52 replies to this topic

[Shiv]

check your manual i'm sure my wagon said it wanted 95 octane...

If my memory serves me correctly - it recommends use of 95 octane but says that 91 octane is also okay to use.

[skillionaire]

Hi, H6 wants 95-98. Cheers, Nik

[Delete This Account]

The B4 says "Minimum 98 Ron" Inside the fuel cap I wonder how it would run with 91

[skillionaire]

Hi, Pfft. I threw 91 in the B4 countless times. Just drive it chillax and it's all sweet. Cheers, Nik

[RX25SE]

On a normal morning I use Weetbix. If I require a bit more performance, I use bacon and eggs.

[Ericmcg]

I use Maxol E5, 99 octane. Car runs great on it.

[CRUISN]

I run the Legacy on BP ulitmate. Was reading the same thing over on Liberty.asn and someone put up some good technical info on this subject with proper tests. Caltex Vortex rated the highest followed by BP Ultimate. I'll give Caltex a shot for a while and see.

[hawks_123]

Do all of the Mobil Stations have that? Sounds good

I havn't been to any servos in the burbs that don't have it.
Although in some of the more dingey mobils the card machine does not always work.
I've got 2 on my way home from work, if the first one won't work then i just drive down the road to the next mobil.
Takes like 2 mins to fill and pay for

[Alex]

I recently had a bad experience with BP fuel. I used to use it religiously, but to tell you the truth, I felt my car ran better on Caltex98 and Mobil 8000. With this very recent bad experience with BP, I'll never use it again. Yeah, it wasn't a servo I frequent, but still, I feel that the car doesn't run as well as it does the others. Fouled my oxygen sensor. I'm recovering slowly with better fuel from Caltex now. Shell I won't touch with a fifty foot pole (unless the other end of the pole was set alight)

[Shiv]

Fouled my oxygen sensor.

Alex, have you gotten to the bottom of that O2 sensor issue you were having. Was reading about it on RSLC but haven't stayed up to date with it.

And how do you know it was the fuel that buggered it?

[Alex]

Replaced O2 Sensor for a brand new one. Same code after trying to clear it, but no CEL. ECUDataScanner says 0.00 - 0.10v. Exactly the same when the CEL was thrown originally. Since tanking up with Caltex, and only driving 50kms, it has increased to 0.12v, then 0.14v, and now 0.16v. Positive improvement. (in a turbo car, o2 sensor is only read when car is off boost... on boost, the o2 sensor is ignored.) If it can go up to 0.30v, i'll be a happy chappy, as it's in the normal 02 sensor range according to previous observations on the ECUDataScanner. If it gets up to that, I can then clear that code, and be code free. I haven't got as far as checking the wiring yet, but I have crimped my connections firmly, and have heat-shrunk the connections. The wiring job I have done is impeccable.

[Shiv]

Replaced O2 Sensor for a brand new one.

Same code after trying to clear it, but no CEL.

ECUDataScanner says 0.00 - 0.10v. Exactly the same when the CEL was thrown originally.

Since tanking up with Caltex, and only driving 50kms, it has increased to 0.12v, then 0.14v, and now 0.16v. Positive improvement. (in a turbo car, o2 sensor is only read when car is off boost... on boost, the o2 sensor is ignored.)

If it can go up to 0.30v, i'll be a happy chappy, as it's in the normal 02 sensor range according to previous observations on the ECUDataScanner.

If it gets up to that, I can then clear that code, and be code free.

I haven't got as far as checking the wiring yet, but I have crimped my connections firmly, and have heat-shrunk the connections. The wiring job I have done is impeccable.

Thats interesting to note; I wouldn't have thought the fuel would have made a difference to the O2 sensor readings. I'd love it if that fixed my problems...

On mine, a fault was found in the wiring from the O2 sensor to the ECU by a third party mechanic/auto electrician and as a result it may have buggered up this cars 3rd O2 sensor this year. Voltage readings are very weak (<0.10v IIRC). Currently tossing up whether to buy a new one...wallet hates me.




//excuse the off topic...

The B4 says "Minimum 98 Ron" Inside the fuel cap

I wonder how it would run with 91

Walts - they're dissin your thread

[RX25SE]

I recently had a bad experience with BP fuel.

I used to use it religiously, but to tell you the truth, I felt my car ran better on Caltex98 and Mobil 8000.

With this very recent bad experience with BP, I'll never use it again. Yeah, it wasn't a servo I frequent, but still, I feel that the car doesn't run as well as it does the others.



Fouled my oxygen sensor.





I'm recovering slowly with better fuel from Caltex now.

Shell I won't touch with a fifty foot pole (unless the other end of the pole was set alight)

This intrigues me Alex.

I was mucking around with fuels in the commonwhore and tried Caltex 98. Soon after I experienced a rough idle for a few seconds just after start up first thing in the morning. All other starts for the day were fine.
First thought was a leaky injector, but I had just cleaned and serviced them. The flow and leak tests were perfect.

Next tank it got Caltex 92 and the fault disappeared.
Mmmmmmmmm

Next tank, Caltex 98 and the fault returned so I pulled the plugs before startup one morning and they were ALL wet with fuel.
For some reason this fuel leaks past the injectors.

In the Liberty it's fine.

Why?

I have no idea.


I would prefer to use BP but they don't offer the 4c off.
This saves me around $5 per fortnight.

[Ericmcg]

This intrigues me Alex.

I was mucking around with fuels in the commonwhore and tried Caltex 98. Soon after I experienced a rough idle for a few seconds just after start up first thing in the morning. All other starts for the day were fine.
First thought was a leaky injector, but I had just cleaned and serviced them. The flow and leak tests were perfect.

Next tank it got Caltex 92 and the fault disappeared.
Mmmmmmmmm

Next tank, Caltex 98 and the fault returned so I pulled the plugs before startup one morning and they were ALL wet with fuel.
For some reason this fuel leaks past the injectors.

In the Liberty it's fine.

Why?

..

I have no idea.


I would prefer to use BP but they don't offer the 4c off.
This saves me around $5 per fortnight.

Have any of you guys tried some of the bioethanol blends?

[RX25SE]

Not keen on them Eric. Here in Oz the ethanol blends have only been around for a few years so a large percentage of the cars on the roads may have an issue with the fuel. I have seen the damage caused by the corrosive action of these fuels but it does depend on the concentration of the ethanol and the vechile using it. Kind of like Russian roulette. Retailers must state if the fuel contains more than 10% ethanol. We do have some hi octane fuel that uses ethanol to boost the octane rating. Tests seem to indicate that fuel consumption drops off with ethanol, so the saving of the cheaper blended fuel is partly offset by higher consumption. We tend to keep our cars for longer than the EU so it may take awhile for us to be up to the EU level, but it will come. Generally it seems our fuels are of a poorer standard than much of the developed world, for example diesel. It took years for us to get those hi performance, low emission diesel cars that you have had for years. The thing that kept them off our shores was the poor quality, hi sulphur diesel. Then there's the whole 'food or fuel' debate that goes with bio fuels.............

[Ericmcg]

I started using a 5% bioethanol blend thats 99 octane a few months ago and i have to say that so far so good, no problems and my car is running super smooth on it. It took a few tanks to notice the difference but i get better mileage from it to, not a huge amount but my B4 is my daily driver and i rack up a fair few miles a week. Mine is a JDM car and i think you are not supposed to use anything with to low a octane rating, well thats what the garage that imported the car for me said..

[RX25SE]

Ethanol, as with methanol, is a slower burning fuel so I think that this is where some of the 'smoothness' comes from. As I understand it the B4 was 'detuned' to run our crappy fuel and that's where the dramas come from for us. I remember the road tests when the B4 was released here and all the journos complained about the drop in performance (valley of death) compared to the JDM model. I assume you have E85 (85% ethanol) there? Have you used it?

[Ericmcg]

The e 85 had started to show up in some servos but they are stating that its not recomended to use on older cars without some mods to the fuel system and is only for safe use in some of the new Volvos and Fords because they have done some development work with the manufacturers. Why did they detune the version they sold in Oz, its one of the only foreign markets that Subaru exported the B4 to from factory. Does not make sense in my opinion

[RX25SE]

Why did they detune the version they sold in Oz

As I understand it the B4 was 'detuned' to run our crappy fuel

Same here Volvo, Saab and a few other euro cars are the only ones for E85.
Oh, and the V8 Supercars. Our local saloon racecar (taxi?) series.

[Ericmcg]

Most of the fuel sold over here is rated at about 95, but the diesel over here is crap, i had a JDM Pajero jeep and it smoked like a bastard if i did'nt use an additive with the fuel.

Most of my mates that have JDM cars have all switched over to the E5, even the VTEC drivers.. Its about 4 cents a litre more expensive than regular and my missus always asks why i go to the same servo all the time and pay the extra money and i point at the advertising sign stating that its kinder to the enviroment because its part bio fuel, dont mention the more power bit She is scared of my car enough already..

We get most of your saloon racing series over here,(v8 supercars i assume) Bathhurst is the best race of the year. I watch it every year.