exactly what kind of gas should I use in my car. I own a 95 firebird formula with and LT1 engine and it says premium unleaded only, but on my camaro it has an LS1 it does not say what kind I should do. any ideas

 

I think you should be using 93, or whatever primium is where you live, especially in the summer. It might ping if you go any lower.

 

you can use any grade of gas, but the premium has additives in it to make you car run better. Although if you know your not gonna race or floor it you could you regular and everything would be fine.

 

you should use premium, but if you dont the computer will retard timing so it doesnt really matter then except loss of power... but the place you get gas is important, and never get 7-11 gas...

 

well my friends dad uses regular unleaded in his 96 cobra with no problems at all.

 

Are you asking about the 96 Cobra or an FBody?

 

I doubt the 96 Cobra has as high of compression as the LT1. I run 93 in my LT1.....that's the only thing that should go in one IMO.

 

Don't forget how elevation plays into this, not just static and dynamic compression.
I live at 3800 feet, and everything runs off of regular up here.

 

Just use 91 octane or better. Your car will run fine on 87 as long as you dont stomp on it. Anything over 93 octane is a waste of money, as the computer could care less if its over 93 octane.

 

If I was doing a long distance trip over a couple of days with no plans to get on it, I would use 87.

For tooling around town and just having some fun, 94 is what I use.

 

Don't forget the fact that you will usually get a little better mileage with better fuel becuase the PCM can advance the ignition more and produce more power with less throttle input. Helps offset the price of the premium fuel a little.

 

Totally agree. My car ran so poorly on 87 octane that I got about 10 MPG. Timing was pulled greatly and it was like driving a damn ford escort.

-Shannon

 

91 octane or better. (I use 93 octane) Don't even mess with lower octane grades. You are just asking for trouble, and a headache if you do.

Dan

 

when in doubt, follow what the manual/instructions/factory says.

 

Yea it says in my manual to use 93 or higher.