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my mazda had a disi engone....didnt care what kind of fuel ya threw at at.....have friends with the 2.3 turbo and same thing, didnt care what ya put in.....

so long as your not buying gas from a station called "happy gas" (i kid you not we have them here in DE), youll be ok....
 
RNOX said:
The manual says you can use Fuel system cleaner at each oil change so that should keep things clean
How does the fuel system cleaner clean valves on a DI motor?

Simple answer: it doesnt. The fuel doesnt wash over the valves like it does in a regular fuel injection engine.
 
The owners manual says the following:

"For customers who do not use TOP
TIER Detergent Gasoline regularly,
one bottle of GM Fuel System
Treatment PLUS, added to the fuel
tank at every engine oil change, can
help clean deposits from fuel
injectors and intake valves."
 
Guess I'll have to buy more fuel injector cleaner. I very rarely use top tier gas.
 
So, how does the "Italian Tune Up"" clean the valves if no gas is going over the valves? Is not the oil doing the cleaning, hence the reason for very good cleaning oils such as Pennzoil PP and PU?
Also , if we use the non ethanol gas and there might be an engine issue would GM/Chevy not warranty if they discover a non "Top Tier" gas being used? The reason I ask is that the only gas station in my area ( Naples, Fl.) that has non ethanol is Marathon and they are not listed as a "Top Tier". Very pricey at $3.39 per gallon 90 octane compared to the $2.80 for 87 (Top Tier Chevron or Shell or Texaco in Naples.
 
That's my point. If you were a car manufacturer, would you design and sell a car that had to use a special gas that almost nobody even knows about? I think lawyers are lining up at the gates for this one.
 
Read the second paragraph. All outlets must meet the standards to be labeled Top teir some some outlets may be selling it and not carring the label


Gasoline retailers must meet the high TOP TIER standards with all grades of gasoline to be approved by the automakers as providing TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline.

In addition, all gasoline outlets carrying the brand of the approved retailer must meet the TOP TIER standards
 
ccharlie said:
So, how does the "Italian Tune Up"" clean the valves if no gas is going over the valves? Is not the oil doing the cleaning, hence the reason for very good cleaning oils such as Pennzoil PP and PU?
Also , if we use the non ethanol gas and there might be an engine issue would GM/Chevy not warranty if they discover a non "Top Tier" gas being used? The reason I ask is that the only gas station in my area ( Naples, Fl.) that has non ethanol is Marathon and they are not listed as a "Top Tier". Very pricey at $3.39 per gallon 90 octane compared to the $2.80 for 87 (Top Tier Chevron or Shell or Texaco in Naples.
The tune up works because the amount of air entering the head is FAR greater at WOT than at 20% throttle. VW even recommends driving the car hard for 20 minutes every so often (cant remember the time frame) to build up heat and get the carbon off the valves.

I doubt GM will EVER deny a warranty claim for not using top tier gas however, if you plan on keeping the vehicle after the warranty, you might want to use it.
 
Great info. I never knew there was such a thing as top tier gas. I'll definitely keep the top tier stations in mind when I fuel up, but I won't always use it. There's a Shell station nearby with usually pretty decent prices, so I may occasionallly use it.

I once had a 2006 Lexus that had a DI V6. I always used a non-top tier gas and never once had a problem with the engine, even after 50K+ miles. It ran on 87 octane and the owner's manual didn't mention anything about top tier gas.

When travelling I hate getting stuck with a gas station that has 10% Ethenol. I have noticed a drop in mpg when I'm forced to use it.
 
As far as I know, there is no station selling straight gas in the Chicago area. Probably not anywhere in the states of Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa. When I rode my bike to Canada 2 weeks ago, I didn't see one station selling straight gas .... everything was 10% ethenol.
 
GARYD said:
As far as I know, there is no station selling straight gas in the Chicago area. Probably not anywhere in the states of Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa. When I rode my bike to Canada 2 weeks ago, I didn't see one station selling straight gas .... everything was 10% ethenol.
In lower NY all the gas has up to 10% Ethanol listed on the pump.
 
Doulos said:
Yes, all the time.
However, I find it more important to run straight gasoline. (Read: NO ethanol, none!)
It runs better. It gets better fuel economy, my best so far was 35.6 MPG (DIC), or 34.2 M/G.
I saw a 10% increase in the fuel economy overall. (2.4L I-4)
The same is true when I run pure gas in my motorcycle too, a 15% increase in F/E.
The latest issue of Popular Mechanics(2/2011) has an interesting article about ethanol in gasoline. It states that it is impossible to find gasoline without ethanol with the exception of not legal for highway racing fuel. This is due to all the govt. subsidies given to ethanol producers.
 
marjamr said:
The latest issue of Popular Mechanics(2/2011) has an interesting article about ethanol in gasoline. It states that it is impossible to find gasoline without ethanol with the exception of not legal for highway racing fuel. This is due to all the govt. subsidies given to ethanol producers.
Not true. If you live near a major lake with good boating activities chances are you will get 100% gas at those close gas stations because ethanol kills boats motors.
 
bballr4567 said:
Not true. If you live near a major lake with good boating activities chances are you will get 100% gas at those close gas stations because ethanol kills boats motors.
The following comes from the Pop Mech article: "The common question I get: Where can I buy alcohol-free gasoline? You probably can't except at a very few stations, and odds are it's very expensive high-octane racing fuel that's not legal for road use." The article goes on to recommend to avoid phase separation ( the alcohol and the water it contains separates from the gasoline and settles to the bottom of the tank) you should avoid long term fuel storage. In other-words, drain the tanks of those stored tools, ATVs, boats, motorcycles and lawnmowers etc. when storing them.
 
Well, you get ripped off then. My mother-in-law lives right down the road from a larger lake with a boat launch and there are two stations with 100% gas AND its usually .5-.10 cents cheaper.
 
marjamr said:
The following comes from the Pop Mech article: "The common question I get: Where can I buy alcohol-free gasoline? You probably can't except at a very few stations, and odds are it's very expensive high-octane racing fuel that's not legal for road use." The article goes on to recommend to avoid phase separation ( the alcohol and the water it contains separates from the gasoline and settles to the bottom of the tank) you should avoid long term fuel storage. In other-words, drain the tanks of those stored tools, ATVs, boats, motorcycles and lawnmowers etc. when storing them.
http://pure-gas.org/index.jsp
 
What about aviation gas? I use to know guys that would use it in their race cars.
 
marjamr said:
That's an interesting web site. Unfortunately there are no stations around my area. The Sheetz convenient stores have all but monopolized the local gas market and I'm pretty sure their gas contains ethanol. :'(
Sheetz probably has ethanol that contains gas !
 
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