Fuel required for 17/18 Z06 vs 15/16 Z06

[ddgermann]

Just in case you guys with 17 and 18 Z06s are like me and didn't bother reading the manual buying a new Z06. I traded my 15 Z06 for a new 17 and since it was the same color I didn't bother doing much but skim the owners manual for Z07 specific information.

Rick you probably run premium already but will want to consider this now as well with your new supercharger getting installed.

Be aware the octane requirements are higher in the 17/18 Z06s.

Here's the 15/16 Z06 manual. LT4 calls for 91 or higher.

Here is the 17 Z06 manual. LT4 calls for 93 and minimum 91 with reduced performance. (We were on 91 last October Jeffy)

Quite a bit written about the 17/18 Z06 being tuned for 100 octane from the factory as part of the overheating problem solution from GM. This tune is allegedly available for the 15 and 16 Z06 at the dealers as well, but will increase the recommended octane to 93. Not sure about this as I haven't asked the dealer.

From what I could find via Google in Edmonton/St. Albert the max octane rating for ethanol free fuel is 91. Available at Hughes, COSTCO, Superstore and Shell.

So 94 octane from Husky = 10% ethanol in Alberta. It says my car is ok to 15% and I have no choice to run on the recommended octane if I want the performance. We've had this discussion a few times here but as 91 was recommended for my car at the time, I just glossed it over.

Today I checked....

 

[2009CGMZR1]

I see ESSO 91 is saying no Ethanol.

I went in the spring to Golden, BC ( when Jeff and I did the pre cruise test run ) and got 5 jerry cans of chevron 94 as it has no ethanol....... my car ran amazing with it.

Ethanol can gum up injectors storing over winter within 6 months...... best to store the car on Shell 91... or ESSO 91 if it is Ethanol free


B

 

[Rick9456]

The closest station to me is an Esso. 91 octane no ethanol. On 91 my car runs great. Im anxious now to see if 91 octane will perform just a good with the supercharger installed. . Sure hope so. If not I may have to add an octane booster or move to BC where I can buy chevron supreme..

My manual says 91 or better and no more than 15% ethanol

 

[Rruuff Day]

Western Canada Co-op sells 91 Ethanol free as well.

Not totally sure of the science behind it but I avoid ethanol gas for all my vehicles, including ATV, lawnmowers etc. I also avoid Costco as they purchase from any supplier that will undercut the going rate. They advertise Top Tier but they also don't guarantee ethanol free. Their pumps (at least in Red Deer) had a "may contain ethanol" sticker on them the last time I checked.

 

[lupo]

Thanks Derek. There is a Petro-Can around the corner where I normally fuel up. They have 94 Octane there--never paid attention to the ethanol content, but it's all I ran on my Mustang,
Just pulled this off their website..

Does Ultra 94 contain ethanol? Does Petro-Canada still offer an ethanol-free gasoline?
Ultra 94 contains ethanol. Due to the fact that various fuel grades are blended at the point of sale, most grades of Petro-Canada fuel may now contain up to 10% ethanol. This represents a change from the previous state, where premium fuel was ethanol-free at Petro-Canada.

 

[YFCvii]

I will go out of my way for Co-op or Shell
I just use my Gas Buddy App to find one for my trips away

I'm not sure what this site is worth - it's like a gas buddy for ethanol free
Ethanol-free gas stations in the U.S. and Canada

All Canada: Shell V-Power 91, Canadian Tire 91, MacEwen premium
Toronto: Esso premium 93
Western Canada: CO-OP premium
Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, PEI: all premium? Please confirm with evidence!
British Columbia: Chevron 94
Ontario: Costco 91; Canadian Tire 91; Ultramar 91

and from a new post from Mikeysz06 I will be watching for labels when in the USA
apparently - no label means 0% ethanol

Exxon Station in Kalispell MT (01Feb'18)

 

[ddgermann]

I will go out of my way for Co-op or Shell
I just use my Gas Buddy App to find one for my trips away

I'm not sure what this site is worth
Ethanol-free gas stations in the U.S. and Canada

All Canada: Shell V-Power 91, Canadian Tire 91, MacEwen premium
Toronto: Esso premium 93
Western Canada: CO-OP premium
Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, PEI: all premium? Please confirm with evidence!
British Columbia: Chevron 94
Ontario: Costco 91; Canadian Tire 91; Ultramar 91

That's the website I was looking on last night Spence. It seems to be updated daily by random users. I was disappointed not find a Chevron station in Edmonton for the 94. I spent way too much time searching for 94 octane fuel today. Thank goodness for google.
I was out sliding around in that 8000 lb Hummer today getting fuel and didn't even look at what premium gas available.

I got to start taking this stuff more serious....

 

[YFCvii]

That's the website I was looking on last night Spence. It seems to be updated daily by random users. I was disappointed not find a Chevron station in Edmonton for the 94. I spent way too much time searching for 94 octane fuel today. Thank goodness for google.
I was out sliding around in that 8000 lb Hummer today getting fuel and didn't even look at what premium gas available.

I got to start taking this stuff more serious....

Just one more aspect of "rocket science" to be wary of when owning a "rocket" (fuels, pure synthetic oils, tires, etc)
... and I thank God for having my CCF friendships
and it's all ears as I was when rocket science gets discussed in the Corvette Orientation Session at Spring Mountain
(an example being nobody knowing about the protection gizmos for the ceramic rotors when removing the wheels)

 

[Riley P]

Look at all you guys and your high performance cars. With a lowly 350hp, I can fill mine up with dumpster juice and won't even make a peep of a knock........ ok, ok, I kid, I kid. I just wish Sask had some 94 Chevron fuel. Would my car benefit from it? I seriously doubt it, but I like to pretend that some day I'll add force induction where 94 would be nice. Similar to Alberta, Husky is the only place to get 94 Octane here. If I were to get a Z06, I would run 94 from Husky, but switch over to Shell or Co-op for a tank or two before winter to run all the ethanol through.

A couple items to think about and for people to look up and call me a liar:
- Higher octane is needed the higher you go in elevation. So the closer to sea level, the less critical the octane requirement is. (but a supercharger sort of alters the atmospheric conditions)
- Higher octane is require the higher the ambient temperature outside, so if you run your car in winter, you could go down a couple points.
- Anyone ever look up if Toluene could be used as an octane boost? The side benefit is that it keeps electrical components clean (ie, the rheostat in the tank for the fuel gauge).

 

[2009CGMZR1]

That's the website I was looking on last night Spence. It seems to be updated daily by random users. I was disappointed not find a Chevron station in Edmonton for the 94. I spent way too much time searching for 94 octane fuel today. Thank goodness for google.
I was out sliding around in that 8000 lb Hummer today getting fuel and didn't even look at what premium gas available.

I got to start taking this stuff more serious....

There is a Chevron fleet station at 118 ave and 168 street in Edmonton, I had a fleet card back in the 80's/90's - I was told they used Texaco fuel and added their injector additive

They didn't have 94 here back then... not been there for ages



B

 

[ddgermann]

The place is a card lock and may or may not have the 94 premium as they cater mainly to trucks. I could not find anything on what specific fuels are available other than gasoline and diesel. It's horrendously out of my way anyway. (unless I'm heading to jasper)

So it looks like 94 with up to 10% ethanol for the summer and storage on 91 with no ethanol. This will be a good excuse for the late season cruise to flush the ethanol fuel out of the system.

I really really miss the SUNOCO stations I used to go to in Toronto. They had the highest octane fuel around and NO ETHANOL. Are there SUNOCO stations still around the GTA guys?

I would like to find one of these pumps! But Dennis is not divulging the location...

 

[Rruuff Day]

The place is a card lock and may or may not have the 94 premium as they cater mainly to trucks. I could not find anything on what specific fuels are available other than gasoline and diesel. It's horrendously out of my way anyway. (unless I'm heading to jasper)

So it looks like 94 with up to 10% ethanol for the summer and storage on 91 with no ethanol. This will be a good excuse for the late season cruise to flush the ethanol fuel out of the system.

I really really miss the SUNOCO stations I used to go to in Toronto. They had the highest octane fuel around and NO ETHANOL. Are there SUNOCO stations still around the GTA guys?

I would like to find one of these pumps! But Dennis is not divulging the location...
View attachment 14270
View attachment 14269

I read somewhere that it takes at least 12 tanks of fuel to adequately flush ethanol out of the system......... Or was that 12 glasses of water to flush the cerveza out of my system..... Ok.... Ignore that.....

 

[2009CGMZR1]

I remember buying 98 or 99 octane at Chevrons in Vancouver 20 years ago.

 

[CableGuy]

Higher octane is needed the higher you go in elevation. So the closer to sea level, the less critical the octane requirement is

Actually Riley, it's the other way around. The higher the altitude, the less the octane requirement. When the air is thinner, there is less air pressure and therefore compression is reduced (not requiring as much octane to prevent detonation). For the average driver in the Calgary area, you can easily burn a mid grade fuel with the same results as premium at a lower altitude. Now that being said, any sort of performance minded engine will call for premium for a reason. It will always yield a slightly higher performance result, but the higher you go in altitude, the less chance of knock from running lower octane fuel. This is why vehicles typically run faster and make more horsepower at sea level. The compression is increased due to air pressure, and the byproduct is more HP.

 

[Black 03 Z06]

Good explanation N20

 

[ddgermann]

Actually Riley, it's the other way around. The higher the altitude, the less the octane requirement. When the air is thinner, there is less air pressure and therefore compression is reduced (not requiring as much octane to prevent detonation). For the average driver in the Calgary area, you can easily burn a mid grade fuel with the same results as premium at a lower altitude. Now that being said, any sort of performance minded engine will call for premium for a reason. It will always yield a slightly higher performance result, but the higher you go in altitude, the less chance of knock from running lower octane fuel. This is why vehicles typically run faster and make more horsepower at sea level. The compression is increased due to air pressure, and the byproduct is more HP.

Specifically it is the amount of Oxygen per CC of air is greater at lower altitudes. Higher air pressure = higher concentration of Oxygen. Thus the advantage of supercharging/turbocharging.

 

[ddgermann]

So compression higher ratios require higher octane fuel to prevent detonation of the air/fuel mixture before TDC and spark. Engines have trended to higher compression ratios over the years. Higher compression ratio = more oxygen/vaporized fuel compressed into the cylinder. The LT4 in the C7 Z06 has a 10:1 ratio. The LT1 runs an 11.5-1 compression ratio. (considered the highest practical ratio on a N/A engine to run safely on modern fuels available at retail pumps = great performance)

Average Engine Compression Ratio Compared to Average Gasoline Octane Rating, 1925-2015​

​

In modern engine control systems if the engine is running hot or has a fuel cause for pre-ignition, knock sensors will detect the vibrations associated with detonation or knocking and retard the engine timing to prevent it. (within reason) The only thing the driver may notice is a reduction of power. This is effective in protecting the engine if the car has the right octane rated fuel. Thus the 5 year powertrain warranties now. However the data to reject a warranty claim is all stored on the computers as well if we try to pull something over them for a warranty claim on a failed engine.

Has anyone used 'Octane Boost"?

​

 

[rockitman]

Just one more aspect of "rocket science" to be wary of when owning a "rocket" (fuels, pure synthetic oils, tires, etc)
... and I thank God for having my CCF friendships
and it's all ears as I was when rocket science gets discussed in the Corvette Orientation Session at Spring Mountain
(an example being nobody knowing about the protection gizmos for the ceramic rotors when removing the wheels)

That was interesting about the ceramic rotors and how easily they can be damaged when removing the wheels.

 

[2009CGMZR1]

This is why vehicles typically run faster and make more horsepower at sea level. The compression is increased due to air pressure, and the byproduct is more HP.

My ZR1 was wild down the WA/OR/CA coast.... yes, sea level air is nice!

B

 

[lupo]

The place is a card lock and may or may not have the 94 premium as they cater mainly to trucks. I could not find anything on what specific fuels are available other than gasoline and diesel. It's horrendously out of my way anyway. (unless I'm heading to jasper)

So it looks like 94 with up to 10% ethanol for the summer and storage on 91 with no ethanol. This will be a good excuse for the late season cruise to flush the ethanol fuel out of the system.

I really really miss the SUNOCO stations I used to go to in Toronto. They had the highest octane fuel around and NO ETHANOL. Are there SUNOCO stations still around the GTA guys?

I would like to find one of these pumps! But Dennis is not divulging the location...
View attachment 14270
View attachment 14269

Petro-Canada took out the Sunoco around the corner--and many others. Wish you guys never started talking about ethanol and gas stations 'cause you know this will now become a new pursuit. Damn.