I'm not being a troll in asking this, I'm asking because I'm genuinely having some preliminary thoughts about getting an SS. But prior to my '07 HHR 1LT I had a Corvette and it was a "Premium Recommended" car. When I traded it I was sad to see it go but at the same time breathed a sigh of relief being out from under the mental pressure to feed a car premium in order to enjoy the best performance out of it (realizing this concept is only valid if the engine is tuned to take advantage of premium via knock sensors and electronic spark control, etc.) And that was back when premium was under $3.00/gallon. So I thought I would ask SS drivers if anyone is running Regular in their SS and how noticeable is the difference? Is it like you hitched up a 1000 lb trailer or is it less obvious?

I checked NADA and Kelly Bluebook and looks like clean trade-in value on my 1LT is between $11,900 and $12,900, and I have a clear title on it (no payments), so IF Chevy extends the $2500 cash allowance incentive or does new comparable incentives later in the year applicable to SS's, well, I could probably make the jump if I could get a tight enough deal to where I could cover the difference between my trade-in value and the negotiated purchase price with a cash lump sum. Unless they offer $2500 cash allowance AND 0% which will not happen... I would finance the balance if it was 0%.

Right now I'm only 25% in favor of trading in for an SS and 75% in favor of holding on to my '07. The whole de-tuned thing with the automatic transaxle SS's annoys me, because I would actually prefer the automatic due to use as a work commute car on a route with plenty of stoplights. But in the back of my mind I don't think it would sit well knowing my car was de-tuned from the factory, plus no limited slip differential available in the auto.

 

I always run hi test. 33 mpg on highway @ 65 mph,A/C on and cruise on. City around 24 mpg. I really enjoy the SS... I owned an HHR 2LT previously.

 

I've talked about this alot over a half dozen different posts. Run what you want to run 87-94octane. I have, and do not, nor do i believe that it matters FOR THE PURPOSE OF MILEAGE/ENGING HEALTH. However if you want to drag race or drive 90%+ "aggresive" why not use 94???I can't hurt, and will only help. Ask c2vette or some of the other members about the TUNE ...manual only so far i think.

No if you are going automatic (less HP) i think it matters even less, regardless of what the gas cap saids.

Don't take this the wrong way please...posting always sounds so short and snippy..

Why do people who drive an SS to its full HP potential care about gas mileage (read biggest factor in fuel cost) and what octane they must buy (read minor/insignificant factor in fuel cost) and ever consider an automatic (read pay full price for a purposly detuned car)!!!!!!!!!!

I usually get 33pmg over long trips with a/c passengers and luggage using 87oct 65mph or less. I can get 36mpg alone, no a/c, 87 octane over long trips.....In the city 26 at the absolute worst, 28+ more like it. Overall probably 30+......! If you want to save at the pump, keep you speed low, coast whenever you can , maintain momentum, keep that boost gauge at -10, 1-3-5 shifts when possible, and remember the light will STILL be red when you get there :)

 

I purchased the A4 because the wife spends a lot of time in traffic and wasn't in favor of the M5. The detuned performance is only in first and second gears where the transmission wasn't designed to handle the power. As automatics go, I'm impressed with the shift quality and speed of the A4 in the SS. IMHO, the SS looks so much better than the other models and it is a blast to drive!

I didn't buy the SS for the performance. In the performance market segment I participate, the HHR isn't popular. I routinely participate in HPDE's in my '03 Z06 and have not seen a single HHR on the track over the last 5 years.

Purposely detuned, it sure is. However, that is nothing that can't be fixed with a little tuning in the future. Doing this will have an impact on the A4's reliability and durability.

 

Now that you mention it Cleveland, I'm thinking there is something about using regular unleaded in a forced induction car, that under boost if the electronic spark control stumbles and detonation occurs under boost it can be extra bad for the engine.

 

You know that you CAN run 87 octane, but are some tradeoffs. Now consider this: Since there are spark knock sensors, that back timing off for lower grades of fuel and other reasons, yes you can use 87 octane. However, EVERY gasoline engine gets optimum efficency at maximum "no-knock" timing, hence the need for knock sensors to fine tune the engine to maximum spark.
IF you get maybe 1 mpg less with 87 octane in the city driving, say from 21 to 20 mpg,(pretty hard to actually measure, but stick with me here) that is a drop of 5%. So you use 5% more fuel, at a cost of 20 cents per gallon ( $4.00 GAS x 5% loss= 20cents). The 20 cents per gallon saved on 87 octane is eaten up, by the extra 20 cents per gallon of additional gas you gotta buy by using it
So it looks like a break even thing to me, except that 92 octane will actually cost the same but gives you much better performance, for no actual extra cost.

 

I have not noticed a difference in performance or mileage. I have switched back and forth a couple times and always average around 28 MPG combined driving.

 

Whats cool about the SS is you get all the extra HP at almost the same mileage ratings as the LT due to the direct injection and other efficiencies built in. In my mind, I am enjoying every time I drive my stick in knowing I am getting 2-3 more mpg than the auto, and can go 150 mph IF I want to. (not to mention the cool posi-like dual tire stripes if I feel like it). The way I looked at it, if you get the auto, you're not getting any better mileage than an Impala or other rmidsize car. So why not step up and get a new SS!
Wanna know something else? I've not gotten appreciative looks like this in any other car I've owned in a long time. They DO look good, especially in red.

 

When i picked up my SS , it had a full tank of gas in it (a big deal for me since the prev last 2 trucks i got from this dealership had only enuf to raise the gas guage up a few notches .) A few days later when i was picking up my paperwork, i asked my salesman if he knew if my car got a tank of premium or reg gas (and explained to him why i was wondering) He said it was prob regular , i watched/listened to everything engine-wise and when the guage got about 1/2 way, i topped off w/ premium,and ever since i've had all but mebbe one or two tanks holding premium. I did not noticed a issue w/the initial tank o' 87 octane, but did not want to mess around with what was in my owners manual.
Even w/ the price of premium, i'm still spending less than when i was driving my truck full time, so the extra cost per gallon does not sting as much.I'm spending 1/2 the $$ and going 2x as far per gallon

 

I haven't noticed a difference, but I toggle back and forth between fillups at a little less than half a tank.