zzoomp09

You don't need to unless it's turbo. It's only my preference as the engine sounds better and has a bit more pull to it. I've read somewhere, I forgot where, (maybe from one of the reading materials Mazda have given me when I bought the car) that premium is the recommended fuel but regular is the required fuel.

J-Protege

Hmm, I'm not really sure why the n/a engine would need all that extra octane... Has the compression rate changed on the 3, because from what I know, regular fuel (87 octane) should be all it needs to run normally.

If you want more pull from your car, pick up an intake, it'll be cheaper than always filling with premium in the long run.

zzoomp09

I've just noticed some difference in the engine sound and pull. I'm not worried about the extra cost as we have one of the lowest, if not the lowest gas prices in the country, New Jersey. The average gallon for regular gasoline is equal to the average premium grade gasoline here. Plus, my mechanic told me that the fuel system will be cleaner with premium gasoline. I just didn't like the engine sound when I've filled it up with 87. It's better with at least 91. And mind you, premium grade in the Northeast, specifically in the NY Area is at least 93 octane.

One of the official reading material from Mazda has stated premium as a recommended fuel and regular as the required fuel. You don't need to put in premium if you don't want to. It's just a preference for me. =)

J-Protege

Hmm, can't go wrong if you dont mind the price I guess, haha. Fuel here is 4.49 a gallon for regular, i thing around 4.75 a gallon for prem.

Glad my car only needs gas for those 135 little ponies

_Kansei_

Plus the fact that the ECU won't advance timing to compensate for the higher octane.. if it did, they'd advertise the power numbers with said octane and then in the small print (i.e. a sticker inside the gas door that you don't notice for the first week of ownership) slap you in the face with premium fuel on a naturally aspirated car.

The debate on whether a higher octane fuel is 'healthier' for the car is.. well it's a debate. Yeah some gas companies put extra detergent additives in higher octane gas, but the whole 'premium fuel' thing is just a bunch of marketing BS. If your car is designed for a higher octane number, you use a higher octane number. If not, you don't. Using it in a car not designed for it can lead to your fuel/spark timing being a little out of sync, as a higher octane fuel will combust at a different point.

If your car idles like crap on lower octane fuel, take it to the dealer and ask about it, or go to an auto parts store and buy a fuel/injector/everything cleaner (Seafoam is a brand that can be trusted --most others really, really shouldn't be) and do a cleaning yourself.

zzoomp09

Let's do this again...

I've read from a Mazda 3 reading material that came with my car when I bought it stating that premium fuel as the recommended fuel, regular as the required fuel.

It's not just I decided to fill it up with premium. A reading material I've read said it. Plus, the manual states 87 octane rating or higher. Not 87 octane rating only.

I have a friend who's a Mazda mechanic and he suggested premium too, but only required regular fuel. There's nothing wrong with my engine if I fill it up with regular. It just sounds better with premium fuel, not sounding like crap with regular fuel. Any car you're going to put in premium, will give you a different and better sound. Even my previous Corolla, my mom's 97 Corolla, my sister's 06 Civic, my friend's 04 Sienna, my brother-in-law's 04 CRV, my other friend's 04 Durango, my company car which is an 06 Focus, etc, etc, etc. I can name more but I've already proven my point.

_Kansei_

What point? yes, we all know putting a different fuel in the car than normal will change things (such as the sound, the performance, etc). If the car is designed to operate on 87 octane (some cars are designed to operate on premium but can operate on lower octanes, but they will word their documentation as "For rated performance numbers, premium fuel is required" because the ECU retards timing for lower octanes, which can be a significant power drop for some cars), adding a higher octane fuel in 99% of cases will not make a measurable performance gain (it can cause a performance decrease as well of course) and can affect fuel mileage (good or bad).

By Mazdas wording, it seems like they are pandering to the oil companies false claims about higher octane fuel. Yeah, it won't make your car explode, but don't try and make the claim that any car will sound 'better' with premium fuel in it. that's silly :P

KyanMarcus

will premium gas give you better gas mileage?
thx
K

zzoomp09

After driving 18K miles on my 3, filling it up with regular for about 8 fillups from 6K miles then changing to premium, I've noticed a 1-2 miles per gallon difference.

_Kansei_

good or bad? It could totally go either way, depending on whether the car is like "omg what is this high octane stuff eww" or "oh premium gas, kthx!"

wasntmeofficer2.3

km=.6 miles
1 gallon is 3.78 Liters

needmazda

i know this thread is about gas , but could someone please tell me how the shift **** comes off do you just yank up on it or does it unscrew

wasntmeofficer2.3

it unscrews

lefty loosy righty tighty

needmazda

if this is on the automatic then i appreciate it dude thankx

wilbyjasoz

All of these figures you guys are throwing out there about how many miles you get per tank may be inaccurate considering that not everybody fills up when there tank is empty which can change your results quite dramatically. The mazda 3 has a 14.5 gallon tank. I find when im on the empty line on the gas gauge and i fill up, it's about 12 gallons. there's still 2.5 gallons in the tank! that's about 75 miles of driving left!