6.2 and premium fuel

[Bgctrading]

I live in a small town and 87 and 89 octane fuel are almost all that's available I know the 6.2 wants 91 or above and I have no problem with it when it's available. Can I add a bottle of octave e boost when I have to use 97 fuel?

87 fuel not 97

[savaytse66]

My goofy dealer filled mine up initially with 87, and it ran fine. I have been since filling with 93. I do not tow at all, and I've only hauled once, so i cannot tell you if there was a noticeable difference. For everyday driving, I think the 93 SOUNDS different. It's hard to explain, but the 87 had an almost hollow, or gurgly noise, which the 93 does not. That being said, I think running on 89 would be fine; I've seen lots of people in threads mentioning running 8 and 89 with no problem whatsoever. If you notice knocking, like the manual says, then make an effort to bump up the octane.

[ruggerag]

You will get better mileage on the 93, but it will be ok to run 89 if you can't get it. I am pretty sure octane boosters are a scam, maybe someone else can enlighten me, but you may want to do some research before you start buying one every time you fill up. Some of the tune companies offer tunes for 87 and 89 gasoline, I don't think it will hurt your engine.

[Coach Hill]

I will run 89 octane if we are traveling and I know I'm going to burn a complete tank (or almost complete tank). The truck does fine in that situation. It saves a few bucks for the trip. Otherwise I run 93. I haven't had any issues with the 89, but I will tell you I can tell a difference in the two. Not quite as much get up and go without the premium fuel.

[mabran]

I've run 89 pretty much exclusively and 87 once or twice. On 93 (there is no 91 around me) it does feel more responsive but as for better mileage it's a wash with nothing really discernable between them.

 

My 2006 Impala SS recommended 91 but ran fine on 87. It really depends on the quality of the gas as not all gas is equal at the same ratings (especially the no-name brands).

 

The only real drawback is you lose a little power using 87 vs 93. If similar to my old Impala it was like 10HP estimated by using lower octane which to me is bearable.

 

If I ever get knocks, I'll fill up with the better stuff but have never run into the problem so far in the 2.5 months and 8000 miles I have put on my 2015 LTZ.

 

The 6.2 has been a beast and I'm loving every bit of it.

[BlackZ71Silverado]

Running the lower grades of octane is not the proper fuel for the 6.2L engines. You should be running 91-93 octane all the time, no matter what. The lower grade may seem to be running fine but if you are able to run an activity log, I would be willing to bet a large amount of money that there is engine knock, especially while under load with the lower grade fuel. The ignition timing of that engine is specific to the higher grade fuels, it's advanced greater than what you would see on an engine designed for the lower grade fuel. Running 87/89 octane, the timing will be off and this does affect performance. The only way to fix that is through a tune that will actually detune the engien even more than it is from the factory. The truck may run fine when not towing/hauling with the lower grade but the engine performance will not be the same and your MPG's may actually suffer as the timing is retarted to work with the lower grade fuel.

 

It's your truck so do as you please, jsut don't be surprised if something does go wrong running a lower grade fuel.

 

Those octane boosters you mention are a gimmick for the most part and they do not raise 87/89 octane to a 91/93 level. For the most part, those off the shelf products have all been tested and show they pretty much do nothing really, just lighten your wallet. Most of those off the shelf products claim to raise your octane from 1-3 points, it actually only gives you 0.1-0.3, so they basically do nothing. Buying that stuff if a waste of money and will not improve the engien performance.

[JRaschke11]

I live in a small town and 87 and 89 octane fuel are almost all that's available I know the 6.2 wants 91 or above and I have no problem with it when it's available. Can I add a bottle of octave e boost when I have to use 97 fuel?

87 fuel not 97

 

I've driven through a lot of the USA and been to some really out of the way locations. I have never seen a gas station not offer 91 or 93. They usually offer 87 and 91 if they only offer two grades. Maybe they get so little business that they could never use up the premium before it went bad? I don't know that is just weird.

[Bgctrading]

The local Caseys had 91. Buy our co op where we generally by all of our fuel just has 87 and 89

[crafferty]

The local Caseys had 91. Buy our co op where we generally by all of our fuel just has 87 and 89

Sounds like you answered your own question, Casey's gas station it is!

[George C]

My wife has had her 6.2 for a year. She knows one grade, and that's "fill it please"

I've run premium in it a few times, and I can't tell a performance difference at all.

Premium simply offers a more stable burn, and not a performance increase. The exhaust note won't change and if there is a slight increase, it's from the ECM slightly advancing the timing.

High compression with low octane will cause nine killing pre-ignition..

I'm pretty sure that the ECM senses octane levels and automatically retards timing if needed. Either way, the thing is still an animal., and I've never heard the engine knock once.