2014 Charger R/T what is best fuel to use?

[Crazy Larry]

Quick question:

I have a 2014 Charger R/T awd with Hemi. Love the car and have been using high test 93 octane for fuel. The other car guys at my work day I'm just wasting my money, and should use low grade 86 or 87 because the new cars compensate for fuel electronically and perform all the same.

Are there benefits from using high test for the new Hemi engines as in longevity and decreased engine wear?
Does anyone know what dodge recommends?

Thanks for the help.

[Road Dog]

Unless you have a tune on it 93 is a waste. I think 89 is what is recommended on the R/T.

[Dino]

Is there no recommendation in the user manual?

[Ponch ®]

Unless you have a tune on it 93 is a waste. I think 89 is what is recommended on the R/T.

I dunno what is recommended, but I've run 89 whenever I haven't had a tune on both of my 5.7 cars and theyve run been fine.

[myk]

Read the manual, it will tell you what to use.

I will say this though: why do people buy a performance car and then insist on trying to cheap out with buying lower grades of gas, tires, brakes, replacements parts, etc? 

[Ponch ®]

Read the manual, it will tell you what to use.

I will say this though: why do people buy a performance car and then insist on trying to cheap out with buying lower grades of gas, tires, brakes, replacements parts, etc? 

its not about cheaping out, its about not wasting money.

having been in the LX "scene" for 9 years Ive learned that expensive does not necessarily mean that its better, and if it is better, do you even need it?

As an example, some guys will spend $350 per tire for a set of "high performance" Nitto tires...for a car that gets driven a couple of times a week and never goes anywhere near a racetrack. Meanwhile Im spending about $100 per tire for some Nexens that will go on a daily driver and will last 30k miles.

[myk]

Read the manual, it will tell you what to use.

I will say this though: why do people buy a performance car and then insist on trying to cheap out with buying lower grades of gas, tires, brakes, replacements parts, etc? 

its not about cheaping out, its about not wasting money.

having been in the LX "scene" for 9 years Ive learned that expensive does not necessarily mean that its better, and if it is better, do you even need it?

As an example, some guys will spend $350 per tire for a set of "high performance" Nitto tires...for a car that gets driven a couple of times a week and never goes anywhere near a racetrack. Meanwhile Im spending about $100 per tire for some Nexens that will go on a daily driver and will last 30k miles.

I wasn't talking about you in particular.  Rather, people like in the LS based forums who go out and buy a Corvette, and then pout and cry about how they can't run '87 octane in their engines and it's too expensive to run premium.  I think that if fuel costs are a concern someone should research the vehicle and buy accordingly.  There's no point shelling out the coin for a performance based vehicle and then trying to "get by" on lower octane gas, parts, etc.  Now, if you say you can get away with running lower octane in your 5.7 without affecting the performance then that's fine; I just think it's ludicrous that in other cases people are willing to handicap their motor just to cheap out on maintenance...

[1974dodgecharger]

or how about when a guys go out and buy a SXT charger/challenger and then ask on facebook, 'hey folks I want top performance out of my car Im currently using octane 93 and on occasion 110 for extra boost what else can I do?'

People these days forget that their cars are so computerized that the computer will adjust to the octane setting used unless its poorer gas than recommended. 

[Ponch ®]

Read the manual, it will tell you what to use.

I will say this though: why do people buy a performance car and then insist on trying to cheap out with buying lower grades of gas, tires, brakes, replacements parts, etc?  

its not about cheaping out, its about not wasting money.

having been in the LX "scene" for 9 years Ive learned that expensive does not necessarily mean that its better, and if it is better, do you even need it?

As an example, some guys will spend $350 per tire for a set of "high performance" Nitto tires...for a car that gets driven a couple of times a week and never goes anywhere near a racetrack. Meanwhile Im spending about $100 per tire for some Nexens that will go on a daily driver and will last 30k miles.

I wasn't talking about you in particular.  Rather, people like in the LS based forums who go out and buy a Corvette, and then pout and cry about how they can't run '87 octane in their engines and it's too expensive to run premium.  I think that if fuel costs are a concern someone should research the vehicle and buy accordingly.  There's no point shelling out the coin for a performance based vehicle and then trying to "get by" on lower octane gas, parts, etc.  Now, if you say you can get away with running lower octane in your 5.7 without affecting the performance then that's fine; I just think it's ludicrous that in other cases people are willing to handicap their motor just to cheap out on maintenance...

I see what you mean, i think we're saying the same thing (but in different ways)

Somewhat related to this is one my main car hobby pet peeves.

You see it all the time: Seller/builder advertises Dodge/Plymouth street rod/custom muscle car, brags about spending $15K on paint and body work, $10K on the interior, $4K on wheels and tires, and who knows how much in man hours to make the car "as flawless as it gets". Oh, by the way, it has a Chevy 350/350 drive train "because they're cheap and easy to find". Does that ever make sense? Spend a small fortune on everything but can't swing the extra couple of grand to buy a crate 360 or have one built?

or how about when a guys go out and buy a SXT charger/challenger and then ask on facebook, 'hey folks I want top performance out of my car Im currently using octane 93 and on occasion 110 for extra boost what else can I do?'

My favorites are the naive "kids" that be like: "hey, so I can't afford to buy an R/T / SRT outright, so I'm just gonna do an engine swap and drop a 6.4 HEMI in it (or supercharge my 2.7L) to save money" 

[Crazy Larry]

Read the manual, it will tell you what to use.

I will say this though: why do people buy a performance car and then insist on trying to cheap out with buying lower grades of gas, tires, brakes, replacements parts, etc? 

I checked the user manual but couldn't find an answer. Maybe I missed it. I had a 2007 Charger awd with the v6 and it stated car was designed to run 87 octane (so I figured just use low grade all the time). But now with the RT, I figured high test would be best. Like you said, spent money for the performance car why go cheap.

But like another poster said, computer will adjust for octane setting. So why waste 93 when you can run on 91 all the same.

Thanks for the responses, fellas. I'll check the manual again and if I find something I'll post it.

[Ponch ®]

Read the manual, it will tell you what to use.

I will say this though: why do people buy a performance car and then insist on trying to cheap out with buying lower grades of gas, tires, brakes, replacements parts, etc?  

I checked the user manual but couldn't find an answer. Maybe I missed it. I had a 2007 Charger awd with the v6 and it stated car was designed to run 87 octane (so I figured just use low grade all the time). But now with the RT, I figured high test would be best. Like you said, spent money for the performance car why go cheap.

But like another poster said, computer will adjust for octane setting. So why waste 93 when you can run on 91 all the same.

Thanks for the responses, fellas. I'll check the manual again and if I find something I'll post it.

its too bad that (at least to my knowledge, I could be wrong) there are no DIY tuners for the 11-up Charger/Challenger/300 platform. Then you could really have a use for 91-93 octane fuel.

I had a Predator on my 08 Charger and the difference in performance and the way it drove was noticeable, butt dyno approved. Trying to find a used Intune (the successor to the Predator) for my '10 Challenger.

[Road Dog]

My 2011 Challenger R/T manual recommends 89 for my car.

[Kern Dog]

Read the manual, it will tell you what to use.

I will say this though: why do people buy a performance car and then insist on trying to cheap out with buying lower grades of gas, tires, brakes, replacements parts, etc? 

The other car guys at your job are idiots.

Look at it THIS way: Running regular low octane fuel will result in the engine pulling timing ANY time it senses detonation. Low rpm light accelleration, WOT acceleration, hot days...The reduction in timing will result in poor mileage and poor performance. Running the mid grade will keep the engine in its optimal factory timing maps allowing maximum mileage and power. The gains in mpg and power are surely worth the .10 to .15 cents over cheap regular gas. You should not need the 92 or higher unless you have reprogrammed the computer with an aftermarket tuner. A stock engine with stock tune is designed for 89 recommended, 87 ok.

[GOTWING]

I have been running 87 octane in my 2005 Chrysler 300C 5.7 hemi since day one with no issues, 156,000 miles on it , I also run 87 in our 2010 Challenger 5.7 hemi R/T.