How Much More HP Will You Make With 91 VS 87 Octane Fuel - 2021 Audi Q3
Wifey's brand new 2021 Audi Q3 can apparently run on regular 87 octane fuel. Audi claims that in order to make the advertised 228hp & 258lb/ft you'll need to use premium 91 octane fuel. I put that claim to the test to find out exactly what sort of power difference you make between those fuels as well as an E10 - E15 mixture! These results blew our FRIGGIN' minds!!!
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#AudiQ3 #DynoTest #Comparison
Пікірлер: 119
Hey man nice vid. Picked up my wife a q3 as well. Whats the consensus on this transmission? Ive been researching it all day and cant find much. I know there are plenty of guys with the stage 1 tune. I read the trans is good for 332lb/ft. I know IS20 can push well into the 360’s. I already hate it. Shifts into gear fast but then theres a ever so slight acceleration delay. It can be clunky at times. St certain speeds it shifts quick without issue. I guess it’s inconsistent. I’ve been spoiled by 3 DSG cars.
@VancityAudi
28 күн бұрын
I haven't done a ton of research on these transmissions, but I've been told they are fairly weak. We don't plan on running anything more than a Stage 1 - 93 octane tune.
Yes, there are safety maps that will prevent timing advance (not KR). IATs and coolant temp are the biggest contributors. Even adding the E85 won't prevent the ECU from moving to the safety map for the timing curve. This is why everyone who tunes these cars should ALWAYS add an IC, even if they live up north.
I have been putting in 91 no ethanol gas into my Q5 almost exclusively since owning. The last few tanks I have filled with a 94 Ultra blended with ethanol. I do. It have a Dyno but I feel like the car responds way better than previously. Not sure if it’s in my head but I think I will bite the financial bullet and keep with the 94 ethanol blend. Can’t wait to see your Q5 test!!!!
@VancityAudi
Жыл бұрын
Yes, your Q5 absolutely would have made more power from 94 Ultra vs an ethanol free fuel. I've already tested and proven that here: kzread.info/dash/bejne/qJibmqaDna61dNY.html
@Strictlybusiness79
Жыл бұрын
@@VancityAudi You rock! Keep putting out great content. I will keep with the Petro Canada 94Ultra 🔥🔥🔥
I love the scientific approach with your videos. Now get a JB4 and mix for e30, the results should blow your mind.
@VancityAudi
3 жыл бұрын
Stay tuned! We'll see what wifey lets me do!
I have an Audi q3 2022. I have been using premium 91 gas till now but today I’m going to burn 87 gas and will update how much of a difference I feel in drive. Subscribed for the test and hardwork! ❤️
@VancityAudi
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks! No need to update. I tested fuel economy as well as driving feel for the 87 vs our brand new 93 and there was no difference at all in terms of fuel economy or the way the vehicle performs. If you don't plan on tuning your Q3 just run 87 octane.
As a fellow Q3 owner here in BC, would live to see more content on this vehicle. Perhaps acceleration, track review etc.
@VancityAudi
2 жыл бұрын
Sadly, wifey decided that she doesn't want to do anything to the vehicle until the warranty has expired so I'm not sure that I'll be spending any time with it while its stock.
Love the video man! I have a 2017 Q3 prestige - probably not a massive difference between mine and your wifeys 2021 hey? Gas here in bc is definitely interesting…
@VancityAudi
5 ай бұрын
Thanks! It's interesting everywhere! It's just that people tend not to care, and they make assumptions instead.
87 burns faster than 91 so it often results in more HP than 91. On the flip side 91 burns slower so it can reduce pre-detonation, Which is the primary reason why a lot of high-performance engines recommend 91 octane.. it’s not to give you more horsepower, it’s to allow the fuel to burn slower and more stable in order to reduce pre-detonation, especially in high compression engines or engines with forced induction, which can be more susceptible to pre-detonation due to the higher cylinder pressure.
18 GTI owner here. Same engine and recommendations. I have ran 91 for my entire ownership…. But I used 87 the other day because they were out and I was out of town. I just filled it up and went on my way staying out of boost… and I got better MPG… I mean some of that is light foot, but 34mpg on 87 vs 29 mpg on 91 normally…. I have a sinking suspicion i should just go 87 always… still not quite sure
@VancityAudi
Жыл бұрын
We always get better gas mileage when we ran 87 vs 91 or 94. We only ever run 87 now.
@braxtonrosas7338
Жыл бұрын
@@VancityAudi I’m trying to understand why but I find the same
Very cool i was wondering if i was getting more power with Premium or not. Thank you for this test !!
@VancityAudi
3 жыл бұрын
You're very welcome!
I think you are definitely onto something with multiple maps being invoked for each fuel detection. I am curious if the lower fuel grade map is actually more aggressive in its timing vs the higher grade? I mean, that seems to me the only way to describe the findings. Definitely cool to check out and thanks for the vid!
@VancityAudi
3 жыл бұрын
The timing advance was definitely higher on the premium fuel runs.
I have always put premium in my 2020 q3 and never felt it’s any more powerful lol . Perhaps it’s time to switch to regular
@gyula6516
2 жыл бұрын
Fuel usage will go up with lower octane fuels tho
@domlee03
2 жыл бұрын
@@gyula6516 it hasn’t really. That was my believe as well but the car run smoother and just the same efficiency.
Possible logic, common element is E10 - E15 for power and forget the dino fuel octane rating? Pretty interesting
The newest generation A3 is advertised at 200HP and 221 LB FT Torque on regular gas but Audi doesn’t mention increased power if you put in premium to get the Q3 55’s rated power when using premium. That would be an ineresting test!
@VancityAudi
2 жыл бұрын
If they don't even mention making more power with premium fuel then it won't generate more power.
Really interesting. I have a ‘22 Q3 and frankly, I can’t feel a difference when I have tried Shell premium fuel.
@VancityAudi
2 жыл бұрын
Now you know the reason why
Now I'm genuinely curious as to how my A3 Sportback e-tron is tuned. The EA211 1.4 TFSI on paper is transparent from the Jetta/Golf 1.4, but whereas VW literature says they run on 87 octane, my A3 gas cap and manual asks for 91 octane. Hmm...
Very surprising on the HP numbers. I almost wonder if an ECU reset would have made any difference? I'm not surprised at the high torque numbers, the GTI were known to be underrated.
@VancityAudi
3 жыл бұрын
I cleared the codes inbetween runs. I take it that is what you mean by resetting the ECU?
@scottc78
3 жыл бұрын
@@VancityAudi there's also a ECU/TCU reset procedure that may work differently than just clearing codes. People use it to clear out "adaptations" the transmission and ecu have learned. I wonder if that 2.0 turbo is actually lower hp than the one in the base Q5, it's rated at 260hp.
@VancityAudi
3 жыл бұрын
@@scottc78 I'm unaware of any other ECU/TCU reset more than doing a full scan of the car with VCDS and clearing all of the codes. With every other Audi I've owned this procedure clears out any previously learned adaptations.
@scottc78
3 жыл бұрын
@@VancityAudi VCDS is likely the best way, so if you did that already you're good. Let's see how long you last before you're installing an S3 turbo on that thing ;)
@VancityAudi
3 жыл бұрын
@@scottc78 a minimum 80,000km or 4 years. Wifey has told me I'm not allowed to tune it until the warranty expires 😭😭😭
I agree Audi underrates the Car 🚗…I own a Q3 as well and I have come to the conclusion that the car has more power than advertised 💯
Always put premium cause everyone’s said that’s what’s best but I’ve always had my doubts cause the gas cap always told me 87 on my 2022 Q3. I think I’ll make the switch to regular now, I want the extra hp and prices are crazy. Also, those wheels look sick! Can you tell me what the brand/model and how big they are?
@VancityAudi
2 жыл бұрын
Rim Alloy Canada - R07GB 19x8.5, 5 x 112, ET32
Wow 😳 that’s some crazy results. When I test drove the Q3 it did seem to have quite the pickup so the 87 results seem to confirm the but dyno. But did not expect to see no power increase from 94 and 94 + E. 🤔 I wonder what kind of numbers that IE, APR, Unitronic can produce once the get a tune.
@VancityAudi
3 жыл бұрын
Same engine as a few other VW and Audi products so you can see what they already make for power by looking up the other car's power outputs on the tuner's websites. That should be pretty close I assume. Maybe a little less because of the pansy transmission in this car though.
Maybe this explains the sub par mpg’s the Q3 pulls. And how the heavier Q5 manages a bit better fuel economy.
@VancityAudi
3 жыл бұрын
It very well may. The mileage we expect to get running 87 octane fuel would be pretty bad from the way the logs looked.
@mtunofun1
2 жыл бұрын
Q5’s dual clutch transmission makes the fuel economy more fuel efficient than the Q3’s conventional automatic.
Quick question. I have a jb4 on my f3. I switched to 93 gas, was that necessary or should I switch back to 87 since I have a piggyback now
@VancityAudi
2 ай бұрын
I don't know what an F3 is. You need to run whatever fuel you set your JB4 to. There are maps you have to select.
@Official_Mikeytoon
2 ай бұрын
@@VancityAudi this generation Q3 as shown in the video. I have the same Q3. As the dyno shows in the video it’s not really worth running 93. But I will stick to 93 since I have a tune, thank you!
@VancityAudi
2 ай бұрын
@Official_Mikeytoon your JB4 has multiple maps available for you to run and they require different octanes of fuel. Find out what map you're running by downloading the Burger Motorsport app and connecting to your car. That will show you all your maps and what fuel you need.
@Official_Mikeytoon
2 ай бұрын
@@VancityAudi gotcha
The only thing I can think is that Audi engineers are aiming for consistency and smooth, unsurprising power. Performance tuning will try to get as much advance spark timing without knock, whereas factory tuning will try to hit a power delivery curve as consistent as it can with whatever fuel you put in it. Thanks for this experiment that kind of gives us a window into what those engineers are up to.
@VancityAudi
3 жыл бұрын
You're welcome.
Makes perfect sense if the 87 has ethanol and the premium doesn’t. Stock tune is very conservative. Direct injection mitigates the need for lots of octane with boost or compression. Do the same test again at 50k after the intake valves get coked up a bit and see what it does
@chetrowles6166
2 жыл бұрын
They won't as they now have a pre-injector.
I have a 2022 Q3 45 sline and I’ve always ran shell 93. I love this vehicle but occasionally I feel a rough “clunk” when the vehicle is shifting. It happens only when accelerating at a medium pace and when it’s shifting from 4-5 gear or 5-6 gear. Have you or your wife experienced this? Could be normal. It shifts smooth as butter when accelerating really fast or when it’s in Sport mode though🤷🏻♂️ Thoughts?
@VancityAudi
Жыл бұрын
I have certainly felt what you're talking about. Every now and then I get a rough shift.
People on KZread are saying shell is better than Chevron. I don't think so. I've been using 87 octane for all my cars and trucks for years and I feel my cars and trucks run good.
@VancityAudi
2 жыл бұрын
All 87 is the same shit, lol. And "feeling" like your cars and trucks run well is completely different than performance testing them while logging them. If you're local to me our Shell 93 is vastly superior to any other fuels we have available to us. I've proven that already: kzread.info/dash/bejne/qJibmqaDna61dNY.html
@superior3384
2 жыл бұрын
@@VancityAudi ... It's a confusing thing these gas opinions. I live in Las Vegas Nevada.
@VancityAudi
2 жыл бұрын
@@superior3384 ah, so your gas would be signicantly different than ours and these videos wouldn't pertain to you sadly.
i'm not surprised. ignoring the ethanol, octane doesn't boost performance by itself, it's only important to have the right octane for the engine to prevent knocking. i'm less familiar with ethanol all i know is it can be helpful for the turbo.
But do you get more miles per gallon with 91, or not even that? And, does it make any difference running the test setting the car in comfort mode vs dynamic? (more power with dynamic?)
@VancityAudi
11 ай бұрын
No, and no. Worse gas mileage with 91 and dynamic/comfort mode make the same power.
Great stuff!
@VancityAudi
3 жыл бұрын
Thanks!
Do you have any insight on the tuning capability of this car? The car feels spirited, but I feel like the transmission could use a little sorting and there's power to be found in the motor
@VancityAudi
2 жыл бұрын
The only thing I've heard from different calibrators is that the transmission is the weak point. That engine can easily make significantly more power seeing as it's the same motor as the VW GTI and that can be tuned to roughly 310hp & 347lb/ft with just a simple Stage 1 93 octane tune. With that torque though the transmission just falls a part from what I've been told though.
What if the gasoline itself is a scam? Like the gas station has the same gas in all their tanks... Lol
@VancityAudi
Жыл бұрын
Then you sue them for millions! 🤣
Wowwwww crazy...... I'm so confused 😂 but I'm not gonna be upset about it, going back to regular gas in the jetta 🤷♂️
@VancityAudi
3 жыл бұрын
I'm still confused too, lol.
Firstly, wheel dyno results are always sketchy. If you're better than +/- 10 hp I'd be surprised. Second, higher octane fuel by definition burns slower, so if the engine is optimized/designed for a lower octane, it tends to make little if any additional power on higher octane fuel.
@VancityAudi
11 ай бұрын
You'd be wrong on both accounts. We've had extremely accurate readings on this dyno from day one. That's why we've chosen to continue using it through the years. We've done a whole bunch of fuel comparisons on this channel where the Audi's call for 91 octane fuel, and in some cases, when we used 94 octane fuel, the cars made up to 40whp more. Just from a fuel change. Even though the cars are optimized for a certain octane fuel, it doesn't always mean they won't make more power with a higher octane fuel.
wait... wow... that is crazy.. now i was working while i watched this.. but am i correct that the higher octane made only 2 extra hp?? shit ill start running 87 on my 2018 S3..
@VancityAudi
Жыл бұрын
Might want to rewarch it if you think it's okay to run 87 in your 2018 S3.
@LastHumansGarage
Жыл бұрын
@@VancityAudi i was just jokin..
@VancityAudi
Жыл бұрын
@LastHumansGarage sadly you can't read tone 😉 Sarcasm doesn't come through well in text.
@LastHumansGarage
Жыл бұрын
@@VancityAudi haha i kinda read it... i figured you would know im not that dumb, but i didnt sense the emoticon situations.
@VancityAudi
Жыл бұрын
@LastHumansGarage you'd be amazed at some of the things viewers take away from my videos when they simply skip through to the results, and they don't listen to a word I say 😂
Great videos as usual. I've always kind of suspected that in province with such shit 91 (0 ethanol) is that the 87 octane is basically the same gas but was just cut with 10% ethanol. Im almost half tempted to flash the rs3 back to stock and run some logs (carefully), maybe even with 89 since it's just a blend from the 87 and 91 tanks. I've been sending my 91 logs to John @unitronic and he literally asked me if I pushed the 87 button on the pump instead of 91 lol. (Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan gas) Would you mind showing us some logs to see what kind of ignition advance and boost the Q3 is logging between 87 and 94?
@VancityAudi
2 жыл бұрын
You'd be out of your f$cking mind to do that with an RS3. Just running our premium fuel on a stock tune with no additional added ethanol you see massive amounts of correction in an RS3. If you email me at adam@vancityaudi.com I can send you some logs of the Q3.
@ahigherperspectivemedia
2 жыл бұрын
@@VancityAudi that's what I thought as well until I spoke with 3 different fuel bowser drivers that were delivering gas to the local stations. All of them confirmed to me that the 87 and 91 in Saskatchewan were pretty much the same except for some "additives" while 87 was cut with up to 15% ethanol which made the gas "worst" according the the fuel bowser driver. I normally run 5L of E98R in every tank for clean logs while I'm home in Nova Scotia, but I'm out of luck while I'm here in Saskatchewan so Im looking for alternatives. Now, I'm far too chicken shit to test that out for myself until I saw this video. And yeah I'm pulling 6 degrees timing on a hot day with our 91 in on stock map and straight 91.
@VancityAudi
2 жыл бұрын
@@ahigherperspectivemedia you do realize that the DAZA 2.5 and the EA888 gen 3 are vastly different motors and are tuned very differently. You do you and take a chance with a 25k motor if you like by testing 87 octane in a performance based RS sedan, lol.
Google says that 91 octane has 2 to 4 percent less energy than 87 octane fuel which has 10% ethanol and the 91 I believe has none. I always though 91 had more power too. Guess not, lol
@VancityAudi
7 ай бұрын
Google is correct. Lower octane fuel contains more energy. What you're misunderstanding is how power is made within an engine and how a higher octane fuel enables you to make more power because it offers higher resistance to knock.
Torque setpoints.
Thats probably why Audi and VW likes this engine, its tuned well. Its german efficiency lol
Well they did recommend 87 on the fuel door
@VancityAudi
Жыл бұрын
My 2012 Audi S4, my 2018 Audi RS3 and my 2018 Audi S4 all said 91 on the fuel door. Every single one of them made more power on 93 octane fuel.
What good is any of this if as you say the Mustang Dyno is not accurate? Why not go somewhere with an accurate dyno, why guess?
@VancityAudi
3 жыл бұрын
When did I say that the Mustang dyno isn't accurate? I have tested 4 local dyno's and this is by far the most accurate. It's just that the uncorrected numbers read lower than average. The majority of the other local dyno's read above average and I never want to show higher numbers than the car actually makes.
If a car is made to run on any fuel it runs great on the shittiest of fuel and then not going all out on best fuel , map for the fuel you use dont just waste money . This test was done time and time again in europe and everywhere . If the car is tuned for world wide then premium fuel is useless .
@VancityAudi
3 жыл бұрын
From all of the datalogs we took we could very easily see the gas mileage you would get while running premium fuel would be much better than what you would get running regular fuel. So it isn't completely pointless for those that bought this car for a balance of economy, power and practicality.
@thisiserk
3 жыл бұрын
@@VancityAudi i'm curious, are those higher mileage runs on the straight premium fuel, or your E10-E15 mixture of premium and ethanol, or both?
@VancityAudi
3 жыл бұрын
@@thisiserk both the premium and blended fuel appear to get better gas milage than the regular fuel.
@thisiserk
3 жыл бұрын
@@VancityAudi That's very interesting. My next question is whether or not the mileage increase will offset the increased cost of the gasoline, but you'd want to use day to day real life driving for that not just high performance Dyno testing I'd imagine. Thanks for the reply 🙂
@VancityAudi
3 жыл бұрын
@@thisiserk that would be an interesting test to perform, but sadly I won't be performing it, haha. The wife is just happy she can put in regular and see similar performance
So weird dude…congrats on getting your wife to use her car! Hahaha
@VancityAudi
3 жыл бұрын
Thanks! I'm gonna drag her to the track with me too
What aftermarket wheels are those?
@VancityAudi
3 жыл бұрын
Rim Alloy Canada - R07GB-198511232 19 x 8.5 , 5 x 112, ET32.
@teamscoobydoo
3 жыл бұрын
@@VancityAudi What tire size is on those wheels? They look nice on the Q3
@VancityAudi
3 жыл бұрын
@@teamscoobydoo 235/50/19
@teamscoobydoo
3 жыл бұрын
@@VancityAudi Thank You! Do you think there will be aftermarket support for 2020-2022 Q3 in terms of tuning from unitronic, exhaust system, intake system, etc?
Ya know... the Golf R IS38 turbo bolts right up to that engine... That would be sweet!
@VancityAudi
2 жыл бұрын
The transmission isn't stout enough to handle the additional torque that turbo would make. Plus, you'd have to somehow sell my wife on losing her warranty and being okay with it.
shell 93 vs chevron 94
@VancityAudi
2 жыл бұрын
You paying for all the fuel and dyno time? If so, consider it done!
@jaskanwarrandhawa6577
2 жыл бұрын
@@VancityAudistart a Patreon I’m sure a bunch of us would pitch in
@VancityAudi
2 жыл бұрын
@@jaskanwarrandhawa6577 what's a Patreon? If enough people covered the costs and I needed to spend the time and energy doing the actual testing and making the video I'd do it for everyone.
YES, you get better performance with premium fuel. The Q3 uses the same engine as the GTI ... see the second half of the test where he uses Premium fuel and confirms that yes it does make a difference. kzread.info/dash/bejne/dax4xtd8lqWZds4.html
@VancityAudi
Жыл бұрын
🤣🤣🤣 I love how you, as the viewer, are telling me I'm wrong. You weren't there, I was, lol. I have done multiple fuel tests and fuel comparisons with multiple cars over the years. I know what I'm doing. Then, on top of that, you directly compare a GTI to a Q3. Yes, they have the same motor, but a different transmission and different ECU mapping. I used back to back comparisons on the same dyno, on the same day, in the same ambient conditions. I proved exactly the difference it makes in a Q3 running 87 octane fuel vs essentially 95 octane fuel. Do your own comparison with your own time, money and knowledge, and if you come back with different results then we can chat again!
So should I stop putting premium in my 2021 GTI since it's the same engine?
@VancityAudi
Жыл бұрын
I can't confirm that the ECU is tuned the same way. If it is, then you don't need 91. If it says 91 on the gas tank, then don't run anything less than 91.