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2023 PHEV Outlander
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Rockwallrick
Active member
It’s been a couple months since I have added any fuel to ours. I don’t know how long it takes before fuel gets stale but I plan on adding a few gallons this week!
michael8554
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 31, 2019
- Messages
- 270
The 2014 User's manual says "Refuel 20 litres or more every 6 months, to make a total of 20 litres added in 6 months"
MNJ23PHEV
Member
Very sharp looking Outlander.
I have been topping off only about every 6 months, but I always buy the highest octane premium ethanol free gas I can find.... Loving the fuel saving I am getting! almost all daily trips are under the range. Even in winter (Canad) a full charge averages around 65kms.
Interesting on choice of fuel. I asked and was told that E10 (pretty much the cheapest fuel you can buy in Australia) was just fine. Because I do mostly rural driving (and not a lot of that), I consume around a tank every month or two. It would be hard to work out whether another type of fuel (eg: 98RON which is highest grade here) would give me better economy.
I doubt VERY much if it would give me better cost/km even if the higher RON fuel was more efficient. It would have to be 20c/litre more efficient, and that seems unlikely.
shoppingaround
New member
- Joined
- May 8, 2023
- Messages
- 2
it
s not the economy at all its the fact that ethanol degrades quickly and can even freeze in cold days.. its all about keeping the fuel viable as long as possible as i use so little
Freezing is not a problem we'd ever have where I live. But I didn't know that ethanol degrades quickly. Does that just reduce the octane level, or does something worse happen?
Im concerned about stale fuel causing problems in the tank, the lines, the injectors.etc...
Regular gasoline has a shelf life of three to six months. On the other hand, organic-based Ethanol can lose its combustibility in just one to three months due to oxidation and evaporation Ethanol degrades into methane
Ethanol attracts water molecules, which get into your tank and can muck everything up. It also degrades plastic faster (2022+ Outlander has plastic fuel tank). For those reasons, ethanol-free gas is preferable if you always drive on battery and rarely use the gas engine.
Higher octane gas won't give you better economy, but "premium" fuels tend to have more additive detergents which could help keep your system cleaner in the long-term.
No matter what though, any gas should be used within a few months or else it will go bad inside your tank, which you really don't want. That's why the car is programmed to run the gas engine sometimes even with a full charge. You can buy gas stabilizer products for gas that has to be stored for more than a couple months.
Higher octane gas won't give you better economy, but "premium" fuels tend to have more additive detergents which could help keep your system cleaner in the long-term.
No matter what though, any gas should be used within a few months or else it will go bad inside your tank, which you really don't want. That's why the car is programmed to run the gas engine sometimes even with a full charge. You can buy gas stabilizer products for gas that has to be stored for more than a couple months.
Johny451
Member
Folk should really read science based information in why petroleum has octane ratings. Higher octane than an engine requires is just burning money.
Very happy to read. Could you point me/us to a suitable reference?
Put simply, high octane is for high compression engines.
For example, my previous car had a high compression engine.
If I put standard petrol in it, the petrol would detonate before the piston reached the top of the cylinder.
This makes an awful noise, called 'pinging' (or knocking) when this happens.
For that engine, premium or ultra premium was required. (Octane 95 or 98).
Generally cars don't need higher octane petrol.
Note the question about 'cleaner' petrol is real. Australia is famous for having high sulphur petrol, we're second only to Mexico in terms of dirty fuel.
95 and 98 (premium/ultra premium) petrols have lower sulphur here.
For example, my previous car had a high compression engine.
If I put standard petrol in it, the petrol would detonate before the piston reached the top of the cylinder.
This makes an awful noise, called 'pinging' (or knocking) when this happens.
For that engine, premium or ultra premium was required. (Octane 95 or 98).
Generally cars don't need higher octane petrol.
Note the question about 'cleaner' petrol is real. Australia is famous for having high sulphur petrol, we're second only to Mexico in terms of dirty fuel.
95 and 98 (premium/ultra premium) petrols have lower sulphur here.
MNJ23PHEV
Member
There should be lots are articles as to why higher octane does not lead to higher performance. A quick google search should yield all you would ever want to know about performance as it relates to gasoline octane rating.
That said, an over simplified answer to the question is as follows. It is because of the fact that higher performance engines have higher compression ratios that require higher octane fuels to prevent engine knock. Modern engines have anti knock sensors that prevent engine knock because it is so damaging to an engine. So if you have a modern high performance engine and use a low octane fuel, the performance may suffer due to the engine control system trying to protect the engine. However, if your engine does not require high octane, using a higher than necessary octane fuel is a waste of money.
There may be other good reason to use a higher octane fuel however as stated above. That is, to get the additive package or cleaner fuel. So it may not be so cut and dried.
Johny451
Member
MNJ23PHEV
Member
And there is the more complete answer.
I agree with 'dgarth'. It is now the same in the UK in that if you want to have low ethanol the choice defaults to premium fuels which are also high octane. The last commonly available petrol with zero ethanol was Esso Supreme which is Octane 99 but even that changed last year to have 5% ethanol. I've now switched to normal E10 as I now do more frequent journeys above the pure electric range.
