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Just wondering what octane my 92' mx-3 GS 1.8L V6 calls for. Thanks

what ever you can afford you aren't going to see much gain if any from high octane if your running on stock components, maybe at higher compression/ forced induction levels you'll have to start using higher octane.

I'm assuming it is the same as my 93, the manual say to use at least 91 octane, mine runs like crap with anything less, could be all in my head though...

Mine runs great with 87.

As a UK owner I`m now using a new fuel called "Optimax" by shell which they claim to be around 98 octane. I find a lot of difference using this than the standard unleadeds in the UK which are 95 octane. It does cost a bit more mind you.

Higher Octane Level != Performance Increase (at least for street cars)<P>But,<BR>Higher Octane Level == Burns Cleaner.<P>You may not get any performance increase, but higher octane will burn cleaner in your engine, so it will leave less crap behind in your engine. I'm not mechanic, but I saw a show that did a study on this. Lower octane doesn't ignite as cleanly as the higher octane. So when it doesn't burn cleanly, it leaves this stuff behind that's not good for the engine.<P>So if you can afford it, you should get higher octane. Not for performance, but for caring for your engine. Especially if you have an older car.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by GMGQ:<BR><STRONG>Higher Octane Level != Performance Increase (at least for street cars)<BR></STRONG><HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>Wrong. This is a common misconception among many people. A higher octane level doesn't necessarily increase performance. If you engine is tuned to run at 91 octane like the MX-3, fueling your car with 95 octane won't improve the car's performance at all. You're just wasting your money. The car is already running at maximum efficiency at 91 octane. <P> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by GMGQ:<BR><STRONG>But,<BR>Higher Octane Level == Burns Cleaner.<P>You may not get any performance increase, but higher octane will burn cleaner in your engine, so it will leave less crap behind in your engine. I'm not mechanic, but I saw a show that did a study on this. Lower octane doesn't ignite as cleanly as the higher octane. So when it doesn't burn cleanly, it leaves this stuff behind that's not good for the engine.<P>So if you can afford it, you should get higher octane. Not for performance, but for caring for your engine. Especially if you have an older car.</STRONG><HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>[/QB][/QUOTE]<P>Yes, very true! Anything lower than 91 octane can create buildup inside the engine components and could possibly result in engine knocking. I use 92 octane at Esso, since they don't offer a 91. Haven't had one engine problem yet. Hope this helps. :p

there is a gas station around where i live that sells 115 octane gas i see some cars buy it every once and a while is there any benifit to using this or could it hurt an mx-3 engine?

My 92 GS manual says to use 87...and I do.

The bottom line is to use the minimum octane required as listed in your owners manual, if your car is still in warranty. After that, use the lowest octane at which it doesn't ping. <P>The octane rating is a unitless number that is roughly a measure of how rapidly (or not) the gasoline will burn. Guess what? The high octane rating gas burns the slowest and the low stuff burns faster (quicker to ignite is probably more accurate). If you have a racing engine with a 12:1 compression ratio, then you want the slow to ignite gas (high octane) to prevent pre-ignition, detonation, followed by subsequent engine destruction since the temperatures in the cylinder will be much higher with the higher CR and might just light off the fuel/air mixture without the presence of a spark.<BR>Octane actually retards the ability of gasoline to combust, it has nothing to do with its potential energy. It has been associated with high performance since high performance engines with high CRs have to have it to function well.

hey RICH, != means not equal to, so he was saying that higher octane does not necessarily mean increase in performance<BR>

if it says 87 octane in the manual.. and its sold at every station around.. go with it. they dont sell it cuz its crap they sell it to make your car perform like it should.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by pelado:<BR><STRONG>The bottom line is to use the minimum octane required as listed in your owners manual, if your car is still in warranty. After that, use the lowest octane at which it doesn't ping. <P>The octane rating is a unitless number that is roughly a measure of how rapidly (or not) the gasoline will burn. Guess what? The high octane rating gas burns the slowest and the low stuff burns faster (quicker to ignite is probably more accurate). If you have a racing engine with a 12:1 compression ratio, then you want the slow to ignite gas (high octane) to prevent pre-ignition, detonation, followed by subsequent engine destruction since the temperatures in the cylinder will be much higher with the higher CR and might just light off the fuel/air mixture without the presence of a spark.<BR>Octane actually retards the ability of gasoline to combust, it has nothing to do with its potential energy. It has been associated with high performance since high performance engines with high CRs have to have it to function well.</STRONG><HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>100% correct, yet again.<P>You win the prize for not being wrong of me not belittling you j/k<P>But realize, av gas in our cars would drop the horsepower output significantly, despite the 100 octane rating. Octane isn't a concentration of explosivity or something. Like pelado said, it's how hard it is to burn. You will make the most power with the lowest octane you dont' knock on.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Vlad:<BR><STRONG>hey RICH, != means not equal to, so he was saying that higher octane does not necessarily mean increase in performance<BR> </STRONG><HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>Sorry! My mistake. I have never seen that symbol before as being not equal to. I'm a programmer and not equal to is usually <> Thanks for pointing that out Vlad.

Rich, I do some programming too, that's why I used the !=. C++!<p>[ February 12, 2002: Message edited by: GMGQ ]