Water-Bug
Traverse City, Michigan
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Joined: 10/09/2011
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Do you use premium gas when towing ? In days of old, it was common to equip your TV with an auxiliary tank and fill it with premium fuel. When you encounteren engine (sparkplug) knock, you simply switched tanks to the premium gas. Modern engines have computers that detect knock and retard spark to eliminate it. This results in a loss of power. The driver or cruise control depresses the accelerator to compensate for the loss of power. The additional depression of the accelerator results in more frequent down-shifts. I've noticed that if I burn premium fuel while towing, I encounter fewer down-shifts. That should mean better fuel economy (more mpg). With gas costing near $4/gallon my 30 gallon tank costs about $120 to fill. The extra $6 for premium fuel is nearly insegnificant.
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nelson
Clio,Mi USA
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JMO, I have never felt the need to run premium for towing.
2002 Damon Challenger 348 Ford V10
Blue Ox Auto Stop and Aventa II Tow Bar
2001 Ford Sport Trac with Remco Driveshaft Disconnect
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panamacamper1
Maryland
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Joined: 03/16/2011
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I have run all three and I notice with premium I get better gas mileage.
I went 150 miles on REG with a full tank and I was between 1/2 and 3/4 tank. More towrds the 1/2 tank area.
Did the same trip the next time and was at 3/4 almost dead on.
Oh, I changed ABSOLUTELY nothing with wieght. Both trips were ran the same.
No shifting of weight to front or rear of TT. Truck bed empty.
I did lose about 10 pounds since I am "bringing sexy back" for my wife.
BAM!!!!!!!!!!!! I do have a 2009 Ram Hemi, and no piping. I ran from Annapolis MD around DC to Luray VA. I usually mix tanks between mid and premium. This sounds like the question,
Does cold air intake make for a better run? It's all up to the individual. Good luck.
* This post was
edited 05/05/12 10:24am by panamacamper1 *
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TomG2
Central Illinois
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I don't burn premium, but do get better results with non-ethanol blends when I can find them.
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Oasisbob
Portland Oregon 97266
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Minimal performance gain is not cost effective. I do remember the old days. They are long gone. Happy Trails
Oasis Bob
Wonderful wife & 4 Really Fun kids
2008 KIA Sedona 3.8L 24 valve V-6
2001 Bantam Trail Lite B-19
HAPPY TRAILS
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fla-gypsy
North Florida
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Does anyone have any facts, or real data to support any of these claims? I am interested in this but have not experienced any of the downsides when using regular unleaded. The non-alcohol fuel I understand as it contains less BTU's, but the premium fuel scenario makes no sense with the modern tow vehicle
09 SuperDuty Crew Cab 6.8L/4.10(The Black Pearl)
06 Keystone Hornet 29 RLS/(The Cracker Cabana)
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garym114
Bluff Dale, Texas
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Would that mean that gas motorhomes should run premium all the time?
Probably not.
2000 Sea Breeze F53 V10 - CR-V Toad
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therink
Rochester
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Joined: 05/25/2009
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Higher octane gas does not enhance engine performance unless either the owners manual calls for it (ie Dodge Hemi), or if the engine has an aftermarket tuner where the timing is advanced.
Steve Rinker
Rochester, NY
2013 Keystone Sydney 340FBH 5'er
2012 Silverado 3500HD, SRW,LTZ,4x4, Z71, Crew, 6.0 Gasser, 4:10 Gears, Standard bed
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tbrowne
Springfield, OH
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Premium gasoline is not better fuel than regular. It has a higher octane rating that resists predetonation better than regular fuel. If the manufacturer recommends higher octane fuel, then you should run it. If not, there is no benefit to higher octane gas. You won't get any better mileage or more power from the engine. You'll spend more money on fuel but that's it!
Terry Browne
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Desert Captain
Tucson
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Just another one of the things I love about my 5.4L, no need to run anything but regular. In some states we found regular to be 85 or 86 octane vs the 87 we are used to in California and Arizona and it still runs fine without any pinging. If you are shopping for a new TV take a look at the fuel requirements of any potential engine. My brides Solara coupe recommends the middle grade, 89 octane and it runs better on that but it can cost anywhere from 10 to 25 cents a gallon more and that really adds up. 
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