LT1-LT4 Modifications 1993-97 Gen II Small Block V8

91 octane?

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Old 10-30-2008, 05:32 PM
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Default 91 octane?

The manual mentions nothing of it, but do you guys run 91 octane on your LT1's?

i've got software, a 52mm edelbrock TB, ramair intake and full exhaust.

Ive run nothing but 91, not sure if 87 is safe. if it is safe, will i lose performance?


also on a side note, how many miles do people usually get out of LT1 engines and their transmissions before rebuild?
Old 10-30-2008, 05:36 PM
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well if your car is tuned then i would always reccomend running the highest octane gas you can buy, and as for motors and transmissions it all really depends, whats your car M6 A4? do you drive it hard, do all the regular maintenance?

cause there are guys here with some LT1's in the 2xx,xxx's miles range ( i think capricemngr has two both very high miles) and they run great as he has taken good care of them and done regular scheduled maintenance.

make a sig about you car list all your mods and whats trans, this way when you make a thread about your car and you have a question we dont have to ask you everytime what the car is and what its got in it, you know the history per say.
Old 10-30-2008, 05:42 PM
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yeah man i only run 91 octane in my stock a4 94z28. I tried using 87 before cause my gf's dad was givin out free gas and my car hated it. It lossed mpg's and the car just felt sluggish. After i emptied out that tank i went back to 91 and all was fine.

As for mileage like pny said there are well taken care of lt1's going up and over the 200k mile mark. As long as you treat her good she will treat you good in return. Im at 108k and havent had many problems at all other than maintenance ****. Just did a full tune up minus the opti cause i didnt have another 500 bucks to throw on top of the tune up and replaced the fuel pump last yr and now the alternator and power steering might be about ready to change. But I drive my car hard and its holding together pretty well. Hopefully soon it will be fully rebuilt and swapped for a six speed.

Like pny said add a sig and post what yr and make ur car is and what transmission. and all the goodies
Old 10-30-2008, 05:50 PM
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Originally Posted by PNYKLR-TA
well if your car is tuned then i would always reccomend running the highest octane gas you can buy, and as for motors and transmissions it all really depends, whats your car M6 A4? do you drive it hard, do all the regular maintenance?

cause there are guys here with some LT1's in the 2xx,xxx's miles range ( i think capricemngr has two both very high miles) and they run great as he has taken good care of them and done regular scheduled maintenance.

make a sig about you car list all your mods and whats trans, this way when you make a thread about your car and you have a question we dont have to ask you everytime what the car is and what its got in it, you know the history per say.
i've got 88k miles, i drive it until 2k most of the time, with a few short bursts to redline every now and then. so i drive it easy.

What is recommended main't on these cars? I'm new. i mean besides the obvious, diff and tranny fluid, filters, oil, all that good stuff. anything else? spark plugs probably?

I got it from the original owner last month. very clean body, and very clean interior.

Originally Posted by EliteCamaro94
yeah man i only run 91 octane in my stock a4 94z28. I tried using 87 before cause my gf's dad was givin out free gas and my car hated it. It lossed mpg's and the car just felt sluggish. After i emptied out that tank i went back to 91 and all was fine.

As for mileage like pny said there are well taken care of lt1's going up and over the 200k mile mark. As long as you treat her good she will treat you good in return. Im at 108k and havent had many problems at all other than maintenance ****. Just did a full tune up minus the opti cause i didnt have another 500 bucks to throw on top of the tune up and replaced the fuel pump last yr and now the alternator and power steering might be about ready to change. But I drive my car hard and its holding together pretty well. Hopefully soon it will be fully rebuilt and swapped for a six speed.

Like pny said add a sig and post what yr and make ur car is and what transmission. and all the goodies

fixed my sig, it's not tuned. what does it take to tune it and what would i see as far as results?
Old 10-30-2008, 05:56 PM
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Originally Posted by nik1703
i've got 88k miles, i drive it until 2k most of the time, with a few short bursts to redline every now and then. so i drive it easy.

What is recommended main't on these cars? I'm new. i mean besides the obvious, diff and tranny fluid, filters, oil, all that good stuff. anything else? spark plugs probably?

I got it from the original owner last month. very clean body, and very clean interior.




fixed my sig, it's not tuned. what does it take to tune it and what would i see as far as results?

cool good call on your sig def helps alot

and as far as maintenance goes i'd say clean your filter, make sure you are getting good spark and fuel, maybe a fuel filter, depends on how well maintained the car was, do you have records from the last guy?

also a tune would be worth a good 15 horse or so maybe even more because you have full exhaust, i know it will make the car act completely different, and if you dont have an intake i'd suggest one as well.

and the 93's are speed density OBDI so tuning IIRC is a little easier and the software can be had online for free, or you can pay madz28 or a few other guys on this forum for a tune they can email you and its like 150 or so bucks.
Old 10-30-2008, 06:00 PM
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Originally Posted by PNYKLR-TA
cool good call on your sig def helps alot

and as far as maintenance goes i'd say clean your filter, make sure you are getting good spark and fuel, maybe a fuel filter, depends on how well maintained the car was, do you have records from the last guy?
Yeah, i don't have records from the guy. he said he always took care of it... and i mean without records i shouldnt believe it. but the car was in great shape (body and interior and motor, 88k miles) and he was the original owner so i kind of believed him.

I cleaned the K&N air filter with the K&N kit, changed the diff fluid and replaced the seals, and the brake fluid needs to be flushed. but other then that everything is in top condition.. I might do the spark plugs.

Where would i get the car tuned and what would it cost me? Any info on performance increases?

thanks for your input guys.
Old 10-30-2008, 06:07 PM
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My owners manual says it calls for 92 octane. I had a gas station attendant put 87 in it before by accident and it still ran perfect. 91 or above is what I would stick with.
Old 10-30-2008, 06:17 PM
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Originally Posted by Elliott's94Z
My owners manual says it calls for 92 octane. I had a gas station attendant put 87 in it before by accident and it still ran perfect. 91 or above is what I would stick with.
i've never seen 92 in my life, isnt the next step up 93?

but yeah, ive been putting 91. just wish i didnt have to, haha.
Old 10-30-2008, 06:29 PM
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Originally Posted by nik1703
i've never seen 92 in my life, isnt the next step up 93?

but yeah, ive been putting 91. just wish i didnt have to, haha.
We have 92 at every gas station here in Oregon...and I need to correct myself on something...my owners manual says "91" or higher. I've never seen 91 octane here...lol funny how different states are
Old 10-30-2008, 06:33 PM
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Originally Posted by Elliott's94Z
We have 92 at every gas station here in Oregon...and I need to correct myself on something...my owners manual says "91" or higher. I've never seen 91 octane here...lol funny how different states are
that's odd. haha.

yeah, we're 91 here. i guess ill keep running 91.
Old 10-30-2008, 06:35 PM
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Originally Posted by nik1703
that's odd. haha.

yeah, we're 91 here. i guess ill keep running 91.
There's a station up the way from my house that has 100 octane. Never ran it myself, but have always been curious. You are just fine with 91.
Old 10-30-2008, 07:47 PM
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I have a factory service manual and with the factory tuning it says the Min. Octane Recommended is 87 (pump) octane for the 3.4l, 3.8l, and 5.7l. I personally use 87 octane. If you are looking at getting a tune the difference will be in which octane you use. On madz's website he says with a 92 octane tune you will generally gain 15hp and with 87 a octane tune you might gain around 8hp.
Old 10-30-2008, 07:52 PM
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hey guys, i have aftermarket software. not sure what brand. i could check on the prom.

if i install cams and get a tune, what are the chances of the software being compatible?
Old 10-30-2008, 08:00 PM
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Originally Posted by camerory
I have a factory service manual and with the factory tuning it says the Min. Octane Recommended is 87 (pump) octane for the 3.4l, 3.8l, and 5.7l. I personally use 87 octane. If you are looking at getting a tune the difference will be in which octane you use. On madz's website he says with a 92 octane tune you will generally gain 15hp and with 87 a octane tune you might gain around 8hp.
I have the factory manual as well and it says 5.7L should use 91 and up...
Old 10-30-2008, 08:39 PM
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I always use 93 octane, on occasion if I have to use the local 'Pilot' station they only have 92 octane, but the car doesn't like it. IIRC, the 4th gens have 2 tables in the computer for different octane rating.
I have 175,xxx miles on my Firebird and still going strong, I drive it hard, and (hang my head in shame) don't keep up with maintenance often enough.

The '93 model isn't flash tunable, its the same as the 3rd gens, you have to pull the prom and burn a new tune, so you'll need the hardware as well as software.

Sara Lou
Old 10-30-2008, 10:18 PM
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You should use premium fuel. In reality your spending what?... $2.00 more each fill up for better grade gasoline? I think its not hurting ur pocket to awful much As far as your "software" goes, let us know what it is. When you install a cam or any major performance part that is going to change readings and adjustments which allow more air to come in or flow, the car should be tuned.
Old 10-30-2008, 10:27 PM
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my car is a 93' so according to Zralou i'd have to burn a new tune so the software would be going either way.

how much would that run me?

also, would a super charger be cheaper then cams?
Old 10-30-2008, 11:30 PM
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Originally Posted by nik1703
my car is a 93' so according to Zralou i'd have to burn a new tune so the software would be going either way.

how much would that run me?

also, would a super charger be cheaper then cams?
you only have one cam bud and that with install be in the 800-1200 range with the right stuff
supercharger is 4-6k
Old 10-30-2008, 11:34 PM
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The octane rating is souly derived on your geographical location. For example, if you were to live in Denver, CO or any other high altitude area it would do you no good to put 93 octane in your car.

Last edited by SS RRR; 10-31-2008 at 12:05 AM.
Old 10-30-2008, 11:58 PM
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10.5 : 1 compressions = 93 octane! >


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