car-fi - Page 42

A lot of Toyotas are still made in Japan.  If you want a Japanese car the first letter in the VIN is 'J'.  US cars are a '1'.

I've got some oil issues w/ my Scoobie too but I bought it used so no idea who to blame.  I'm just going to drop a new Cosworth in it and play w/ the stock block after.

Just because something is made in Japan it doesn't mean that its never gonna have issues. And that gas thing is largely BS unless youre running boost, a really high revving engine, or are on track your (modern) engine will survive go ask a real mechanic or an engineer. The type of oil and the frequency in which you change it are much more important than what gas you use.

Quote:

Originally Posted by basketball 

To the Mazda not being reliable. Who are you? Mazda's are very reliable. They are still made in Japan. Perhaps it was your mom that was filling up with regular 87 grade when you are suppose to full your with premium 91 or higher? I bet it was. Maybe that's why people have problems with their German imports or any sports cars that is?

No, gas is not BS, it's dependent on compression ratio and detonation characteristics of your engines design and state of tune to include timing and ignition.  It requires more knowledge than either camp who says Premium is always better and Premium is always BS.  Lower octane gas actually can get better mileage as it contains a higher density of British Thermal Units (BTUs) assuming you don't 'need' premium.  

Best to run what the manual says so when it explodes you are CYA'd.  Seems the Mazda manual says 91 recommended but not required.

Oil seals are what matters most w/ rotaries anyway.  Diligent monitoring and change of oil.  The Renesis should be in the Miata and reciprocating in the RX8 simply due to who the enthusiasts are that care about this stuff.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anaxilus 

A lot of Toyotas are still made in Japan.  If you want a Japanese car the first letter in the VIN is 'J'.  US cars are a '1'.

 

I've got some oil issues w/ my Scoobie too but I bought it used so no idea who to blame.  I'm just going to drop a new Cosworth in it and play w/ the stock block after.

True, but the Japanese made Toyotas are dying off. Fortunately, my mom was the lucky ones to have 1 of a few hundred Japan made Camry Hybrids.

Chances are you are leaking a head gasket as well? Is it a turbo? Apparently the turbos head gaskets don't leak as often as the N/A Subbies.

Quote:

Originally Posted by basketball 


See! I told you itd be expensive. Its twice as much I originally told you....are you actually going to fix the leaking head gasket? If I were you I'd just sell it and run. Buy a Japanese civic or integra or something. I mean 3k that's Half as much as your car is worth. And who knows it may happen again Ina year. I am definately not buying a Subaru for my first car.
To the Mazda not being reliable. Who are you? Mazda's are very reliable. They are still made in Japan. Perhaps it was your mom that was filling up with regular 87 grade when you are suppose to full your with premium 91 or higher? I bet it was. Maybe that's why people have problems with their German imports or any sports cars that is?

I could get great financing from other companies but i'll finance a new car at a future date. Actually, I knew that my head gasket was going to go very soon because it had 164k kms on it with the original head gasket; around when it usually goes. Once that is fixed and over with, I should get 4+ more years out of it no problem. Clutch is good, gearbox is good, timing belt is new, water pump is new, got differential fluids washed and transmission fluid, everything is in tip top condition other than the leaky head gasket. And besides, that Boxer rumble is just mesmerizing every time I drive. I need new headers to amplify that rumble hahaha! And yes Octane has a large contribution to a performance cars life... Isn't this the basics people? Especially on a  RX-8, that's a given. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by alv4426 

Just because something is made in Japan it doesn't mean that its never gonna have issues. And that gas thing is largely BS unless youre running boost, a really high revving engine, or are on track your (modern) engine will survive go ask a real mechanic or an engineer. The type of oil and the frequency in which you change it are much more important than what gas you use.

I agree with you on the Oil. Once you go synthetic, you don't go back. And Japanese made vehicles are "generally" of better quality than other ones. My family friend is a mechanic at Toyota's factory in Japan and they have strict rules of double-checking absolutely everything on the car before shipping it out.

Of course!  I'm 'managing' it for the moment.

Always break in a motor w/ natural fossil oil first.  Gaskets need to be conditioned and tolerances need to settle before the switch to synthetics which are thinner.  Otherwise you need a precision designed and made motor to go synthetic straight away which basically rules out domestics.  

Did you install any aftermarket bulbs?  Just checking.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anaxilus 

No, gas is not BS, it's dependent on compression ratio and detonation characteristics of your engines design and state of tune to include timing and ignition.  It requires more knowledge than either camp who says Premium is always better and Premium is always BS.  Lower octane gas actually can get better mileage as it contains a higher density of British Thermal Units (BTUs) assuming you don't 'need' premium.  

 

Best to run what the manual says so when it explodes you are CYA'd.  Seems the Mazda manual says 91 recommended but not required.

 

 

X2       

The higher octane protects against detonation of the fuel, where it ignites on its own before the spark and it causes pitting and other nasty things in the cylinder. 2 things engine makers do to make the engine cycle more efficient and in turn create more torque with the same or less fuel is to advance the spark timing and increase the compression ratio. Those two things also bring you closer to conditions where you will experience knock. So the engine designers make a more powerful and efficient engine at the expense of requiring a higher octane fuel.

That said, I am going to say MOST (as I have no way of knowing if everyone does it) higher end cars that require premium gas have knock sensors in the blocks and the ECM will retard the spark timing until knock goes away while the engine is running so the engine is protected when someone slips up and tosses in 87

So, while the lower octane gas is slightly more energy dense, the premium will allow you to take advantage of the design of your high performance engine and it should get better fuel economy. If you do not have a high performance engine then you still have the same compression ratio and timing with either premium or standard so you gain nothing with premium and are putting in a slightly less energy dense fuel. The only advantage to going with premium in a standard octane engine is if its like shell V-power or something with additives that will clean up carbon but even there I think BP has it in all of their fuels. And you can get around that and toss in some fuel system cleaner each oil change and run whatever gas you want with similar results

^ Exactly

But, I did feel my engine running smoother on my subaru with 89 octane. Not sure if it benefits it or makes it worse. My brothers Acura CSX (pretty much a 4 door JDM civic here) felt the same with the 89. Maybe because mine is an older engine and maybe because I have both larger displacement and higher output?