Which fuel to run in SW20 NA

[SW20_fan]

Hi guys,

I have a standard 91 SW20 non turbo and was wondering if it is a MUST to run on 96 or if it would be fine on 91.

I remember reading somewhere that the Turbos required higher octane, but am not sure if its applicable to the non turbo.
The car dealer syas it has to run on 96... but after them proving how useless they are with cars, repairs, etc... Im not sure if their advice is correct.

Thanks for any tips.

Cheers

[CozmoNz]

what fuel to run = highest octane available .

if you ever do ring it out on 91, it will ping, and retard the timing, at least on 96 it wont do that and you couldnt damge your engine like you could with 91...

[Bling]

so you're saying 96 won't 'ping', thats a pretty bold statement to make, and since its incorrect, its just not as bad as trying to run 91.

anyway, stick to 96, it will do the trick

[CozmoNz]

so you're saying 96 won't 'ping', thats a pretty bold statement to make, and since its incorrect, its just not as bad as trying to run 91.

anyway, stick to 96, it will do the trick

i said in comparason to 91

actually i re-read my post, IN COMPARASON to 91, 96 wont ping as much, as low in the rpm, and you may find more power a WIDDLE bit more

[SW20_fan]

Thanks guys.
Kinda what I figured. On 96 at low revs (ie. quietly sneaking up our driveway) it pings worse than a triangle in an orchestra, so would hate to hear it on 91..

[vvega]

get the timming checked
pinking is bad mmmmk

[celica_tommo]

Surely if your engine is in good condition and running properly, ignition timing set to factory spec you should be able to run on 91

The 3S-GE in my celica runs prefectly well on 91... obviously if you're getting knock with 96 you've got a problem

I would've thought that any 3S-GE or 4A-GE would be fine to run on 91 if it's set up to factory specs. You are throwing your money away if you're using 96 when 91 works fine

[CozmoNz]

Thanks guys.
Kinda what I figured. On 96 at low revs (ie. quietly sneaking up our driveway) it pings worse than a triangle in an orchestra, so would hate to hear it on 91..

how the bloody hell will it Ping at low rpm, obviously it wouldnt be full throttle then.

unless you were giving it ABSOUTLTE assholes before you drove up the driveway, how the hell can it ping? explain please >.>

[Mr Revhead]

japnese performance/sports engines are made to run on 100 octane.
the worst fuel they get in japan is 96.
so anything like a 3sge or 4age should be run on 96. a 20v will really struggle on 91. you 3sges knock sensor is probaly working over time and youll be down several horses. fact is nz fuel sux major ass.

pinking is BAD!!

[pervert]

I know all you guys are saying is true, but I know of two people with VTEC's that run 91 with no problems, and I ran my VR4 on 91 for over 6 months with no issues at all...should I have noticed a difference??? Going to 96 made no difference at all performances/running wise.

[vvega]

you can run on 91
if you reset the timing to allow optamil running with 91
as i said sounds like he has more of a timing issue than a gas issue

v

[Adamal]

If you're pinking at low revs, that usually means you're putting too much strain on the engine, going 20km/h in 4th and trying to go full throttle kind of thing.

But yea, run 96 and as vvega said, get the timing checked. Maybe even a full tune.

[Caveman]

On the inside of the fuel flap it should have a label on what fuel to use. 3SGE NA will run fine on 91. Heaps of people say 'use 96/98/100 because you'll go faster'. You'll only go faster if the car is tuned for 96+ e.g. 4AGE 20V or Beams 3SGE and/or other mods otherwise using a higher octane on a car tuned for 91 will have no difference.

[Mr Revhead]

sorry i disagree, as i said above they are designed to run on 98/100 octane.
running them on 91 WILL cost you performance and in some cases reliability.
a 20v will run like absolute rubbish on 91. hell they struggle enough with our shit "96"

[SW20_fan]

i'll stick with 96, and yes the pinking is only at low revs in perhaps too tall a gear, ie trying to sneak up the driveway quietly..and being too lazy, late at night, to shift down from 3rd to 2nd.. ill start using a lower gear and see if that fixes it... im sure it more likely to be user error in this case. The car otherwise runs sweet, blows no smoke etc. and was tested by an independant car inspection co. only 4 months ago - engine report came up trumps.

The sticker on inside of fuel flap says unleaded fuel... thats 91 or 96..
so far from what I have read, and taking notice of Mr Revhead's advice...91 will only cause me problems in the long run.

Im sure that getting out of lazy mode late at night should cure the pinking problems.

Cheers

[CozmoNz]

have you tried pushing your car up the driveway, its a good method to avoid deonation eh, and is very stealthy...other than that, as said above 96.

go on, get in it and pull the handbrake before it starts rolling away .

i think getting the gf out to push the car is a much better option ^_^