Hi Folks...I had a chat with a local tuner here in Toronto, and while duscissing tune options for the car, they mentioned that the better fuel to go with is the Petro 94, over Shell 93. Their explanation is that originally the Shell formulation "was" superior" but now not as good as Petro 94 (formerly Sunoco). I understand the extra octane number would provide (theoretically) more power, but is it worth it? Shell is the only recognized "top tier" 93 available in Ontario, whereas Petro Canada does not carry that certification. Unless I am mistaken.
It is well known that the Shell (and other top tier) fuels have excellent cleaning and detergent properties, which are beneficial to these engines.
Question is: would switching to Petro 94 be a good or bad idea? Looking at reliability and longevity for this car...performance boost would only be a bonus if the Petro was equally as "detergented"
1 step in octane won't make much of a difference. Assuming it's actually true in the first place (those are lab numbers).
I don't think either would make any noticeable difference in the car's longevity or performance, assuming those numbers are correct in the first place. That said, see if one feels better than the other - they likely don't. If they don't, it won't matter. Both Shell and Sunoco are well known brands, and fuel doesn't make THAT much of a difference overall.
Unfortunately, no one really tells us lay-people what the detergent levels REALLY are in a fuel. If it meets regulations, that should be good enough in Canada or USA. We do have "top tier" here in the USA, which says it has a little more... if you have that in Canada then go with that. Otherwise, don't worry about it. These cars don't have delicate engines... regular fuel and oil will be perfectly fine for longer than you'll own the vehicle, probably longer.
Top tier doesn’t really mean anything in Ontario. It is not a regulated standard. Most companies have decided no longer to pay the company that designates gas as top tier. There are minimum additives required in all gasoline in Canada, including regular. The companies add more detergents to their higher octane fuels. Both Petro Canada and Shell fuels are quality. I used the 94 until Shell started selling 93.
A one number octane increase is minimal. It would certainly not provide more power; that’s not what octane does. Increased octane allows for higher cylinder compression- if your engine doesn’t need it (and ours don’t without a 3rd party tune), it does you no good.
When fueling I tend to look for Top Tier gas because of the detergents added, but it’s not always readily found. I counter that by adding a bottle of
Techron
every 2-3 months or so. At one point I was experiencing a slight stumble when pulling away from a dead stop, intermittently. Once under way any increase in acceleration was fine and smooth. Added a bottle of
Techron
at the next fill-up and after a few drives the stumble disappeared. Now I use it preemptively to keep the engine firing smooth.
