biddle
Forum Moderator
Staff member
- Last seen
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2003
- Thunderbird Year
- 2003
You should use the recommended fuel grade or higher. Many will say otherwise but the engineers who designed the car would disagree.
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If I feel comfortable, I can use Diesel fuel? Obviously the engineers that made the car didn't recommend premium fuel for fun, as a matter of fact, this is not a good selling point for the car, so they would not have made this recommendation unless it was necessary. Unless your credentials are greater than an engineer at Ford Motor company, your opinion likely doesn't really matter, right? This is what makes buying a used car so tough.Each person is entitled to their opinion about this issue, so do what you personally think makes you comfortable.
When I picked up my new Thunderbird, the dealer told me that I could simply use the lowest gas octane and the car would be fine. But the owner's manual indicates that it's best to use a higher octane level. Because of that, I've been using "Premium" gas ever since, but it does eat into the wallet a bit, especially out here in San Francisco. (Ouch!) Knowing absolutely nothing about cars, I thought I'd ask you experts what type of gas I should be using.
I thought I read in the manual that you are to use 91 octane I think it says so on the gas cap. 91 will give better performance. My other cars say 87. Using octane higher than demanded is a waste of money. The car cannot use the higher octane to any advantage. The 'Birds need it and can use it because of the 11 to 1 compression ratio. I have two Prii that have an Atkinson Cycle engine with 13 to 1 comp. ratio and they can use 87. But that system is very complex> I can't explain it but I think it is a type of lean burn exhaust gas recirculation set up.The lower rated octane is probably acceptable seeing as the engine computer will retard the distributor advance to prevent it from detonating (pinging). The draw back to this is reduced power. You might want to alternate between octanes, refilling when it is half empty (full).
93 ocatane is running around $1.25 plus or minus some pennies depending on the station. I can go about 2 weeks on a tank as a daily driver.
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People think they are smarter than the engineers of the car, and misinformation or like one person said "Each person is entitled to their opinion". You are entitled to your opinion, but if your opinion is different than someone with a PhD who made the car, it's wrong.I don't understand why anyone would use anything but 93 octane