I have heard that the stock tune has a low octane table to pull timing in cases where low octane has been used to prevent pinging. Is this true? The reason I ask this is because I am talking to a guy who is thinking about selling his SS and in conversation found out that he has run nothing but regular in his truck since he bought it new. The truck is completely stock and has the stock tune.
Has this caused any damage? What are your opinions? Thanks!
Yes, the stock tune has timing tables for certain octane gas. The truck is gonna be just fine. Only thing u gain buy using premium is honestly performance unless u use some shitty 87 octane
I disagree. You will also lose fuel mileage as a car that is designed to run on 93 will get even worse fuel economy on lesser octane. Thus making any money saved at the pump negligable as you will be going more frequently.
The real thing would be how often did he "get on it" with that low octane. It will pull timing for sure but the effect is worse when stomping on it. Knock? How does it sound when driving it? Did he change oil regularly with Mobil 1? Maintenance records? Kind of a toss up until you research more into it.
You don't ahve to imagine...it's pretty bad. In fact, KR is bad on stock tunes even with 93 octane, but it's not nearly as bad as on 87 octane. You don;t hear it because the PCM pulls so much timing but, it's still there, causing KR.
The truck is in great condition. From talking to him I think he didn't realize what he exactly had. He said he bought the truck because of how good it looked and that it stood out on the lot amongst the other trailblazers. I have not driven it yet...he is still undecided on whether or not he wants to sell.
The truck is an 08 3SS with about 20,000 miles. The more I think about the less I am interested. I was let down immediately after he mentioned he ran regular because up until that the truck looked good!
There is a guy I know who bought a '06 TBSS new back in 06. He traded in his old Astro van for it. He got it because he liked how it looked and can still tow his snowmobiles. He has run nothing but 87 octane since day 1. For what it's worth, he's a GM certified tech. I would bet that the TBSS you are considering is just fine, just like my freinds with almost 50,000 miles on it.
I have over 64000 miles on my '07, how many miles do you have on yours?
When the snow is up to your ass and you can't even drive the speed limit, why would you wast money trying to squeeze every horse out of your engine?
Once the weather breaks, I'll be back on the 190 proof gas,(EC) and running my tuned ECM and TCM.
:burp:
well hate to say it but your friends an idiot, why buy a performance suv designed for 91+ to only run 87 and save wat maybe 80-100bucks a year. it may not affect the car at the time but lets see his truck with 70-100k miles and sees who smiling then. i'll never understand why people would cheap out on the two most important things on a car gas and oil that the differences in price is hardly anything when u think about it
The owners manual says it's ok. :dunno: If you really think about it, what is it actually hurting. The computer is set up to decrease performance with a lesser octane.
As far as the topic at hand is concerned, GM will still warranty the thread starting 08 TBSS for 100,000 miles, even if 87 octane is used. The owners manual says the same thing for 08's as 06's.
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Service Information
2008 Chevrolet TrailBlazer - 4WD | Chevrolet TrailBlazer Owner Manual | Service and Appearance Care | Fuel | Description and Operation | Document ID: 1561442
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Gasoline Octane
If the vehicle has the 4.2L L6 engine (VIN Code S) or the 5.3L V8 engine (VIN Code M), use regular unleaded gasoline with a posted octane rating of 87 or higher. If the octane rating is less than 87, you might notice an audible knocking noise when you drive, commonly referred to as spark knock. If this occurs, use a gasoline rated at 87 octane or higher as soon as possible. If you are using gasoline rated at 87 octane or higher and you hear heavy knocking, the engine needs service.