Ok, life is short, so I've decided to drive my 2009 C2S year round from now on..I live in Michigan. My snow tires (Blizzaks) are on order will will arrive soon. (btw, I have two sets of wheels..). This will be the first winter ever for my C2S... (and, NO, I didn't like or want the C4S...lol)

My question is related to gasoline. I use Shell V-Power 93 octane exclusively (unfortunately, no Chevron in this state). Should I continue to use this all winter? I've read that 93 octane gas is not preferred in extreme cold temperatures (combustibility, poor start-up). So I should use 91 octane instead? Btw, Shell doesn't have 91 octane gas, and I'm hesitant to use any cheaper brand of gasoline with these DFI engines.

Thanks...

 

great decision!!

pics required of the snow days!
Keep the car rinsed weekly...no need to wash it but a good rinse goes a long way. Esp the underside and wheel wells
your car is pretty smart and has ways of dealing with the climate changes...I dont think 91 or 93 will make any difference - but I would NOT use anything lower.....

the blizzaks make for an awesome driver in the cold weather...when its clear (traffic wise) test the limits a little - you should be amazed what it will do !!! - You can learn throttle steering in a single day in the snow, it might take months of track driving to learn the same thing.... those NOT driving in the winter are missing 1/2 the fun of owning a Porsche!!!

enjoy!

 

+1 (what he said!)!

Keeping the undercarriage rinsed is key. Enjoy the winter!

-B

 

i have never heard that 91 octane gas is better than 93 octane.
CA folks do drive same cars on 91 octane all the time, so it will not kill it. when i have to pour 91 octane instead of 93 octane i do feel the difference in my car so i would never do it no matter what temperature is outside.

as it is michigan - if you have a garage so car would be at 30+ degrees when you start her in the morning nothing will matter at all. what kills those engines is the start after deep freeze when oil cannot get into all tiny passages and into valve lifters. so i would add some ZDDP into oil to improve librication a bit for winter.

 

oh goodie - an oil thread

 

Agree with the benefits and thrills of snow driving. Any time you're driving at the limit, be it on ice or tarmac, you're advancing your skills.

Drive like a young Finn:

 

nah. it is not so much about oil as of what actually hapens in the engine that uses oil not just for lubrication but as a damper agent too when temperature outside goes close/into negative zone.

 

Use 93 octane gas. All gas is blended for climatic conditions. Gasoline intended to be sold in colder weather will be blended to have the proper vapor pressure for the temps expected in your area. (IIRC summer min/max is 45/60 kPa and winter min/max is 60/90 kPa or something on this order depending just where you are.)

Now if you managed to leave 'winter' gas in the tank until very warm weather set in... there could be problems. And the flip side is if you filled up with 'summer' gas and then let the car sit until the dead of winter, there could be problems too.

(Ignoring the fact in either case the gas would be stale as all get out.)

My observation is these cars do better on a name brand top tier gas of the proper octane grade. Discount premium gasolines while attractive based on the cheaper selling price my experience is the engine overall just feels better, runs better with the better gas in it. Be sure to buy from a busy station to get the freshest gasoline.

Sincerely,

Macster.