[nadsab]

We had a 2014 Volt and were always told premium gas was required.

We just turned it in on our lease, and leased a new 2017 Volt. Is it true that the new volts no longer require premium gas? Will 89 octane be OK?

If so, are we also supposed to buy specific brands of gas for the 2017? For the older volts, we were told to buy off of the "Top Tier" list of gas companies such as BP, Mobil etc etc. Does this mean we can buy any brand now?

 

[OoPEZoO]

Regular gas is fine for the gen2 cars. Thats what the motor was designed to run on. As far as "top tier" gas suppliers......meh, I never paid much attention to that for any vehicle unless it gave me problems. Only time that ever happened was with my parents old Chevy Astro Van. That thing was finicky as hell when it came to brands of gas.

 

[nadsab]

Great thanks much.

One question - I have been unable to find anything on the internet which references an official post by General Motors that states Premium gas is no longer required for the generation 2 2016/2017volts. Do you know of any web pages created by General Motors which states their official policy on using regular gas for the newer volts?

I was told that for the older volts, if one uses regular gas, it voids the warranty...

 

[llninja]

G2 owners can in fact buy 87 octane, and lower 85 if you are at higher elevations. I would still stick to top tier gas as there is a difference in the detergent packets from BP, Shell, and Mobil compared to Caseys, Speedway, Pilot, and convenience store/Walmart gasoline.

Surprisingly, last time I checked Marathon was not top tier.

lots of G1 owners swear by regular, but I'm not doing it. My g1 is a $44k MSRP vehicle, and what's a few dollars to make sure you don't blow the engine by not following the owner's manual?

 

[siai47]

You don't have to go to the internet to find out the fuel recommendations from GM for the Volt. It is in your owners manual. Page 230 in mine states that fuel as low as 87 octane is OK for the Gen2 Volt. If you want to use premium, you are wasting your money. All gasoline in the US has about the same heat value (energy) so you get your best bang for the buck (so to speak) with the lower priced regular. The engine was designed to operate on 87 octane so that's what should be used. The only prohibition is that you cannot use E-85 in the Volt. E-85 is the biggest waste of money because of it's low heat value gives very poor fuel economy along with the fact that it is corrosive in a fuel system that wasn't designed for it.

 

[alfon]

We had a 2014 Volt and now a 2016 Volt. The 2014 Volt we used premium gas for a while and towards the last 20,000 miles switched over to regular gas, Costco brand, with no problems and gas generated mles mpg's remained the same.

Now with the 2016 Volt we use Costco regular gas, the good thing about Costco it is Top Tier gasoline, and they pump thousand of gallons a day and the gasoline is always fresh and not months or even weeks old in the tanks. I believe that old gas stored in the tanks for months is probably a bad choice even if it is Top Tier. You would be better off with non Top Tier gas that is fresh, than stale old Top Tier gas.

Also with todays technology I believe that any gasoline engine designed only for premium gasoline is a fail. GM made a mistake by designing the 2011-2015 Volt engine to mandate that it only be fueled with premium, 91 octane gas. At the same time many car makers made engines that ran on regular gas and developed more HP per displacement than the Volt's, 1.4 engine.

 

[jeff_h]

One question - I have been unable to find anything on the internet which references an official post by General Motors that states Premium gas is no longer required for the generation 2 2016/2017volts. Do you know of any web pages created by General Motors which states their official policy on using regular gas for the newer volts?

No need to look all over the internet, there is info in the owner's manual -- the below is copy/paste from the 2016 owners manual on page 221:

Fuel
Use of the recommended fuel is an important part of the proper maintenance of this vehicle. When driving in the U.S. and Canada, to help keep the engine clean and maintain optimum vehicle performance, we recommend using
TOP TIER Detergent Gasolines. See www.toptiergas.com for a list of TOP TIER Detergent Gasolines.

Use regular unleaded gasoline meeting ASTM specification D4814 with a posted octane rating of 87 or higher. Do not use gasoline with an octane rating below 87, as it may cause engine damage and will lower fuel economy.

Use of Seasonal Fuels
Use summer and winter fuels in the appropriate season. The fuels industry automatically modifies the fuel for the appropriate season. If fuel is left in the vehicle tank for long periods of time, driving or starting could be affected. Drive the vehicle until the fuel is at one-half tank or less, then refuel with the current seasonal fuel.

Prohibited Fuels
Gasolines containing oxygenates such as ethers and ethanol, as well as reformulated gasolines, are available in some cities. If these gasolines comply with the previously described specification, then they are acceptable to use. However, E85 (85% ethanol) and other fuels containing more than 15% ethanol must be used only in FlexFuel vehicles.

Caution
Do not use fuel containing methanol. It can corrode metal parts in the fuel system and also damage plastic and rubber parts. That damage would not be covered under the vehicle warranty. Some gasolines, mainly high octane
racing gasolines, can contain an octane-enhancing additive called methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl (MMT). Do not use gasolines and/or fuel additives with MMT as they can reduce spark plug life and affect emission control system performance. The malfunction indicator lamp may turn on. If this occurs, see your dealer for service.

 

[fishhawk]

From the 2017 Volt owners manual, page 25:
https://www.chevrolet.com/content/dam/Chevrolet/northamerica/usa/nscwebsite/en/Home/Ownership/Manuals_and_Videos/05_pdf/2017-Chevrolet-Volt-Electric-Vehicle-Owners-Manual.pdf

"Regular Fuel
Use only unleaded gasoline rated 87 octane or higher in your vehicle. Do not use gasoline with an octane rating lower as it may result in vehicle damage and lower fuel economy. "

"No E85 or FlexFuel Gasoline-ethanol fuel blends greater than E15 (15% ethanol by volume), such as E85,cannot be used in this vehicle."

 

[glasspilot]

I'm also a motorcycle owner and on my favorite Harley message board the reply would have been: RTFM! But I'm not a mean guy so I'll say you'll find the octane requirements on page 230. Yes, regular 87 or higher, up to 15% ethanol.

The "top tier" thing? I think that's CYA on Chevy's part. I've been buying gas at a 7-11 3 miles from my home and I don't see me changing. But I've bought maybe 5 gallons in the 6 weeks I've owned my Volt?

 

[nadsab]

Thanks for all the info. I guess I should have RTFM

 

[Joe67]

Great thanks much.

One question - I have been unable to find anything on the internet which references an official post by General Motors that states Premium gas is no longer required for the generation 2 2016/2017volts. Do you know of any web pages created by General Motors which states their official policy on using regular gas for the newer volts?

I was told that for the older volts, if one uses regular gas, it voids the warranty...

It is on page 25 of your 2017 Volt owners manual

 

[Jmaj]

One reason to use Top Tier gasoline is direct injection engines, carbon deposits and soot out the tailpipe are issues. Noticed that Speedway is now a Top Tier brand.
It's heresy but my 2013 ran the same on 87 as 93 by any user observable metric. Granted I wasn't floorboarding it up a mountain pass where the little engine would be really working but 60-70 cents a gallon savings isn't trivial.

 

[viking79]

Never use low octane for Gen 1. Most modern cars have variable valve timing that lets the engine change timing to account for low octane fuels. Gen 1 Volt does not have variable valve timing, and was designed to run high octane, so there is little it can do to prevent engine damage from knocking. The engine will run at high loads in some cases that might lead to knocking (mountain mode for example)

Gen 2, I would only run 87.

 

[telveer]

Gen 1 Volt - Top Tier 91 Octane
Gen 2 Volt - Top Tier 87 Octane

http://www.toptiergas.com/licensedbrands/

 

[srmarti]

Great thanks much.

One question


Well there's always the owner's manual.....

 

[Norton]

One reason to use Top Tier gasoline is direct injection engines, carbon deposits and soot out the tailpipe are issues.....

I thought it was carbon/gunk build up in the intake track and on the intake valves in particular.
Lots of DI gas cars are experiencing this issue, and few car makers have a solution yet.
The fuel spray no longer touches any of these areas, so 'detergent properties' don't help at all.

Only time will tell how the G2 Volt engine does.
And of course being an EREV, this engine does not get used all the time.

 

[Jmaj]

Never use low octane for Gen 1. Most modern cars have variable valve timing that lets the engine change timing to account for low octane fuels. Gen 1 Volt does not have variable valve timing, and was designed to run high octane, so there is little it can do to prevent engine damage from knocking. The engine will run at high loads in some cases that might lead to knocking (mountain mode for example)

Gen 2, I would only run 87.

Gen 1 engine:
overhead camshafts; four valves per cylinder, continuously variable intake and exhaust cam phaser

 

[mr_raider]

One reason to use Top Tier gasoline is direct injection engines, carbon deposits and soot out the tailpipe are issues.....

I thought it was carbon/gunk build up in the intake track and on the intake valves in particular.
Lots of DI gas cars are experiencing this issue, and few car makers have a solution yet.
The fuel spray no longer touches any of these areas, so 'detergent properties' don't help at all.

Only time will tell how the G2 Volt engine does.
And of course being an EREV, this engine does not get used all the time.

Exactly. What fuel you use is immaterial since fuel never touches the intake

Haven't heard of GM issues with DI engines, but BMW, Audi and Lexus have been plagued by them. My IS250 needed new piston rings, since that was Lexus' solution. Now they use two stage injectors everywhere, just like Audi. BMW still expects you to scrub your engine every 60k or whatever.

 

[Norton]

...My IS250 needed new piston rings, since that was Lexus' solution... BMW still expects you to scrub your engine every 60k or whatever.

I can't see how piston rings work into the equation.
But anyways,, Dang, unfortunately it's just the nature of the Direct Injection Beast.
Crank Case vapors (PCV) and intake valve stem oil seepage,, touches the hot intake valve and sticks there and starts building up.

Only time will tell, stay tuned fans !

 

[jbakerjonathan]

Gen 1 engine:
overhead camshafts; four valves per cylinder, continuously variable intake and exhaust cam phaser

^^^This^^^ You beat me to it!