gasoline grade - how important?

hi all

I have 03 9-3 linear and absolutely love it, I always used plus or super grade gas in it, however lately due to crazy gas prices in US, I'm considering to switch to regular gas. my question is - will it affect overall performance or pick up torque for this car? (2.0 liter light pressure turbo) The manual says 87 and up is ok for linear but still wanted to know from real life experience. Its my first Saab and Id love to enjoy it for years to come. Thank you for your responses Leon

Reply to
leon
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I had an 03 Linear and drove it for almost 4 years on regular gas. I still go over 30 mpg and had no problem with it.

Norm

Reply to
Norman Boyce

It may, perhaps more so in hot weather... but it may not! :-)

Depending on the machine, you may notice poorer fuel consumption but no difference in running, or the same fuel consumption but it feels materially slower. If there's a detrimental impact on performance, this may only bother you if you often chase the power through the gears. If you spend a significant period of time cruising on reasonably level freeway, you'll only notice it every so often and can live with it.

In my experience - of a number of different machines - running them on the wrong octane rated fuel does two things. One, they cough, splutter and feel appalling. Two, they feel a little bit gutless but run okay.

My compromise when trying a car on a lower grade of fuel is to run it low, put in around a quarter tank and try it. If it starts running like a sack of lumpy custard then you can brim it with super, thus diluting the lower octane fuel. If it seems okay, continue running it until you need more fuel, then do the same again.

However, if the handbook says it'll work on 87, then you can happily brim it without causing damage.

Reply to
DervMan

"crazy gas prices in US" - What!!! Come over here and feel what's it's like.

Try it out and see. It should be OK except for moments of peak power.

Reply to
Johannes

The engine will knock under boost. The computer will detect this and retard the timing so that the knocking stops. SO, you will not cause engine damage. Most cars today do this. The result is that the engine does not run as efficiently and loses some power. You step on the gas pedal harder to compensate, you use more gas per mile. The additional downside to the timing being retarded in a turbo is that the boost will be effectively limited by the computer, impacting power.

But, the question comes up from time to time. Most Saab testers I know have concluded that it cost them a couple mpg. The difference between regular and premium is about 20 cents, or about 6.5%. Most of the testers have found it results in 2mpg less, or about 6.5%. So, right now it's a wash in terms of $'s and you end up driving a sluggish car. Your choice... and you might want to do your own testing as Dervman suggested, see what happens to mpg, and to power. FYI - the SID is not a very accurate way to check MPG.

Reply to
- Bob -

Yes... but if you're cruising and it doesn't need full boost, or anything like full boost, the impact will be minimal... at least as I understood it...

Yup. On some imported Subarus and other silliness in the UK it can make a huge difference. They're used to 101 (UK grade) fuel.

Its accuracy on our TiD has varied from 3% to 8%...

Reply to
DervMan

Crazy? What do you mean crazy?

1,40 euro / litre (>US$6 / gallon) that's crazy!
Reply to
MH

And yet we still manage.

Graham

Reply to
Eeyore

We've had prices over A$1.40 a litre here in Sydney in recent months, and it generally sits at around A1.35 per litre on average now. I don't know how that compares to average pricing in the UK or US though. And Sydney has the most expensive pricing - it's cheaper in Melbourne, cheaper again in Brisbane, etc. and more expensive that state capital city pricing in country areas.

Craig.

Reply to
Craig's Saab C900 Site

Fill the tank each week. Each week have to decide between regular and premium fuel. Every new week in this year, the price of regular become the price of last week's premium...LOL.

Reply to
Johannes

The USA has always had prices much less than Europe, so the interesting thing would be the % increase over the last two years.

But, we might as well just cut to the chase. Exxon/Mobil reported the highest corporate profits ever recorded in a quarter: $10B. Other oil companies had similarly ridiculous profits - and when compared on a % basis or to company size are more outrageous.

Any surprise we are all paying too much at the pump ?

Reply to
- Bob -

Yes it would, and we know who would be paying relatively more. We could roll this back to thirty years or so..?

Too much? That's relative of course. It could be argued that it isn't enough, but I don't want an argument...

Reply to
DervMan

Neither do I, Derv.

But if the excess money being greeded the oil companies were going towards developing renewable energy, that would be different and I might agree that it was reasonable. It's not, at least not in the USA, it's all going in corporate coffers.

Reply to
- Bob -

The uproar over my statement - "crazy prices" is quite hilarious, Please understand : here in US average price per gallon used to be around $1 for a regular. In the past two years it went up almost 150%. Most areas in US unlike much of Europe do not have decent mass transit systems in place except for few major cities like NY, Chicago, Boston and Washington. Our intrastate train system here is a joke. Therefore we spend most time driving. Gas price at $3/gallon even within US average salary is still crazy for the amount driving is required to just get to work. ( I drive 45 minutes no traffic one way)

Reply to
leon

Agreed!

Reply to
DervMan

[snip rationale]

Quite. However, it is your choice to live nearly two hours from where you work. The day of the long distance commuter may well be over...

Reply to
DervMan

He said he lived 45 minutes from work, which is only a little worse than average. The average commute in the US is probably 25-30 minutes. But with telecommuting on the rise that number is surely falling fast. The confusing thing is that I don't sense any decrease in the number of cars on the road when I do venture out these days...

Reply to
Fred W

More trucks (I mean the ones that carry freight - not the 'pretend' types aka Hummers, Ford F-series, SUV/AUV's, etc.), and more 'soccer mums' driving

4wd's. That's a massive trend here in Oz. The 4wd market has grown massively and most people are buying them not to take off-road, but because they're 'safer'. Bit of a misnomer because when a 4wd hits a normal car, normal car is 'overridden' due to the significant differences in body height, weight, and other less significant factors.

At least Saab doesn't seem to have a 'soccer mum set' that I know of! 8-) Then again Saab (at least here in Oz) doesn't sell any SUV/AUV/4wd/Awd type vehicles at the moment...

Craig.

Reply to
Craig's Saab C900 Site

Nor in the UK, but they have tried in the US, as I understand.

Reply to
DervMan

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