# Which fuel octane rating is best for Jetta's (1.8t)(daily driving not racing)



## Darmin (Feb 3, 2004)

What do you use?


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## BrandonC (Feb 14, 2001)

*Re: Which fuel octane rating is best for Jetta's (Darmin)*

Read the manual or the fuel door, people.
Premium....91 or higher.


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## jddaigle (May 30, 2003)

*Re: Which fuel octane rating is best for Jetta's (BrandonC)*


_Quote, originally posted by *BrandonC* »_Read the manual or the fuel door, people.
Premium....91 or higher.

http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## ShockWaveVT (Apr 16, 2002)

*Re: Which fuel octane rating is best for Jetta's (Darmin)*

in VA we get 93 not 92, so that's what I use. I don't see the point in saving $1.00 per fill-up in order to have my motor retard timing and produce less power.


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## cityxstar (Sep 1, 2002)

*Re: Which fuel octane rating is best for Jetta's (ShockWaveVT)*

93??? 92???









im in SoCal, 91 is the highest i got


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## JimmyisVIP (Dec 18, 2000)

*Re: Which fuel octane rating is best for Jetta's (Darmin)*

Actually i talked to a mechanic about that. 89 oct is what you should use. 93 oct makes too much carbon build-up. You guys havent seen that commercial where the guy puts the 89 oct in, and the other guy is looking at him weird. I think the guy is driving a 20th anv. yellow 


_Modified by JimmyisVIP at 12:44 PM 2-9-2004_


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## mrcvr6 (Oct 5, 2002)

sunoco 94


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## selfatvi (Aug 13, 2003)

Run the lowest your car will allow without it acting weird.
If your timing is set for 89 and you put 100, it will not add any more power. You need to set your timing to take any advantage of higher octane.
So, read the manual and find out what it suggest you run. Most cars that say "Premieum fuel only" will actually run off of 89. Car makers know they cannot count on the consumer to run the suggested octane.
Also, newer cars dont need the higher burning octane because the engines are still clean. Older cars will benefit because of the built up junkl inside the engine.


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## H20 VW (Oct 12, 2003)

*Re: Which fuel octane rating is best for Jetta's (JimmyisVIP)*


_Quote, originally posted by *JimmyisVIP* »_
Actually i talked to a mechanic about that. 89 oct is what you should use.


http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif My dealer said the same thing... no need for 91. Although, I think my wife spends the extra $$ and puts it in anyway.


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## RonJeremy (Jan 8, 2004)

*Re: (selfatvi)*

The way the average OBDII system with DIS works is that it has a maximum timing value. If there is knock detected it retards the timing. 89 works but if you don't drive it hard but at higher RPMs the timing gets retarded. The car was designed for 91 octane so you can mix 89 & 92, 93, or whatever you have if you really want to but why not just put in 92? The car does have a turbo & it won't hurt to for the octane to be 1 point higher.


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## SinCity1.8T (Jan 10, 2004)

*Re: (RonJeremy)*


_Quote, originally posted by *RonJeremy* »_The way the average OBDII system with DIS works is that it has a maximum timing value. If there is knock detected it retards the timing. 89 works but if you don't drive it hard but at higher RPMs the timing gets retarded. The car was designed for 91 octane so you can mix 89 & 92, 93, or whatever you have if you really want to but why not just put in 92? The car does have a turbo & it won't hurt to for the octane to be 1 point higher.
Good point http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## 98JettaGT (Mar 5, 2000)

*Re: (selfatvi)*


_Quote, originally posted by *selfatvi* »_Car makers know they cannot count on the consumer to run the suggested octane.

Actually the cars will run on 87 and retard the timing to compensate... not because the manufacturers assume that the consumers are morons... but because if the vehicle ends up somewhere that 91+ octane is unavailable, that the car can still be safely operated on lower octane fuel if absolutely necessary.
Older cars with more simplistic timing systems and single knock sensors weren't as good at compensating, which is why you often hear knocking if they are run on lower octane than recommended. Newer engines like the 1.8T compensate well enough that all you might notice is reduced power output.


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## 1.8T driven (Jul 30, 2003)

*Re: (mrcvr6)*


_Quote, originally posted by *mrcvr6* »_sunoco 94
 http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## yoonskim (Jun 9, 2003)

*Re: (1.8T driven)*

Although gas prices are twice or more the price they have here in the USA (when i was living in Europe, still have a home there) from where I used to live (Amsterdam, Netherlands) the lowest octance option was 95 from Shell, BP... the choices were 95, 97, 98 (and 95 is named economic) haha...
Go for 93 don't save up, it's only 1~2 dollars per full tank


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## PokeyD16Z (Jul 18, 2003)

Go with what the manual says...not what the mechanic says. They have a vested interest in seeing your car at the shop more...thats how they get paid! If the people who manufactured the car and designed it say to put NO LESS THAN 91, then don't! If you don't want carbon deposits, run some good fuel system cleaner every 5000 miles.


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## Darmin (Feb 3, 2004)

The reason I posted this poll is because I just got my WE 2 weeks ago and it did not come with a manual. I just wanted to know what everyone here uses...


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## RonJeremy (Jan 8, 2004)

*Re: (yoonskim)*


_Quote, originally posted by *yoonskim* »_Although gas prices are twice or more the price they have here in the USA (when i was living in Europe, still have a home there) from where I used to live (Amsterdam, Netherlands) the lowest octance option was 95 from Shell, BP... the choices were 95, 97, 98 (and 95 is named economic) haha...
Go for 93 don't save up, it's only 1~2 dollars per full tank

There are a few different methods of calculating octane. 95 = 91 in US measurements.


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## rabbit_28 (May 25, 2003)

*Re: Which fuel octane rating is best for Jetta's (JimmyisVIP)*



JimmyisVIP said:


> Actually i ... makes too much carbon build-up. You guys havent seen that commercial where the guy puts the 89 oct in, and the other guy is looking at him weird. I think the guy is driving a 20th anv. yellow
> 
> 
> > you mean the vw commercial where the gas station attendant goes straight for super*plus gasoline when the 20ae pulls up and the 20ae driver says "Plus will do"... and the gas station attendant proceeds to put in super*plus gas?
> ...


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## Darmin (Feb 3, 2004)

Are there any fuel line cleaners geared mostly toward engines that have "forced induction"??


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## jddaigle (May 30, 2003)

*Re: (Darmin)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Darmin* »_Are there any fuel line cleaners geared mostly toward engines that have "forced induction"??

No, they all pretty much do the same thing.
Just to recap, you should *always* use 91+ octane in your car. Yes, the car will adapt to lower octane gas, but it is still bad for the car and here's why:
When lower octane gas is used, knocking (pre-ignition of the gas) occurs. This knocking is detected by the knock sensor, and the ECU retards timing, lowering the compression of the engine & thereby preventing knocking. However, notice what order all this happens in--knocking must occur for timing to be retarded. And the ECU will keep trying to advance the timing again, resulting in a knock-retard-advance-knock cycle. This is *very bad* for your engine.
Spend the extra 10 cents/gallon on 91 octane or spend thousands down the road on engine repair.


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## rabbit_28 (May 25, 2003)

*Re: (Darmin)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Darmin* »_Are there any fuel line cleaners geared mostly toward engines that have "forced induction"??

Not that I know of.


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## Darmin (Feb 3, 2004)

*Re: (rabbit_28)*

bump


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## GTI_Cire (Nov 20, 2002)

*Re: Which fuel octane rating is best for Jetta's (Darmin)*

well, if you're chipped with APR's 93 oct program... ya'd better be running that at least...


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## Xave (Mar 26, 2003)

*Re: Which fuel octane rating is best for Jetta's (Darmin)*

last time I checked the fuel door it said "87/91" 
I tried to argue with the door but it gave me the silent treatment.


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## stvo (Sep 26, 2002)

*Re: Which fuel octane rating is best for Jetta's (Xave)*

I do 93 all the time and 94 when I can....


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## y0use (Aug 13, 2002)

*Re: (mrcvr6)*


_Quote, originally posted by *mrcvr6* »_sunoco 94

gotta love it!


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## blackdiamondgti (Aug 19, 2003)

*Re: (y0use)*

same here 94 all the wayz...... vroom http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## xxdizankxx (Jun 26, 2003)

*Re: (mrcvr6)*


_Quote, originally posted by *mrcvr6* »_sunoco 94

True. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif
I've heard 94 burns hot enough to kind of clean your engine.


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## drm916 (Dec 6, 2000)

*Re: Which fuel octane rating is best for Jetta's (Xave)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Xave* »_last time I checked the fuel door it said "87/91" 
I tried to argue with the door but it gave me the silent treatment.


I see that too.. What does everyone think that means?
It clearly shows 87......















is that 87 in the USA and 91 in Germany?
HHHmmmmm


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## slickdaddy187 (Oct 14, 2003)

*Re: Which fuel octane rating is best for Jetta's (Darmin)*

i was told when i bought my car to that the car wants 95 octane but in WI 93 is the highest and that was what i should use.
PS i am wondering what "bump" and "TTT" mean????


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## natreles (Jan 20, 2003)

*Re: Which fuel octane rating is best for Jetta's (Darmin)*

race gas gets the best mileage


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## BrandonC (Feb 14, 2001)

*Re: Which fuel octane rating is best for Jetta's (slickdaddy187)*


_Quote, originally posted by *slickdaddy187* »_i was told when i bought my car to that the car wants 95 octane but in WI 93 is the highest and that was what i should use.
PS i am wondering what "bump" and "TTT" mean????









Bump means "bump this to the top of the forum", since when you post in a thread it will move to the top.
TTT stands for "to the top".
Anyways, I'm not exactly sure what the 87/91 on the fuel door means (maybe minimum that you can ever run the car on?), but the manual states that premium is required. I've seen timing logs that people have posted here showing the difference between using 89 and 93 octane, and there's a DEFINITE performance decrease when using the lower octane.
I put 93 in my car all the time. The choices in NY are 87, 89 and 93 at most places. Why bother saving $1 on a fillup to lose 10 horsepower?
Hell, you can put whatever octane you want to in your car, but if you're going to put in less than what the motor is expecting (and lose power in the process) why did you bother getting a turbocharged car? Just get a 2.0 and fill it with 87.


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## whizbang18T (Nov 17, 2000)

*Re: Which fuel octane rating is best for Jetta's (BrandonC)*


_Quote, originally posted by *BrandonC* »_Read the manual or the fuel door, people.
Premium....91 or higher.

no joke ...


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## WindnWar (Jan 25, 2002)

*Re: Which fuel octane rating is best for Jetta's (whizbang18T)*

nothing less then 93 here... feel for ya if your in cali though, damn CARB board. I haven't seen 92 at anywhere other then the crappy kangaroo gas stations, even the truck stop uses 93.


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## SpoolinAWP (Aug 14, 2002)

*Re: Which fuel octane rating is best for Jetta's (WindnWar)*

we USED to have 92 here in Nevada until the Hippies in CA decided to dilute our gas even more. Now all we can find is 91. They had originally said that it was a temporary thing, but that was about 2 years ago, so were screwed.





















We can still get 100 but it costs like 4 bucks a gallon.


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## speedgator (Jul 30, 2002)

*Re: Which fuel octane rating is best for Jetta's (stvo)*


_Quote, originally posted by *stvo* »_I do 93 all the time and 94 when I can....

http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 
Here's some info:
http://www.vwfixx.com/forums/i...15974


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## the 100 octane kid (Dec 4, 2003)

93.I wish florida had 94.


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## paultakeda (May 18, 2002)

*Re: (the 100 octane kid)*

87 vs. 93 dyno comparison.
Done on a 1.8T NB: 
http://forums.newbeetle.org/sh...36422


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## pturner67 (Dec 27, 2002)

*Re: Which fuel octane rating is best for Jetta's (BrandonC)*


_Quote, originally posted by *BrandonC* »_Read the manual or the fuel door, people.
Premium....91 or higher.


yeah...but, I tried 89 this last tank...usually run Amoco 93...tell ya the truth, I felt absolutely no difference...not saying that there wasn't one...just nothing noticeable


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## speedgator (Jul 30, 2002)

*Re: (the 100 octane kid)*

Sunoco has 94 in select stations around Florida.


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## WindnWar (Jan 25, 2002)

*Re: Which fuel octane rating is best for Jetta's (pturner67)*

a possible thing to consider Pturner is that being it's winter time and it's not exactly warm out, you might not see as big of a difference between 89-93 due to the cold air and the better performance of the intercooler as well. However when it warms up a bit outside, I think you'll really feel the difference then.


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## pturner67 (Dec 27, 2002)

*Re: Which fuel octane rating is best for Jetta's (WindnWar)*


_Quote, originally posted by *WindnWar* »_a possible thing to consider Pturner is that being it's winter time and it's not exactly warm out, you might not see as big of a difference between 89-93 due to the cold air and the better performance of the intercooler as well. However when it warms up a bit outside, I think you'll really feel the difference then. 

thanks for the advice...trust me, I was terrified putting in less than 93...lol...I just tried it to see....now, I did notice that my fuel economy jumped up huge when on 89...maybe a coincidence? I dunno...I have no clue about octane vs gas mileage, etc, etc


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## A1.8T (Oct 1, 2002)

*Re: Which fuel octane rating is best for Jetta's (GTI_Cire)*


_Quote, originally posted by *GTI_Cire* »_well, if you're chipped with APR's 93 oct program... ya'd better be running that at least...









Same thing I was going to say.


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## jddaigle (May 30, 2003)

*Re: Which fuel octane rating is best for Jetta's (drm916)*


_Quote, originally posted by *drm916* »_
I see that too.. What does everyone think that means?
It clearly shows 87......















Is that 87 in the USA and 91 in Germany?
HHHmmmmm
















http://www.geocities.com/motor....html


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## vic7777 (Feb 8, 2004)

*Re: (yoonskim)*

http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 
Yeah, I don't know why they don't make a higher octane gas here in the States







. In Europe 95 is the worse you can get.


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## Darmin (Feb 3, 2004)

bump


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## speedgator (Jul 30, 2002)

*Re: (vic7777)*

RON and (R+M/2) are quite different. Their 95 is about our 91. Their 98 our 93.


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## WindnWar (Jan 25, 2002)

*Re: (vic7777)*

That's because Vic europe use the RON scale and we use the RON+MON scale. 95 RON is somewhere around 89 here in the U.S. 97 RON is the same as 92 here in the U.S. 
Just because the number is bigger doesn't mean it's higher.


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## The Mailman (Oct 22, 2003)

*Re: (WindnWar)*

Is this poll even necessary?!?







Run what VW tells you to and you won't have a problem. If you're cheap and want to drive around like my grandmother, put 87 in it and let it retard the timing while you putt around. In the long run though, I believe you'll get optimal performance and longevity out of it if you run the 91+.


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## paultakeda (May 18, 2002)

*Re: (The Mailman)*

Even if you're cheap and fill up with 87, you won't be saving any money.
The timing retard alone will lower gas mileage, costing your more money that way versus taking care of the engine and "splurging" on 91+.


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## Moebigsley (Jan 14, 2004)

*Re: Which fuel octane rating is best for Jetta's (Darmin)*

My fuel door says 87/91. So I use 89. I actually had a problem with mine not starting this winter because of using 93. So, my vote goes for 89 http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## Darmin (Feb 3, 2004)

bump


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## gneboardin (Nov 2, 2001)

*Re: Which fuel octane rating is best for Jetta's (SpoolinAWP)*

I use 93 everytime


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## 1.8tizzle (May 22, 2003)

*Re: Which fuel octane rating is best for Jetta's (gneboardin)*

93 here in VA. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif Use nothin' less.


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## 1meandub (Jul 10, 2002)

*Re: (1.8T driven)*


_Quote, originally posted by *1.8T driven* »_ http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 

http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif








I have heard that you should stay away form Shell because of their large amount of water in the tanks.


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## paultakeda (May 18, 2002)

*Re: (1meandub)*

It has nothing to do with a brand whether there's water in the tanks.
Any busy gas station will constantly have fresh gasoline cycling through its tanks to keep up with the demand.


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## 20VT*J4 (Aug 28, 2001)

*Re: Which fuel octane rating is best for Jetta's (Moebigsley)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Moebigsley* »_My fuel door says 87/91. So I use 89. 

That has got to be the most ridiculous logic I've ever seen for deciding what gas to use. Read your manual!! VW says use nothing less than 91. Why the hell did you guys buy a turbocharged car if you were gonna cheap out over 20 cents per gallon?!? Trade your cars in for a 2.0's, you don't deserve 1.8t's!


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## Sideout (Jan 29, 2003)

*Re: Which fuel octane rating is best for Jetta's (20VT*J4)*

Yeah the dealer said "If you run permium then the car will run too hot."







right... now that i have a vag-com i should do a compairison of 89 and 93, 89 is ****. if your car is turbo'd with relitivly high compression then you need permum, lower octain will cause detination and pull timing aka loose power


_Modified by Sideout at 3:34 PM 2-27-2004_


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## dbrowne1 (Oct 31, 2000)

*Re: Which fuel octane rating is best for Jetta's (JimmyisVIP)*


_Quote, originally posted by *JimmyisVIP* »_Actually i talked to a mechanic about that. 89 oct is what you should use. 93 oct makes too much carbon build-up. You guys havent seen that commercial where the guy puts the 89 oct in, and the other guy is looking at him weird. I think the guy is driving a 20th anv. yellow 

I don't know about stock cars, but using it in a chipped car or a K04 car WILL cause timing retard. I have logged it on VAGCOM, I have seen up to 6 degrees of retard at some points using 93 octane. I don't want to know what 89 would do.


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## Moebigsley (Jan 14, 2004)

*Re: Which fuel octane rating is best for Jetta's (20VT*J4)*

Well, when the car decides it doesn't want to start on premium gas and it will start when I put 89 in it, I think the logical thing to do is put 89 in it. I like to drive my car, not let it sit there looking pretty with a tank of premium in it. I only run 89 in the winter, in the summer I run premium. In Michigan we have had some very cold weather this year. I work for GM and the trans Ams and Camaros actually have a bulletin that say not to run premium gas in extremely cold weather or they will sometimes have trouble starting. So, if it happens on one car why wouldn't it happen on another? 


_Modified by Moebigsley at 6:09 PM 2-27-2004_


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## Darmin (Feb 3, 2004)

ttt


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## jddaigle (May 30, 2003)

*Re: (Darmin)*

You know, I _thought_ this topic looked familiar. Here's my post from a pervious thread on the same topic:

_Quote, originally posted by *jddaigle* »_Just to recap, you should always use 91+ octane in your car. Yes, the car will adapt to lower octane gas, but it is still bad for the car and here's why:
When lower octane gas is used, knocking (pre-ignition of the gas) occurs. This knocking is detected by the knock sensor, and the ECU retards timing, lowering the compression of the engine & thereby preventing knocking. However, notice what order all this happens in--knocking must occur for timing to be retarded. And the ECU will keep trying to advance the timing again, resulting in a knock-retard-advance-knock cycle. This is very bad for your engine.
Spend the extra 10 cents/gallon on 91 octane or spend thousands down the road on engine repair.


Repeat after me: GAS RATED LOWER THAN 91 OCTANE (R+M/2) WILL CAUSE LONG-TERM DAMAGE TO A 1.8T OR VR6 ENGINE IF YOU USE IT ALL THE TIME.
Gotta add this to the FAQ in big screaming red letters.


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## thaiteboi (Feb 26, 2003)

*Re: (jddaigle)*

89 is garbage... it is just 87 mixed @ the pump with a dash of 93... i honestly think the cheapest gas from like CROWN or something works best, but it has to be 93... i figured this out when i was running a supercharged 2.0.... Chevron 93 octane runs good too, the reason why i go for a CROWN or something like that 93 is because i think big-name gas stations add too many detergents & additives to the gas...
i cant wait to get flamed for this one,


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## shafergolf (Jun 23, 2003)

my owners manual just says unleaded - no octane requirements


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## jddaigle (May 30, 2003)

*Re: (shafergolf)*


_Quote, originally posted by *shafergolf* »_my owners manual just says unleaded - no octane requirements

No, I promise it makes an octane recommendation. Go back and look more carefully







.


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## mJstk01 (Aug 15, 2003)

I live in Buffalo, NY... we used to have 94 @ sunoco now its gone and the gas prices have gone wayyy up


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## Darmin (Feb 3, 2004)

Lets get some more votes


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## BigBertha (Oct 11, 2003)

*Re: Which fuel octane rating is best for Jetta's (Darmin)*

Sunoco ultra 94. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## VWGolfA4 (Apr 5, 2000)

*Re: Which fuel octane rating is best for Jetta's (BigBertha)*


_Quote, originally posted by *BigBertha* »_Sunoco Ultra 94. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 

... when I can, if not I use Sunoco 93


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## Darmin (Feb 3, 2004)

...


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## Armadillo1.8T (May 1, 2011)

Some of you guys need to pay attention. Let's stick with the fuel cap because at least we all have those. 

The numbers in the cap are a comparison to RON and (R+M)/2 which are octane property evaluators. RON is used in Europe and the other in USA. 

91RON is 87 here. Your cars, all of them, are designed to use 87 in the states. DESIGNED, not suggested. 

95RON is 91 here and is the upper echelon choice of gas which will give you more performance but does nothing for your engines life. 

Your engines life depends ONLY on how you take care of it. Drive cool and use 87 or drive crazy and use 93, you still need to utilize preventative care. 

And also, don't buy into the use 93 because its a turbo bull****. your turbo loves OIL, not GAS. 

Carbon build up is a result of EXPLOSIONS going on in you're car. However, take care of her and she will resist as much physics as she can. After all, she is a machine and has no choice but to run if treated well.


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