Is it okay to put 93 Octane Gas in a 1995 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme with a 3.1 liter V6 engine?

Answer 1

No, it is not OK. My question to you is why would you want to pay extra for 93 octane when you engine requires 87 octane and will run no better on 93. Simply put, octane is a measure of gasoline's ability to resist detonation, which you hear as pinging and knocking in your engine. The higher the octane the more the fuel can be compressed without detonating before you want it to. Detonation, ping, knock, whatever you want to call it, occurs when the air/fuel mixture ignites before the spark plug fires. The mixture ignites from compression and not from the flame of the spark plug. In other words, the higher the octane the less likely it is to ignite prematurely. The only benefit to a high octane fuel is that it allows an engine to run at a higher temperature and with a higher compression ratio without pinging. Higher octane fuel does not provide more energy, more power, better mileage, more torque, burn cleaner, clean your engine, and is not better for the environment. Anyone who tells you it does is dead wrong and is buying into the Octane Myth that just will not die. Putting 93 octane in this engine will provide you no benefit whatsoever, and in fact may cause hard starting. Save your money and use 87 Octane in this low compression 3.1 L V6.