline with a 91 octane rating or higher, the engine needs service."
Octane ratings change with geographic areas of the U.S. Where the eastern US regular unleaded octane is 87 and premium 92-94, out west regular can be 85 and premium is 91 octanes.
For carbon build up concerns I'd follow GM'S Top Tier gasoline list . Regardless of octane these gasoline companies contain the additives that meet GM vehicle needs. GM has had 2.0T direct injection since 2005 and have not had the carbon build up problems of other companies like Audi. Longer highway drives help get engine operating temperatures hot for periods of time, or just a couple of full throttle runs on an onramp or merging. Full throttle won't hurt the engine as that how it was designed and will hardly be noticeable effect on fuel economy. Our 2016 Envision 2.0T is still getting 24 mpg on my 8 mile commute to work with 4 miles highway and 4 miles 25-35 mph and sometimes a quick run up the onramp or merging.
If you are using 87 octane in warmer climates and intake and intercooler temperatures rise to pre-detonation levels, some power may be lost. When we had a Buick Encore the 1.4T only required 87 octane, but one day of driving for 7-8 hours in 90° F heat there was a lack of power when accelerating up a hill after idling for a couple of minutes. The next under similar condition I had premium fuel in the tank and didn't experience any degradation in performance. We use 92-93 octane in our 2016 Envision 2.0T.
For carbon build up concerns I'd follow GM'S Top Tier gasoline list . Regardless of octane these gasoline companies contain the additives that meet GM vehicle needs. GM has had 2.0T direct injection since 2005 and have not had the carbon build up problems of other companies like Audi. Longer highway drives help get engine operating temperatures hot for periods of time, or just a couple of full throttle runs on an onramp or merging. Full throttle won't hurt the engine as that how it was designed and will hardly be noticeable effect on fuel economy. Our 2016 Envision 2.0T is still getting 24 mpg on my 8 mile commute to work with 4 miles highway and 4 miles 25-35 mph and sometimes a quick run up the onramp or merging.
If you are using 87 octane in warmer climates and intake and intercooler temperatures rise to pre-detonation levels, some power may be lost. When we had a Buick Encore the 1.4T only required 87 octane, but one day of driving for 7-8 hours in 90° F heat there was a lack of power when accelerating up a hill after idling for a couple of minutes. The next under similar condition I had premium fuel in the tank and didn't experience any degradation in performance. We use 92-93 octane in our 2016 Envision 2.0T.
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I got a chance now to test this and in my experience regular worked but there's noticeable hesitation and not as responsive using it. There was no engine knocking or ping.
Putting premium back in the tank cleared things up quickly.
93 octane is it for me.
Putting premium back in the tank cleared things up quickly.
93 octane is it for me.
I have been data logging the engine watching for knock sensors to light up and the 87 octane from Top Tier gasoline stations and cooler winter weather have been pretty much quiet. Max stock was 277 lb-ft torque so this bump was nice with a ecu tune.
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I know this is an older post but very relevant. We have a 2018 Envision with the 2.0L Turbo. When we first got it I tried a number of different options. The dealer told me that the manual recommends premium but it will run on regular. Premium fuel or higher octanes are designed for higher compression engines and do not prematurely fire causing knock, their formulation causes combustion at the higher compression. So, I tried 87 octane fuel from Shell, Exxon, Mobil and BP and all regular fuels I tried have a noticeable degrade in performance. Now I know the car's computer is supposed to compensate for all this however the difference in performance, as well as the occasional knocking, and I do not accelerate hard, are not worth the savings to me. I even tried every other tank full and a few tanks of mid grade fuel from the same brands and was still disappointed. So I only buy premium fuel, which the car performs admirably with no knocking or issues. I know it is more costly (although fuel is currently reasonable in price right now, prices are relative when I started driving in '71 I paid 21 cents a gallon at Gas Land for gas and our new 72 Ford Gran Torino was $3,600, a fender on the Buick) however, to me it is worth the piece of mind that I am not potentially damaging the engine (knock) and I can count on the performance. It is a net/net for me anyway as I traded in a '14 Equinox with a 3.6L V6 so where I saved on that with regular I am more than making the higher cost premium up in much better mileage on the Buick.
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We live in Mild weather in Northern California with some of the highest gas prices in the nation. I have not noticed performance difference no matter the octane rating, so I generally us 89. I find that using 91 Octane I get a lot of soot on the tailpipes meaning the engines must not be running as efficient as it could. Has anyone else had this experience?
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