I am looking at buying a 2003 or newer 911 non turbo. I have read the factory recommends 93 octane. Has anyone run 87 or 91?

Thanks,
Eric

 

If you want to buy cheap gas, don't buy a Porsche. Try a Kia.

 

I'm afraid Carsnob is right. Personally 93 is the minimum I would run. Being in the UK I do run my car on 99 and you notice the difference. The lowest I go is 95 and you can tell the difference from the 99.
Regards Big Bob

 

It's premium or nothing for me. Sort of foolish to spend all that money on a great car and skimp on the gasolineto savea few bucks..

Steve in Saratoga Springs, NY

 

+1
At the risk of sounding a bit harsh, it seems that if you can cover the cost of the Porsche, premium octane is not too much of a stretch. FWIW, and I could be rebutted by more knowledgeable experts on this forum, I do believe that the 997 (at least) will eat just about any fuel. It has a knock sensor and enough engine management computing power to adjust accordingly. But why would you?
Separately, on the 'wretched excess' end of the fuel spectrum, I just filled my 997S with 100 octane race fuel that my local service station happens to sell for relatively reasonable prices. I haven't had the chance to really test it under load - low rpm/high throttle setting, but it sure does seem to be running smoothly. Hardly a double blind test, but it sure is fun

 

In my part of Canada our premium gas is 91 octane and we all run our Porsches with no problem. If we can find higher octane at the track or in the US we indulge ourselves, of course!

 

Actually in Ontario Sunoco premium is 94 octane. However in NY, Pa, Md, DC , the Sunoco max is 93.
Apparently the European ratings are comparable even though their numbers are higher but I don't know why that's the case...

 

I paying $4.60 for diesel now so it is not the price that is the question. I can remeber what show it was, maybe topgear, and they ran 87 octane in a 911 and it only lost 2 HP. They were saying most cars don't need or require the higher octane.

 

Eric, Just read an article in last sundays paper about what octane your car really needs. There was a quote from Prosche saying there cars really don't need 93 Octane and they will run just fine on 87.. I'll try to find the complete article and provide a link..

Steve in Saratoga Springs, NY

 

I drive a 2001 911 Turbo and run it off 91 octane cause that is all that is available.
It runs like a dream. Would like to try 93 or higher and see if there is a difference, but right now I have no complaints.