Which fuel to use
Have a 98 Damon Daybreak 32 ft. motorhome that we just got. It has a big block Chevy chassis. Is it OK to run regular gas in this or Do I need to run premium?
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6 Replies
- Had an 87 454 carbureted and ran regular 87 octane and now have a 2001 7.4 fuel injected vortec and run regular 87 octane. No problems with either.
ArchHoagland wrote:
On trips through the midwest I'll use the 85 octane that's available there..
Make that "trips through the mountains".
85 is generally NOT available in the midwest.......where there are NO mountains.
:B- My big block ran fine with 87 on level ground or 85 in the higher altitudes. My engine has an electronic control module that adjusts the timing to accomidate changes in fuel octane. If your '98 coach has an electronic control module then it should be able to adjust. If it does not, follow the manual's recommended fuel. It is never a good idea to use premium fuel in an engine designed for 87 octane. You get no increase in performance and you add to the pollution. If your engine runs better with premium, then you have a problem that needs to be addressed with the engine, not by switching fuel.
- I've put 91,000 miles on my GM 8.1 burning 87 octane.
On trips through the midwest I'll use the 85 octane that's available there..
Works great. - Check the manual. Most will call for 87 octane and higher octane will just be wasted as the engine is designed for 87. Some newer performance cars with turbos call for premium.
- most run regular, but should say on the fuel door or the manual. We ran both in ours and it ran better with premium gas but mpg did not go up much. I ran premium in the mountain and it did much better. We live in the mountains, so had a great test bed.
