CRC2362 Posted July 15, 2006 Report Share Posted July 15, 2006 Hey everyone, any thoughts on using regular unleaded or even mid grade gas in the Northstars /// is there any good or bad expirences that anyone has had ? thanks Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thu Posted July 15, 2006 Report Share Posted July 15, 2006 This topic has been discussed at length and detail on this board. If you haven't tried, do a search on "premium" or "premium gasoline" and read up on it. You'll have a lot to keep you entertained for a while!!! Cheers, T 2003 Seville STS 43k miles with the Bose Sound, Navigation System, HID Headlamps, and MagneRide 1993 DeVille. Looks great inside and out! 298k miles! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenMachine Posted July 16, 2006 Report Share Posted July 16, 2006 General rule of thumb (you'll find from the posts) is that the FWD drive Northstars prior to the year 2000 (1999 and below) have the manual state "Premium 91 octane require". After the year 2000 (for FWD northstars only) the compression ratio was lowered and allowed for the use of Regular Unleaded 87 Octane fuel.. but the manual still states for "top performance and towing" the use of premium is recommended. From what I have read the general rule is when you want the engine to get cleaned out (assumeing you are using a gas station that is a brand name that has higher detergent to clean the engine) that on trips or once in awhile run the hightest to keep the engine clean and prevent build up. The northstar like WOT (wide open throttle) from time to time and if you notice and pings (or other strange occurances) while on 87, move up to 89, and if still try 91. Octane has more alot to with the your location above/below sea level. So based on where you live and how you drive it will depend on the gas... that ends my essay on octane in the northstar The Green's Machines 1998 Deville - high mileage, keeps on going, custom cat-back exhaust 2003 Seville - stock low mileage goodness! 2004 Grand Prix GTP CompG - Smaller supercharger pulley, Ported Exhaust Manifolds, Dyno tune, etc 1998 Firebird Formula - 408 LQ9 Stroker motor swap and all sorts of go fast stuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonA Posted July 16, 2006 Report Share Posted July 16, 2006 Some folks with 93-99 models run 87 exclusively and it does fine. I tried it for a few months in my '97, but just didn't like it. The car felt generally sluggish. Mine seems to run best on premium. The best advice we could give is to try it for a few tanks in your own car and see. Jason(2001 STS, White Diamond) "When you turn your car on...does it return the favor?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfreezn Posted July 17, 2006 Report Share Posted July 17, 2006 Hey everyone, any thoughts on using regular unleaded or even mid grade gas in the Northstars /// is there any good or bad expirences that anyone has had ? thanks Craig Craig, There is nothing wrong with using regular if your engine is set up for it. Regular gas is not "better" than premium gas, quality wise, though some Chevron products have more cleaners/additives in the premium line. My 94 ETC calls for premium but runs fine on regular, with the exceptions that it gets poorer mileage, and reduced performance on regular. The PCM is continously adjusting spark timing to maximize peformance and will retard spark when knocking is sensed. f you are looking to save money, you need to do some comparison tests on the same stretch of road, same conditions, etc, and read your instantaneous mileages. My ETC mileage falls off 2-3 MPG, which easily burns up any savings at the pump. Normally aspirated cars can often run on regular at high altitudes with no penalty, as someone has mentioned So I always put premium in and enjoy the ride! Jim in Phoenix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OynxSTS Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 After the year 2000 (for FWD northstars only) the compression ratio was lowered and allowed for the use of Regular Unleaded 87 Octane fuel.. but the manual still states for "top performance and towing" the use of premium is recommended. that ends my essay on octane in the northstar The manual that came with my 02 STS makes no mention of premium fuel... and I can't tell the difference between 87, 91, or 94... drives the same and performs the same (really fine BTW) on all of them... Mine gets 87... and lots of it Easin' down the highway in a new Cadillac, I had a fine fox in front, I had three more in the back ZZTOP, I'm Bad I'm Nationwide Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonA Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 The 2000 engines were optimized for the use of 87 gasoline. So it would surprise me if the owners manual still said premium would give best performance. Jason(2001 STS, White Diamond) "When you turn your car on...does it return the favor?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenMachine Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 hmm this is intresting, they manual for a 2000 Deville reads: "Fuel Use premium unleaded gasoline rated at 91 octane or higher for best performance. You may use middle grade or regular unleaded gasolines, but your vehicle’s acceleration may be slightly reduced." for a 2001-2005 Deville they all read about the same as below: "Fuel Use regular unleaded gasoline rated at 87 octane or higher. However, for best performance and for trailer towing, you may wish to use middle grade or premium unleaded gasoline." I know this subject is a beat horse but are these saying the same thing differantly or did the 2000 "changes" not hit until 2001 models? The 2000 Deville reads nearly line for line for line for what my 98 manual says. now just for referance the 2002 Seville manual I looked up says: "Fuel Gasoline Octane Use regular unleaded gasoline with a posted octane of 87 or higher. However, for best performance and for trailer towing, you may wish to use middle grade or premium unleaded gasoline. If the octane is less than 87, you may get a heavy knocking noise when you drive. If it is bad enough, it can damage your engine." guess it still goes back to what I said, try differant grades and see what either gives you a balance of performance/fuel economy/savings. Just for comparison the 2005 STS (read the new body RWD model) intructs: "Fuel Use of the recommended fuel is an important part of the proper maintenance of your vehicle. Gasoline Octane If your vehicle has the 3.6L V6 engine, use regular unleaded gasoline with a posted octane of 87 or higher. However, for best performance and for trailer towing, you may wish to use middle grade or premium unleaded gasoline. If the octane is less than 87, you may get a heavy knocking noise when you drive. If this occurs, use a gasoline rated at 87 octane or higher as soon as possible. Otherwise, you might damage your engine. If your vehicle has the 4.6L V8 engine, use premium unleaded gasoline with a posted octane of 91 or higher for best performance. You may also use middle grade or regular unleaded gasoline rated at 87 octane or higher, but your vehicle’s acceleration may be slightly reduced. If the octane is less than 87, you may get a heavy knocking noise when you drive. If this occurs, use a gasoline rated at 87 octane or higher as soon as possible. Otherwise, you might damage your engine." The Mobil stations around here run a Super+ Mondays and Wednesdays (one has Super+ Sundays) and they take the price of 93 octane and knock it down to the price of 89 octance so that solves my needs The Green's Machines 1998 Deville - high mileage, keeps on going, custom cat-back exhaust 2003 Seville - stock low mileage goodness! 2004 Grand Prix GTP CompG - Smaller supercharger pulley, Ported Exhaust Manifolds, Dyno tune, etc 1998 Firebird Formula - 408 LQ9 Stroker motor swap and all sorts of go fast stuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regis Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 Some folks with 93-99 models run 87 exclusively and it does fine. I tried it for a few months in my '97, but just didn't like it. The car felt generally sluggish. Mine seems to run best on premium. The best advice we could give is to try it for a few tanks in your own car and see. My experience is pretty much the same as Jason's. Some people can tell the difference while others can't. There are many variables involved and I'm not going to get into those because some are simply subjective. I would like to add that on those occassions when I have filled up with 87 octane I find myself back at the pumps a couple days earlier than normal. So for me it doesn't make sense to run 87. "Burns" rubber " I've never considered myself to be all that conservative, but it seems the more liberal some people get the more conservative I become. " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OynxSTS Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 now just for reference the 2002 Seville manual I looked up says: "Fuel Gasoline Octane Use regular unleaded gasoline with a posted octane of 87 or higher. However, for best performance and for trailer towing, you may wish to use middle grade or premium unleaded gasoline. If the octane is less than 87, you may get a heavy knocking noise when you drive. If it is bad enough, it can damage your engine." EGreen is right, I stand corrected... That is what my manual says... But, in my car, driven almost exclusively at sea level, high load (heavy foot) and in fairly low humidity conditions (requiring theorically the highest octane requirements) Mine runs just fine on 87. In my car, 91 or even 94 yielded no additional performance or mileage only additional costs. Your experience will vary depending on how you drive and where you live. Easin' down the highway in a new Cadillac, I had a fine fox in front, I had three more in the back ZZTOP, I'm Bad I'm Nationwide Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fred Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 Believe it or not, In this mess of a state you can not buy anything over 91 at a regular pump. MerryChristmas Be a Capitalist or work for one. Work for a Capitalist or be one. MerryChristmas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenMachine Posted July 19, 2006 Report Share Posted July 19, 2006 I guess its a car by car thing maybe? The Green's Machines 1998 Deville - high mileage, keeps on going, custom cat-back exhaust 2003 Seville - stock low mileage goodness! 2004 Grand Prix GTP CompG - Smaller supercharger pulley, Ported Exhaust Manifolds, Dyno tune, etc 1998 Firebird Formula - 408 LQ9 Stroker motor swap and all sorts of go fast stuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonjaab Posted July 21, 2006 Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 My 96 DeVille would knock , ping and stall on anything but premium. I even tried going 2 ranges colder with new AC brand spark plugs. That cured the spark knock issues but stalling and hesitation still occured................. I had NO problem with spending the extra few bucks for prem. to cure the problems but could always tell when the "boss" cheaped out and ran regular ! She was the one who always complained about the stalling and hesitation issues !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sure glad my newer N-stars happily use cheap regular gas!.....geo 93 DeVille-13 Chevy Impala 72 GTO - 77 Triumph Bonneville 84 Z-28 Syracuse NY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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