Performance Fuels

Treat Your Car with 94 Octane Fuel

Man at station selecting ultra 94 fuel grade

Settling may be fine for some things, but when it comes to your vehicle, especially when you put so much time, energy and money into it, why settle for something less than the best? If you demand the very best for your vehicle, Sunoco Ultra 94 is it. It is the highest octane fuel for your vehicle and it meets the most stringent requirements for detergents with a Top Tier rating.

Top Tier

When you think of something of value, the analogy of a shelf always seems to come to mind. If you’re at a bar, the premium alcohols are always on the “top shelf,” and are always referred to as “the good stuff.” These are the drinks that may cost a little more, but are primarily there for those with the most discerning tastes. The same can kind of be said for premium fuel for your vehicle. When you see a fuel that carries the Top Tier distinction, what does that mean? To get a true understanding of it, you need to look at the very nature of combustion engines.

When you ignite a petroleum product to run a combustion engine, it burns off the flammable parts of the gas. What happens next is a part of the process - the burnt fuel can sometimes leave a deposit behind. These deposits can lead to a loss of performance. To combat this, the fuel companies and the federal government created regulations saying that some level of detergent additive be added to fuel to help clean an engine as it runs. This cuts down on emissions, increases efficiency, and makes the engine last longer. However, not all detergent levels are equal.

The Top Tier program is supported by some of the leading automotive manufacturers and fuel companies. It is, in basic terms, a premium treatment of detergent that prevents fuel and oil deposits from forming in the engine and can even clean up deposits that came to be by running non-Top-Tier fuel. Sunoco Ultra 94 fuel is the highest octane, Top Tier premium fuel that you can buy at the pump. This makes it the optimal choice for those who drive a vehicle that comes with a recommendation from the manufacturer for a Top Tier premium fuel.
 

 "This One Goes to Eleven"

Sunoco station at night

If you’ve ever seen the classic movie, This Is Spinal Tap, you may remember the scene where they discussed the guitar amplifier that has a volume knob that goes to eleven instead of the standard ten. It was created to give the guitar that added push in performance when they need it. Sunoco did something similar with Ultra 94 fuel. Instead of going to a standard level of 91-93 octane for premium fuel, Ultra 94 goes that little extra to give your vehicle additional tolerance before detonation will occur and protect your engine.

Octane is a measurement of fuel stability when it comes to ignition and heat resistance. As a piston compresses a cylinder that has the fuel and air mixture, the octane rating refers to the amount of heat the fuel can withstand prior to being ignited by the spark plug. Higher compression performance motors, like those traditionally found in sports cars or built-up muscle cars, have always required higher octane fuel to operate correctly. However, the current trend toward using higher compression motors with turbochargers, like those being used in place of larger V8 motors in trucks, SUVs and some modern sports cars, has created more need than ever for a true high performance, high octane fuel that also burns as cleanly as possible, exactly what Sunoco Ultra 94 brings to your engine.

“Back in the 60s and early 70s, in the height of the true muscle car, 99-100 octane gas was readily available at the pump as premium gas,” said Zachary Santner, a Senior Quality Specialist with Sunoco Race Fuels. “As trends and regulations changed, the octane ratings lowered, leading to these motors needing to be detuned somewhat. For owners of these classic cars, they might be really interested in Ultra 94 so they can unleash a little more of the potential from their cars.”

Modern Performance

Modern vehicles, Santner said, have engines and electronics that are smart enough to alter the ignition sequences to operate using lower octane fuels without doing damage to the motor. The damage he is referring to can be catastrophic to a motor. Regular gasoline fuel that ignites either from compression or heat can cause the metal and mechanical parts of a motor to break. A regular combustion engine is designed to contain the explosion of fuel, air and fire in a specific direction. If that happens in the wrong direction, bad things can happen. While a modern engine platform can control that ignition based upon the fuel being used, there is a subsequent loss of power. The car’s computer can adjust the performance of the motor based upon the octane rating, and this can also work to your advantage using a fuel like Sunoco Ultra 94, giving you the best protection of any fuel on the road.
To find Sunoco Ultra 94 fuel near you, or to learn more about this Top Tier premium fuel, go to the Sunoco Ultra 94 website for more information.