I just bought a '00 Bonneville SSEi. I read that in supercharged engines I'm supposed to ues premium gas instead of regular unleaded. Is this true, or B.*.?

It sure is true. It may run on regular, but not very well. I suggest that only in an emergency.

Welcome to the real world. I just noticed that premium has shot up to $1.94 here in Toledo

Jay

I suggest 91 octane bare minimum. 92 if you can get it. 91 works fine until you start modding your car......an aftermarket chip will require another step up to 92 for sure.

Not true. By federal law the car has to be able to run on 87 octane for emergency situations. Willwren has done it once if I am correct, because he could only get 87. So yes a */C car run on 87, but not well. Same with say an LS1 in a Camaro or Corvette, they have a 10.2:1 compression and require 91+ but can run on 87 but you will get pinging after a while and loss in power.

I know my car responds alot better to 91, it learns and adds more timing and has the power of the torque curve on tap faster than with 87.

Yes I did, and it sucked! I was way the hell out in Eastern Oregon, down to a 1/4 tank, and the nearest gas was 87 octane or drive another 250 miles.

I added 3/4 of a tank of 87 octane to my 1/4 tank of 92, and hated myself for it. I think I would have done better to just push the damn car. I was driving up to Crater Lake, so I really felt it. By the time I got back to Bend, I was down to half a tank again, so topped off with the fantastic Union 76 92 octane. It STILL wasn't right until after that tank was gone several days later.

My situation is a little more extreme than most. An SSEi with a performance chip will be more demanding and picky about fuel than a stock SSEi. Keep that in mind while you're modding. I'd swear I can actually feel the difference between 91 and 92, but before the chip, I couldn't.

I'd love to see what a non-supercharged Bonnie likes to run for octane. Turtle? Allmachtige?

And another chipped SSEi....how about it Pontiac1983? You see the same?

Just a thought: Would it help to keep a couple of cans of octane booster in the trunk on long trips, just in case?

I'm not expert, but my understanding is that octane booster doesn't really increase the octane level. It just puts other stuff in there to have the same effect. I've never felt the difference, even after double-dosing it. Besides, it'* much more expensive than just buying 92 octane to begin with.

I have tried the Octane Booster before and it did make a little difference but not too much. It'* not really worth the money. I have also heard that prolonged use of it can prematurely clog fuel filters and fuel lines.

my 2 cents...

Hey, I'm not advocating that you run it all the time, but in a pinch, where you have no alternative, it could be better than limping along. Too bad there isn't such thing as "Instant Gas", in powdered form. Pour it in, pee in the tank, and go...

They have that 'emergency gas' stuff at the auto parts stores. They claim it'* enough to get into a gas station, but it'* not petroleum based. Anyone know what it is?

I'd agree, iRocco. About carrying the octane boost just in case. Not a bad idea. I'll get a couple cans of the 104+ stuff. It'* supposed to be the best of the bad.