# Gas type in your Tiguan



## ryantiguan (Nov 17, 2009)

Hey guys,
What type of gas do you guys put in your Tiguan? I have a 2010 Tiguan SE, and the dealer delivered the car to me with regular/87 fuel. I started putting in 89 for the past 4 or 5 fillups, and this morning I decided to start putting 93 premium fuel. I think I want to keep putting 93 in the car, since I believe this is what Volkswagen recommends.
Are there any problems/downsides to go to 93 if I already put 87/89 in the car? Would the engine be already ruined or damaged at all?
Thanks!


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## Chuck P (May 29, 2009)

*Re: Gas type in your Tiguan (ryantiguan)*

I've used 93 since I got mine, the salesman said it was ok to use mid-grade but I figure the 2 to 3 bucks extra a fill up is worth the piece of mind.


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## rph2004 (Jul 5, 2004)

*Re: Gas type in your Tiguan (Chuck P)*

Company gas card = premium. Even if my gas wasn't being paid for I'd still fill up with the best, I use the same in my MK3 and notice a difference when I have a moment of cheapness and decide to go with regular grade.


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## jsjjnbrunk (Jun 13, 2008)

*Re: Gas type in your Tiguan (ryantiguan)*


_Quote, originally posted by *ryantiguan* »_Hey guys,
What type of gas do you guys put in your Tiguan? 

I use Premium as recommended. If I can afford a $30,000 car, I figure I can also afford a few extra bucks for the right gas.
You will find lots of other opinions if you use the forum "Search" tool.
jeb


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## .:Tig:. (Jan 25, 2009)

*Re: Gas type in your Tiguan (ryantiguan)*

93 in mine. The Tig will run fine on the lower grade stuff. But A) the performance will go down and B) so will the gas milage. (According to others)


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## ryantiguan (Nov 17, 2009)

Awesome. But there shouldn't be any permanent damage from suddenly going to 93 after 87/89 for the first 1100 miles, right?


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## D-Caf (Mar 22, 2009)

*Re: (ryantiguan)*


_Quote, originally posted by *ryantiguan* »_Awesome. But there shouldn't be any permanent damage from suddenly going to 93 after 87/89 for the first 1100 miles, right?


No, I was told by the dealer and from a VW corporate rep that the engine will just "detune" for the lower grade gas and run fine (albeit with less power and efficiency). It will likely take a little while to get to pure 93 in the tank and for the engine to get back up to full performance (as it learns the new limits of the higher octane gas).


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## Bevmo (Jun 24, 2009)

*Re: (D-Caf)*

Is there really much difference between 93 and 91 for premium fuel economy - 91 is the recommended minimum and no 93 is sold in CA.


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## feels_road (Jan 27, 2005)

*Re: (Bevmo)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Bevmo* »_Is there really much difference between 93 and 91 for premium fuel economy - 91 is the recommended minimum and no 93 is sold in CA.

About half the difference as that between 87 and 91.








More seriously: sure, there is still some measurable difference, but it is not as apparent as between regular and premium of the 91 variant. Still, there are cars that at first had huge problems on 91 (versus 93), and the manufacturers (Mazda, for example) had to retract stated power numbers and fuel economy, and re-tune the engines so they would actually run. 
When I looked at the Honda Odyssey before buying my Passat, IIRC the manufacturer stated a reduction of 15hp with regular. And sure enough, my friends who bought one all get about 20% worse fuel economy than advertised (only about 10 worse when using premium). YMMV.


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## chrishart1 (Jul 2, 2003)

All the cars I have had in the last 10 years have required premium fuel and I nearly always use it. There have been occasions when I've filled up with 87, but it's rare. I want all the power I can get and for the engine to run as best as possible, so at least 95% of the time I have used 91 or 93 octane.
But now that I have my first Turbo car, I plan on running high octane 100% of the time. The engine needs it in order to make the quoted horsepower. If you drive like a granny, then "regular" may be fine. But I wouldn't think someone would buy a Tig to drive that way to begin with.
So, as others have said, stick with Premium.


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## brian81 (Apr 19, 2007)

*Re: (ryantiguan)*


_Quote, originally posted by *jsjjnbrunk* »_
If I can afford a $30,000 car, I figure I can also afford a few extra bucks for the right gas.

There's some common sense...

_Quote, originally posted by *.:Tig:.* »_93 in mine. The Tig will run fine on the lower grade stuff. But A) the performance will go down and B) so will the gas milage. (According to others) 

In October I drove with a couple to our kids' college (350 miles each way) in their Tiguan S with manual transmission and APR ecu tune. We got 31-33 mpg. My friends said they were told the same thing at the dealer (maybe the same one as ryantiguan as they bought their car near Boston) and ran a few tanks of 87 through it. When they switched to 93, the car did perform better-improved throttle response, top end pull, and they estimated 10% better mileage. (The ecu tune increased that even more.)

_Quote, originally posted by *ryantiguan* »_Awesome. But there shouldn't be any permanent damage from suddenly going to 93 after 87/89 for the first 1100 miles, right?

When i asked about the ecu flash, my friends told me the APR dealer said before coming in to drive it to as nearly empty as possible, and fill up with 93. Then go home and disconnect the battery for a half hour. He said the ecu would adapt to 93 quicker.
I don't know about this from personal experience with the VW ecu, but in my Elise this is exactly what is recommended after any modification which doesn't involve flashing the software. Then upon restarting, we let it idle for about 15 minutes during which time the car resets a baseline.


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## ryantiguan (Nov 17, 2009)

Do you really need to disconnect the battery for a half-hour? How long does it take for the engine to recognize it has 93 if you don't do this? 2 weeks?


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## brian81 (Apr 19, 2007)

*Re: (ryantiguan)*


_Quote, originally posted by *ryantiguan* »_Do you really need to disconnect the battery for a half-hour? How long does it take for the engine to recognize it has 93 if you don't do this? 2 weeks?

I'm not an electrical engineer, but my understanding is that the time suggested is to provide capacitors within the ecu to lose any power they're holding, and if that doesn't happen the ecu won't reset. I can't say what the Siemens ecu in the Tig will do, but Lotus factory guys say our ecu needs several tanks of fuel to learn new settings (600-900 miles).


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## TDI-Jetta (Aug 18, 2012)

*93 for me*

I've been using 93 since I purchased our '09 Tiguan. The dealer said 87 was fine. I have a client who is a crew chief for a racing team that races VW's and Audi's. He asked what I was running on and said in his experience under racing conditions 93 was the way to go. He told me running 87 octane has a tendency to over heat the engine. They lost a few engines using 87 then switched to 93. Works for me.


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## ElSupremo (Mar 22, 2012)

TDI-Jetta said:


> I've been using 93 since I purchased our '09 Tiguan. The dealer said 87 was fine. I have a client who is a crew chief for a racing team that races VW's and Audi's. He asked what I was running on and said in his experience under racing conditions 93 was the way to go. He told me running 87 octane has a tendency to over heat the engine. They lost a few engines using 87 then switched to 93. Works for me.


Yeah, but us SoCal guys are S.O.L. - 93 octane just ain't available AFAIK, and driving to Nevada or Arizona for a fill up is...sub-optimal.


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## TIGSEL (Dec 22, 2011)

The bottom line is our engines are tuned from the factory to be able to run on anything 87 and up. Your engine ECU will retard the timing to adjust to the gas in your tank thus reduced power and fuel economy. To utilize your engine's full potential (power/fuel economy) premium gas is advised.


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## shawng (Jul 28, 2007)

If the dealer says 87 is fine, he should be reported to VW for gross stupidity. Open the gas door and read the label. Should say 91 should be use. A Tigsel said, it will run on 87 and retard the timing, but that will also reduce power. Most people will just lay into the pedal more, and this will burn more gas. It is really false economy to run 87 and expect a saving over expected power. Also keep in mind that the ECU can only retard the timing so much and then under heavy load detonation will occur. Detonation will damage the engine.


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## Sam6644 (Mar 10, 2008)

I've put 4,000 miles on mine so far and the only gas that's been it in since I bought it at 112 miles is Shell V-Power 93. 

Only gas I'll every put in it, too, as long as I can help it. The GTI I sold to buy the Tiguan, I had for 4.5 years and only ever put V-Power in it, aside from one or two times that I came across 94 octane at a Sunoco. 


Turbo cars appreciate higher octane. Four cylinder engines appreciate it, too.


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## SkullV (Jun 15, 2010)

I've been on Torco 100oct race fuel for the last 3 tanks


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## FishNiX (Jan 10, 2005)

shawng said:


> If the dealer says 87 is fine, he should be reported to VW for gross stupidity. Open the gas door and read the label. Should say 91 should be use. A Tigsel said, it will run on 87 and retard the timing, but that will also reduce power. Most people will just lay into the pedal more, and this will burn more gas. It is really false economy to run 87 and expect a saving over expected power. Also keep in mind that the ECU can only retard the timing so much and then under heavy load detonation will occur. Detonation will damage the engine.


FWIW our dealer also said 87 is fine and the manual confirms this. I use 91 and 93 when it's available, but when we were in western Newfoundland recently it was hard to come by.


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## Sam6644 (Mar 10, 2008)

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but I think gas in Germany is all 95 octane. 

If that counts for anything.


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## NLGolf1.8T (May 18, 2008)

FishNiX said:


> FWIW our dealer also said 87 is fine and the manual confirms this. I use 91 and 93 when it's available, but when we were in western Newfoundland recently it was hard to come by.


91 should have been available at all of the gas staions on the TCH and other main highways, but you would not have found 93.


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## shawng (Jul 28, 2007)

2010 manual, 3.3, P34 3rd paragraph on the left, mid way "Volkswange recommends using TOP TIER detergent gasoline with a minimum octane rating of 91 AKI." And right at the top of the page, it say :The correct gasoline grades are listed on a sticker inside the fuel filler flap. 

I am not sure how people are reading otherwise. I do realize that further on they discuss alcohol blends, but the first sentence pretty well sums it up. So can someone here that is using 87 go outside and tell us what the label on their gas door says. 

There have been many cases of salespeople saying 87 is just fine to close a deal where the prospect is baulking at using premium.


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## TIGSEL (Dec 22, 2011)

Why is this even a discussion? If you're using 87 apparently you're in a wrong car. Remember people, 91 is the MINIMUM you should be using, anything less is acceptable in EMERGENCY situations only.


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## 2themax11 (Dec 21, 2011)

TIGSEL said:


> Why is this even a discussion? If you're using 87 apparently you're in a wrong car. Remember people, 91 is the MINIMUM you should be using, anything less is acceptable in EMERGENCY situations only.


^true! I remember someone posted the same thread in one of the Nissan Maxima forums I belong to - and the first response he got was "if you cant afford premium gas, you should have gotten an Altima!" lol 

My car is CPO - i've been pumping nothing but 93 in it. Not sure what the previous owner did, but I'm planning on keeping her for a while so she gotta be up to par with gas and all maintenance. There is no legit reason to cut corners on any car especially the ones that are priced at $30k+


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## pelkie118 (Oct 19, 2011)

Sam6644 said:


> Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but I think gas in Germany is all 95 octane.
> 
> If that counts for anything.



In Germany, the octane rating shown at the pump is RON as opposed to AKI in the US and Canada. 95 RON is comparable to 91 octane here in the states.

:beer:


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## TN Tig 1 (Mar 17, 2010)

2themax11 said:


> ^true! I remember someone posted the same thread in one of the Nissan Maxima forums I belong to - and the first response he got was "if you cant afford premium gas, you should have gotten an Altima!" lol
> 
> My car is CPO - i've been pumping nothing but 93 in it. Not sure what the previous owner did, but I'm planning on keeping her for a while so she gotta be up to par with gas and all maintenance. There is no legit reason to cut corners on any car especially the ones that are priced at $30k+


Exactly! There's a reason is says "premium fuel" on the fuel door. I would rather spend a couple of extra bucks per tank than risk what a lower octane fuel could do to the engine. Sure, the computer will adjust down to regular fuel, but how good is that for the engine in the long-term? Even if it doesn't hurt the engine, the fuel economy goes down, so you're really not saving any money.


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## C Jayhawker (Apr 6, 2012)

TIGSEL said:


> Why is this even a discussion? If you're using 87 apparently you're in a wrong car. Remember people, 91 is the MINIMUM you should be using, anything less is acceptable in EMERGENCY situations only.


I agree. I wish I could get better than 91, but that's the best available in KC.

Side question - Does anyone know who carries the best gasoline? (meaning Shell, Exxon, Quik Trip, BP, Philips 66, etc.) Good gasoline is important!


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## Preppy (May 3, 2001)

Shell 91 only.


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## markk900 (Dec 31, 2009)

At the risk of the scorn and derision of the forum, I think people are overreacting to this whole octane thing.

All modern fuel injected, computer controlled cars are capable of dealing with the effects of using lower octane fuel. The issue with lower octane is the potential for detonation, which is a significant concern for turbos, but honestly the electronics in the modern motor will more than adequately deal with lower octane combined with high load and deal with detonation.

Will you get excellent performance on 87 - nope. Will you get your best mileage on 87 - nope. Will you suffer catastrophic engine failure on 87 - nope.

Having said all that, I am willing to spend the extra on premium so I use a minimum of 91, 93 when I can get it. The extra $3 per tank is worth knowing I am getting the best out of my motor. But I'd not even blink twice if I had to use 87 octane for a tank or two based on availability.....

As an aside, I moved from a Murano to the Tiguan - the Murano was originally a company car where they paid the gas and they would not allow employees to use premium - that Murano was still going strong after 200K+ km....not a turbo though.


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## Preppy (May 3, 2001)

Correct, the ECM will pull timing to avoid detonation. 
Long term effects of this in a turbocharged car? Don't know.


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## 2VWatatime (Aug 4, 2006)

It's tuned for 91. Higher (93) won't add anything, so I do the "dance" - 1/2 tank fills of mid/high (89/93). It's how the distributor/retailer gets the blend...


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## farrowz (Jul 14, 2013)

I just purchased a 2012 Tiguan - and love it!!! That being said; here in MN it is almost impossible to get 93 Octane. 

I have been going back and forth between 89 and 91 (mid and premium), and I have to say that my mid grade (Casey's Gas) is better than Premium (Holiday Gas) when you look at MPG.

Casey: 89 Octane= 28.7 Average and 33.2 (this weekend cross-country one trip 240 miles)
Holiday: 91 Octane = 27.2 Average

Go figure! Performance is not just octane, but also about the manufacture and their stupid additives. Here in Minnesota legislation is thinking about a 15% ethanol blend (up from 10%) - STUPID, STUPID, STUPID :screwy:

So, watch where you buy your gas, monitor what you get from each BRAND and pick the one that gets you the best mileage. As for the octane, unless you drive with your foot hard to the floor or are attempting to drive over 120 mph you probably don't need "peak performance" 

Just my opinion :laugh:


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## gstrouse (Oct 13, 2000)

farrowz said:


> Here in Minnesota legislation is thinking about a 15% ethanol blend (up from 10%) - STUPID, STUPID, STUPID :screwy:


I think that's going to be pretty much across the US. I think it's also being considered here in PA. And it's the ethanol that really lowers the EPA numbers. I wish I could find non-ethanol fuel.


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## farrowz (Jul 14, 2013)

gstrouse said:


> I think that's going to be pretty much across the US. I think it's also being considered here in PA. And it's the ethanol that really lowers the EPA numbers. I wish I could find non-ethanol fuel.


There are a few places that still sells non-ethanol fuel. Cool - i just googled and here is a link listing non-ethanol gas stations in PA

http://pure-gas.org/index.jsp?stateprov=PA

Enjoy


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## mlin32 (Aug 15, 2013)

For more demanding driving (extended hwy, mountainous driving profile) I run premium (98 RON or 93 AKI). If I'm just around town, midgrade. If I feel like splurging, some non-ethanol fuel.


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## guten_tiguan (Dec 9, 2011)

The Tiguan always gets Shell 91 here in Canada. It's one of the few ethanol-free fuels. 

Not sure if there is any benefit to filling up with Husky 94, which does contain ethanol. Have never noticed 93 being available yet.


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## DasCC (Feb 24, 2009)

91 chevron


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free


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## 4MotionTig (May 13, 2013)

Sam6644 said:


> Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but I think gas in Germany is all 95 octane.
> 
> If that counts for anything.


You are partially right... From what my mechanical engineer cousin explained to me.. We do not rate our fuel in the same way...

If I remember correctly.. We use (R+M)/2 rating, wich ussually gives a lower number value than the Eurpean RON rating for a same fuel..
One could correct me on this if I'm wrong but a gas we rate 91 ((R+M)/2) in Canada would be rated 93-94 RON in Europe...

Hope I'm not misleading anyone here... 

Remarque: You guys have Shell V-power rated 93 in USA??? Here in Canada, V-Power is rated 91....


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## mlin32 (Aug 15, 2013)

98 RON = 93 AKI (rating used in US/Canada)
95 RON = +/- 90-91 AKI
91 RON = 87 AKI

Almost all premium fuel on the east coast of the US is rated 93 AKI (98 RON). The compression ratio isn't that high on the 2,0t litre engine used for US and Canadian Tiguans, but it has a turbo so mid-grade or premium probably has its benefits.


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## markk900 (Dec 31, 2009)

Just for clarity, AKI is the same as (R+M)/2 that you might see on some pumps or in some owner's manuals.

Interesting comment from the Petro-Canada web site on octane and ethanol (not sure if its science or marketing though):

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Why is ethanol an effective octane booster?

The octane number written on the gas pump is Anti-Knock Index (AKI). It’s an average of two octane ratings using the same test equipment but using different operating conditions. The methods produce a Research Octane number (RON) and a Motor Octane Number (MON). Both were once considered important and that’s why AKI is an average of the two. *With modern engines and fuels systems, recent studies have shown that RON is more important than MON. So in these cars, the higher the RON the better these cars perform. *For an AKI rating of 91 the lower the MON the higher the RON. This difference is called sensitivity. All gasoline components have different sensitivity. Most hydrocarbon components have low sensitivity. Ethanol has high sensitivity and so, modern performance cars benefit from gasolines with ethanol. Why does ethanol have higher sensitivity? One reason is related to the cooler combustion that results from ethanol combustion. Higher knock tendency is directly related to higher combustion temperature.

Here is a comparison of two fuels with different octane with and without ethanol.

91 Grade - no ethanol
RON 97.2
MON 85.6
Ultra 94 - with ethanol
RON 101.5
MON 88

Notice the difference in RON number from 91 grade without ethanol (97.2) and the RON of Ultra 94 (101.5). The difference is 4.3 numbers. That is significantly more than the 3 numbers difference between 94 and 91 AKI labelled on the pump. That is why gasoline with ethanol can be the best performance fuel for today's cars.

----------------------------------


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## kosta15auto (Jul 22, 2009)

rph2004 said:


> Company gas card = premium. Even if my gas wasn't being paid for I'd still fill up with the best, I use the same in my MK3 and notice a difference when I have a moment of cheapness and decide to go with regular grade.


Gas card?
So you have the second fastest car in the world, the fastest is the rental one.


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