Coors

Newbie here

I have a 2007 Cobalt SS 2.4 (5 Speed)

I only have 140 K on her and they filled my car with regular gas I think.
Acceleration isn't that great, almost feels like my old sunfire.

I know when the tank is almost empty I'll be only putting in premium gas as I heard Regular gas lowers the engine's performance.


So, am I right with this? That regular gas and under the first 1000K will have lower engine performance?

joeworkstoohard

well, first of all, you mean 140km, not 140k...

regardless, yes, i can def feel the dif if i use 87 as opposed to 93.

now, with that said, i seem to better MPG when i use the 87, i have no idea why. the only thing that i can assume is that the engine de-tunes itself and doesn't open the cams and ignition as much so it "acts" like a smaller engine at those times, but that's PURELY a guess.

and, yes, mine really has woken up more and more in the almost 12,000 miles that i have owned her.

Coors

Yeah I mean't "Km"

I'm excited to see what she's really like

BTW, I've been searching these forums, I heard there is a rev limiter on these cars that will go away after a break in period, is this true?

XM15

The rev limiter won't go away after a break in period; you will have to get the dealer to wipe it off the computer, or you can get HPTuners and deal with it yourself. Just make sure you don't go faster than the rating on your tires, or...Boom! (I'm not sure what rating the 2.4 tires are)

Oh, and welcome to the site!

joeworkstoohard

the rev limiter can only be removed by working on the ECM. i don't see the dealer removing it. some folks have gone to tune shops and had it worked up to like 7000 or 7200 rpm.

in truth, i'd like that, because this engine just seems to love to REV. i'd get it tuned by a pro if that's what you like, but do a few bolt ons first, open that bitch up.

rick1217

I ran premium in it on my first fill up, I think the dealer only used 87. but in your manual, it says everything about how to break it in. I did notice bad gas millage for the first 1000km, after that it improved until I started driving it harder then it got bad again.....
welcome to the forums too!!
Have fun with your new car.....I almost bought a 2.4 5spd but when I test drove the ss/sc, I fell in love....

joeworkstoohard

sounds like some brokeback **** to me.

Coors

Oh I love the SS/SC, in fact I could of had her too. However, they seem a little too low of winter driving. She's a daily driver and I can only imagine this equation....

SS/SC + Winter Ice/Snow + Girlfriend = Call to the insurance company


So, rick, you noticed a diffeence going from regular gas to premium?
Should I get a fuel injection cleaner?

How about those Octane boosters, since the highest octane around here is 91.

lots of questions


Thanks for the welcome. Former J-Body owner here

joeworkstoohard

ehhh, i think that the octane boost stuff is just snake oil, but other people say that it works. your call, i guess.

the cleaners... i've heard that they work, but i dunno how well. when i live in philadelphia, i used gas treatment in the winter to keep the water out.

an0malous

ss/sc + winter ice/snow + wife + Steelies/winterrubber = my daily driver in alberta winter

Ive heard that opinion many times.....I was never really sure, and assumed it was probably true....

ive heard people try and tell me "you know how they say it raises octane 6 points....well thats only really 0.6 octane....." its not....read the bottle....do a little digging....good quality brand octane boosters really do give your octane a bit of a kick.
To the point where I can notice a reduction in knock if i use it or not....

I wouldnt say its as good as they like to say....but in my experience a tank of 91 octane with a good quality octane booster, I believe will be very comparable to 93, maybe 94 octane.

joeworkstoohard

you drive your wife daily? noice.

rnjmur

You shouldn't need FI cleaner - just put premium in when you can. And 91 octane will be fine octane boosters aren't worth the money you pay for them.

killianss

Hey guys i got a brand new ss/sc laser blue about 3 weeks ago, is there anything wrong with using 93 octane gas all the time i thought they reccomend 91 but i cant find it anywhere

lil off topic too but i ordered the ss.net decals atleast 10 days ago, anyone kno how they are shipped?

Coors

The extra torque and how she is lower still bothers me. If It wasn't my daily driver or it was in a non winter place, I would have gotten her instead.

joeworkstoohard

goinng higher is fine, just not lower.

on the decals. i know that they are shipped faster depending on how big your ******* is. mine took like a year.

for real, i think mine took like 2 weeks.

saunders1986

iTrader: (1)

wish i could find 93, all i can find is shitty 91 lol............

nixonjn

I'm trying to figure out why a higher octane rating would give you more power. My understanding is that higher octane fuels resist pre-detonation because they're more difficult to combust...therefore vehicles with higher compression require a higher octane. Honestly, I think that any performance/power boost experienced has to be imagined...

I think it would be a lot more effective to increase the amount of oxygen in the mixture so that the gas in the engine fully combusts. I'm pretty sure that if a car is rated at 87 octane it performs best at 87 octane.

Anyway, I'm not a car expert, I'm a chemist. It just doesn't make sense to me from a physical/chemical point of view. Does anyone know why it would give a power boost?

g5mike

welcome to the site you should run 91 0r 93,your car prefers it.lol,where in Canada are you from?

denlou

87 requires less pressure than 91 to combust, cylinders are built to combust at a certain pressure. IF the pressure is too low for the optimum compression, you are loosing power (causing engine knock) and the engine's computer essentially has to slow down the motor's timing to combust at the pressure that is optimum for your low octane (87) gasoline.

But if your motor is built for 87 octane, 91 wont help it.

Coors

I think there is only 91 where I live. Which is Newfoundland.
If anyone can find me a station in newfoundland that offers higher than 91, please let me know

an0malous

If you run lower octane you will get knock.

If you get knock your car pulls timing.

If your car pulls timing you have less power.

therefor lower octane = less power.

Higher octane doesnt necessarily mean more power. but lower octane definately means less.

Coors

Thanks for the reply's folks. You really do take care of your own

nixonjn

I live in Philadelphia and I think that the people here who messed w/ the MOS and needed 93 octane had to get it from the airport. See if a nearby airport sells a higher octane if that's what you really want. I honestly don't think you need anything higher than your manual says.

Random question, middle grade 89 octane (i think it's 89, something around there)...is there a car built for that?!

joeworkstoohard

most people that use the 89 have older cars that were made for 87 but could use a little pick me up.

outtamymind

i've got an 07' SS/NA and i've been running 87 haven't noticed anything i did notice that it liked the highway alot better when i was running 89 octane which was good. and alberta winter's are fun with the good ol' front wheel drive. hell we do 360's across 3 lanes in rush hour. haha anyways i haven't been running 91 because right now gas prices are outrageous