April 14th, 2018 at 2:31 AM
Loud "spark knocking" under load? Hmm... not sure I've ever really heard of that. Does it seem to be rough and bumpy at low RPMs or when under throttle, but smoother when coasting at moderate RPMs without the foot on the gas pedal? How long has it been doing this?
I'm doubtful that premium gas will really be a solution because even on vehicles that specifically require premium gas (including mine, for example), the engine has something called a knock sensor that can make small adjustments to prevent knocking even if the wrong fuel is put in. So the car should be able to avoid knocking no matter what fuel is used. Higher octane gas, however, is, by design, more resistant to knocking, which is why many people choose to use it in older vehicles where carbon buildup in the engines might make them a little more susceptible to knock.
If premium gas solves the issue, the culprit is probably a lot of carbon buildup within the engine (though this is uncommon with newer vehicles with lower miles). In that case, a good can of sea foam will probably help solve that problem. Otherwise, without really knowing what it sounds like, do you know if the spark plugs and all of that have been changed recently? An old plug can sometimes fail to spark or spark inconsistently, resulting in a ride that is not nearly as smooth as ideal. They are supposed to be changed every 30K miles in Rio's, if I remember correctly. In my car they are every 100K miles, but I actually put different plugs in on purpose because they are (supposedly) a slight bit better on the performance edge, so I change mine every 20-30K miles. It makes a big difference every time.
I'm doubtful that premium gas will really be a solution because even on vehicles that specifically require premium gas (including mine, for example), the engine has something called a knock sensor that can make small adjustments to prevent knocking even if the wrong fuel is put in. So the car should be able to avoid knocking no matter what fuel is used. Higher octane gas, however, is, by design, more resistant to knocking, which is why many people choose to use it in older vehicles where carbon buildup in the engines might make them a little more susceptible to knock.
If premium gas solves the issue, the culprit is probably a lot of carbon buildup within the engine (though this is uncommon with newer vehicles with lower miles). In that case, a good can of sea foam will probably help solve that problem. Otherwise, without really knowing what it sounds like, do you know if the spark plugs and all of that have been changed recently? An old plug can sometimes fail to spark or spark inconsistently, resulting in a ride that is not nearly as smooth as ideal. They are supposed to be changed every 30K miles in Rio's, if I remember correctly. In my car they are every 100K miles, but I actually put different plugs in on purpose because they are (supposedly) a slight bit better on the performance edge, so I change mine every 20-30K miles. It makes a big difference every time.
