i drive a 1999 ford mustang, V6 3.8L, and i want to keep it as healthy as i can since its my baby, lol. i usually like to use Shell V-Power, but my cousin told me that 93 gas can actually be harmful because it burns the piston rings. my car doesnt require 93, but is it true that using only 93 can burn the rings? (meaning i should only use 89)
I use 93 in my car (ocasionally 91 at 7-11) and it runs beautifully. It's supposedly better for your engine I thought.
if your engine is supposed to use regular, get regular. it can cause issues if you use too high an octane. i have a lincoln mark lt. takes regular. if i put premium in there, check engine lights will go on, and it wont run the way its supposed to. same happened to my bro's truck. so basically, find out what octane your exact car takes, and put that in it. dont do your car any favors it doesnt need.
One time years ago, when I drove my first wife's car, I noticed the 'check engine' light was on. When I asked her about it she said 'Oh, that's been on for months'. I said, 'Well Dear, you need to let me know when something like that happens so that I can check it to see if there's a problem.' She said, 'Oh there's no problem. As soon as I saw the 'check engine' light come on I immediately pulled over and checked the engine and I've checked it every day since. It's still there.'
I used to have an '89 Cutlass Supreme. Always used 87. One day I was told to use the high test since it was better for my car. Long story short, my car started bucking so hard I thought I was rear ended on many occasoins, in addition to frequent stalling. After what felt like a hundred trips to the shop, someone finally asked me about the gas I was putting in. They said to go back to 87, and I never had another problem. However, that was some time ago, and I don't know if that's still a problem with newer cars.
Use regular if your car requires it. If you use higher octane, you can ruin your engine and fuel injection, not to mention damaging your piston rings(as mentioned). You definately wont be "treating" your car.
If your car has a 10:1 or greater compression ratio, you likely need 93 for your car to run at its best. Your ECU will ****** the timing and your car will run at less than peak performance if you cheap out with 87. If your car doesn't have such a high compression ratio, you're at minimum throwing your money away and possibly messing up your car. 93 burns hotter than 87 IIRC. My Maxima takes 93 and runs very well with it. My wife's Altima takes regular and also runs very well.
