Fuel for 2006 Sonata V6

Old_Timer wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Nope. Good old regular with an octane rating of 87 will do just fine.

Eric

It's important to NOT use higher octane fuel in an engine rated for 87 octane, as it will not burn efficiently and will leave deposits in the engine.

never heard that story before! My Merc Grand Marquis pings a little on hills when hot and if I use 89 or 91 it doesn't ping...so far with 110,000 miles on it the engine is as good as new.

It's not a story, it's fact.

If it pings on hills, that indicates that you need higher octane fuel than whatever's in the tank. Unless it's always pinged on regular, it's quite possible that the pinging is due to carbon buildup on the valves and cylinder head(s). Carbon deposits create hot spots and increase compression. Higher octane fuel is required to compensate for those conditions.

Modern engines as in the Sonata have computerized control over ignition and valve timing and automatically retard the timing if pinging occurs, so you'd never even know it's happening. The engines are designed specifically to run on 87 octane fuel and using higher octane is not good for them. Higher octane fuels burn more slowly. If they're used in an engine that's designed for faster-burning, lower-octane fuel, they don't burn efficiently. Inefficient combustion leads to deposit buildup in the engine. With modern engines and modern fuels, the worst thing you can do is to run premium in an engine designed for regular. There is absolutely no advantage to doing so. It cruds up your engine AND it pay extra for the fuel that's doing the damage. It's your basis lose-lose situation.

I dunno, I think running your engine without oil is a much worst thing then running in on premium fuel. :-)

Matt

The oil companies advertise all kinds of "cleaning" and "anti-deposit" additives in their premium gas. They lie like a bunch of common pygmies.

The oil companies advertise all kinds of "cleaning" and "anti-deposit" additives in their premium gas. They lie like a bunch of common pygmies.

my '06 came with an owners manual....the answer is as close as your glove box!....I use regular unleaded.

Well, it's more a lie of ommission. They do have additives in their premium gas, but what they're not telling you is that they're in their regular gas, too. The old mechanic's solution "run a tank of premium through your engine to clean it" simply doesn't apply anymore. Modern fuels do an excellent job of keeping engines clean. That's why fuel additives - other than those designed to remove water - are largely a waste of money. You can remove water from your tank using denatured alcohol that's a fraction of the price of Drygas and similar products.

This is also true of oil additives; they're unnecessary and often counterproductive. Modern oils contain finely-tuned additive packages that are based on the needs of the engine. Dumping a bottle of "Amazing Snake Oil" into your crankcase is not only not helpful, it can disrupt the balance of additives and result in lower protection for your engine. Some, such as those that contain Teflon (which Dupont say IS NOT suitable for use inside an engine) can actually cause blockages in the fine oil pathways found in newer engines, resulting is serious engine damage.

The bottom line is that the manufacturer of your engine has invested tens of millions of dollars (or more) in developing it. They KNOW what it needs for fuel and lubricants. Follow their recommendations and you can't go wrong.

... as opposed to a bunch of elite pygmies?

Now there ya go - expecting the unreasonable. Why would anyone possibly think it might be more appropriate to do something for one's self such as read an owner's manual, or even perhaps go on-line to the Hyundai web site when it is so much easier to just post a question to a newsgroup? I can see you are a man of high demands and expectations.

Now that we have the fuel thing settled, how about oil. I have used syntec-blend for years. let's all argue about fossil vs synthetic!!

I have read the owners manual cover to cover and I don't find any reference to synthetic oil....also,,here's another bug-aboo. just try to change the third stoplight bulb.....there's nothing in the manual about it. you can learn tha hard way like I did. pry the thing up and break the brackets---OR you can crawl in the trunk and remove two screws that hold the module to the rear tray!!!

Oh no, you're not going to sucker me into a re-hash of that old argument! :)

I'm not one to follow any advice blindly. I usually run things through my own filters. But in this case, the manufacturer recommends the most economical** oil, and I'm following their recommendations.

**Economical, in this case, is what's best to use over the life of the car. There are arguably better lubricants out there than the manufacturer recommends. However, they do not make economic sense except in EXTREMELY harsh and unusual conditions.

The best analogy I can think of is a common 16 penny nail. You can get steel, and stainless steel versions. Which is best? Well, obviously stainless is "better". But,,, you have to ask yourself why they are not used to frame up houses. Now if someone tells me they framed up their house with SS nails, I swear I'm going to jump!

Economic could also mean the best oil that would keep your engine running for years without any trouble. engine trouble is EXpensive!

Arguing about it sure beats being a fence straddler and using a blend!! Come on, take a stand, make a decision!!!!! :-)

Matt

Yes, if you base better purely on economics, then I don't disagree, especially if you don't plan to keep the car much beyond 200,000 miles. Personally, I make my "better" decisions on a range of factors with economy being only one of those factors. Then again, folks that buy a Hyundai in the first place are already pretty much making a statement that they are cheap! :-)

But SS isn't better in every regard. A rusted steel nail has much greater holding power than an SS nail. Also, SS is often softer than steel and will bend more easily while being driven. So, you simply can't say that SS is better than plain old steel. On the other hand, synthetic oil IS better than dino oil in every parameter I can think of EXCEPT for cost.

Matt

OH GOD NOT AGAIN !!!! That poor horse was beat so much it may never walk again let alone run again !!

Tunez