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Any noticeable performance increase with premium fuel? (2016 SX-L, 2.0T)

3043 Views 2 Replies 3 Participants Last post by  JasonS
Just curious about that, folks. Zero issues with this car with regular fuel (always use Shell or Chevron), thankfully, but just curious if there's any noticeable difference with premium, like it's the case with most turbos. I was surprised not to see any reference to premium fuel in the owner's manual, so probably not, but want to hear it directly from owners. On a 2018 F-150 Platinum I bought, even though premium is recommended (not required), it was pinging like crazy with good regular fuel, so was forced to use premium only, as there was no TSB or any other open campaign, so didn't want to waste time with a dealer. The good news was that engine (3.5TT) has a lot more power with premium, goes to full boost (vs half), and turbos don't kick in nearly as early, so the increased fuel economy (at least on the highway, which is where it's used the most) was as big as the difference in price from regular to premium, so at the end, it didn't cost me anything. That's the first time I see that, so obviously not typical, but happy to see that. And premium has better additives. If the Optima would show something like that, I'd also switch, but with no mention of even better performance with premium, I'm almost sure the ECU wouldn't take advantage of higher octane, and fuel economy would probably even suffer as a result, since premium has slightly less energy content than regular. But let's hear from owners. Could try it just in trips, since I like to drive fast :). Truck used to give me 15.5 MPG, and now 18.0, but that's at a 'pretty good clip'. He he. Thank you.
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In stock form, running 93 octane on the 2.0T over 87 octane, you should feel it have a bit more "pep". The ECU does adjust timing to accommodate the higher octane fuel. Nothing dramatic but the effect is noticeable. If you have even some moderate mods, like a better mid-pipe and catback, you will also feel a bigger difference running 93 rather than 87. That was my experience till I added more mods and began running an ECU tune (LAP3USA) to get a much bigger step in performance but running the Stage 1.5+ tune requires 92+ octane anyway. I currently run a E30 blend which the Red Sled really likes.
Not another one of these questions! Plus use search, there are more than a page of threads of the same question. Yes, if you have a turbo premium helps. Kia even stated as such back in 2011 or 2012. Plus all the tunes require higher octane gas. Im locking this thread. Please use search.
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