There is nothing that anyone in this forum can say to change thought patterns on the need to use higher octane. But do not quote the manual unless you can quote the page and table.

In the manual for the Protege 5 (US Domestic Region), Page 4-2, in the table it states "regular unleaded gasoline" in the next cell it states "87[R+M/2 Method] or above (91 RON or above)"

I do not know what manual that everyone is stating that recommends higher then 87 unless they received the wrong manual.

Also remember this:
On page 8 of your Warrenty Manual:
What is not covered:
"Improper maintenance, the use of other then specified fuel, oil or lubricant recommended in your owner's Manual.

Also stay away from any gas place that has oxygenated gas higher then 10%, this will real mess up your car. And the story on this, read the manual throughly before you make claims.

Thank you

 

O.K.
Page 4-2, of the Protege 2001 Owners Manual, under Fuel Requirements in the Protecting Your Mazda section states:

==========================================

Vehicles with catalytic converts must use ONLY UNLEADED FUEL, which will reduce exhaust emissions and keep spark plug fouling to a minimum.

Your Mazda will perform best with regular unleaded fuel having an octane rating (antiknock index) of at least 87 [(R+M)/2 method].

Fuel with a lower rating could cause the emission control system to lose effectiveness. It could also cause engine knocking and serious engine damage.

U.S. federal law requires that octane ratings be posted on gasoline station pumps.

*2.0-liter engine (Special Edition)
Your Mazda will perform best with premium unleaded fuel having an octane rating (antiknock index) of at least 91 [(R+M)/2 method].

You may use a regular unleaded gasoline with a rating from 87 to 90; this will slightly reduce performance.
==========================================

And the BACK of my manual says:

==========================================

Fuel
UNLEADED FUEL ONLY
2.0-liter engine (Special Edition)
Octane rating (antiknock index) of 91 or higher (Average of Research Octane Number and Motor Octane Number)
Other engines
Octane rating (antiknock index) of 87 or higher (Average of Research Octane Number and Motor Octane Number)

==========================================

That' verbatim.
I'm trying to get a hold of a digital camera so I can post pictures of this and the tag on the inside of my passenger door.

So, I AM using what the manual says to use. And the post of this thread was to see if anyone else had experienced what I have. Since the overwhelming response is NO, I guess I am to assume that I do have something "special". Perhaps when Mazda decided to put the 2.0 in ALL model and trims of the Protege in 2002, it lowered the performance of the engine. Or perhaps it made the car run better on 87. Maybe your cars would run better on >91 but Mazda felt it was silly to recomend premium for its entry-level family sedan. The point is, I don't know! And I thought the point of starting a thread was to create a forum from which new information can be gained. And since this thread is getting so much attention- I'm learnig a lot.

 

My manual says following:
Your Mazda'll perform best with premium fuel having and octane rating of at least 91.
Fuel with lower rating could cause the emission control system to lose effectivness. It could also cause engine knocking and serious engine damage. BTW my dealer adviced to use regular but I never did ;-) But what interesting is that all spec even on Mazda web site (canadian) say regular type for Protege/. I think it's just a trick. They just want to attract drivers with cheap gas... But in real world it's better to use regular. The different story if you going get rid of your car after 3-5 years after purchase.

 

Yep, it says 87 in the manual.....

 

MP3's I would assume would be the special edition vehicles, requiring the higher octane fuel. I believe that the MP3 has the 2.0 engine (or special edition). All others can take the regular 87 octane.

 

see like i said 91 or better is best.

 

Do you have an MP3...if not 87.

 

I have a 2.0 so its 91 or better. All 2.0 were considered special edition because there were 1.6 out.

 

Sage do you live in the US?

I started looking for my Protege in 2001 (but bought the 2002 model) and the 1.6L and 2.0L were available. And the only US engine in 2001 that required 91 octane fuel was the MP3. The ES/LX spec 2.0L required 87.

Foxy, there are racing fuels with octane ratings over 100. But for the US it is usually 86/87 (in New Mexico last time I went they were selling 86), 89, and 91. Always best to use the minimum your manual recommends unless one of two cases:

A. The manual indicates that higher performance can be had with 91 octane fuel.

B. You experience driveability problems with 87 octane (time to go see the shop).

 

Not to add fule to the fire, but remember the octaine is dependant on the altitude:

Temperature - Generally, the hotter the ambient air and engine coolant, the greater the octane requirement.

Altitude - The higher the altitude above sea level, the lower the octane requirement. Modern computer-controlled engines adjust spark timing and air-fuel ratio to compensate for changes in barometric pressure, and thus the effect of altitude on octane requirement is smaller in these vehicles.

Humidity - The drier the air, the greater the octane requirement. The recommendations that vehicle manufacturers give are for normal- to low-humidity levels.

 

Yes, I live in the U.S.
Michigan to be exact.
And Sea_P5, for the love of all that is holy please READ!
If you had read my post you would realize that I thought the same thing until I looked in my door and saw "ES 2.0 Special Edition". Kinda rules out the whole 'special-edition-is-the-MP3' thing.

Hey Snype... Did your car come with a manual specific to the MP3 or does it say the same thing mine does?

 

sage11x, not to rain on your parade but.... its

"Its Time to Kick *** and Chew Bubble Gum.... And im all out of Gum" - Duke Nukem 3D

 

I wonder if one of the administrator's can explain why there is such a difference in the 2001 to 2002. From my review of spec's the P5 has the same engine as the ES sedan. And that there was not very much revisions in the engines in 2001 to 2002 models. (except for the MP3 of course)

But if this is a forever debatable thread. We might as well stop the thread, because it will just be an aurgumentive thread with no real value.

 

You're pretty much dead on.

* MTBE is carcinogenic. Truthfully, there's not usually not too much interest in protecting the environment, but this affects humans, hence the concern.

** Via airborne pathways (exhaust rain-out) and surface spills (as well as watercraft), this has entered not only surface water, but infiltrated into groundwater supplies. Thus not only is drinking water potentially affected, but, it also bio-accumulates in fish and other aquatic organisms that we injest

 

OH!!! How old are you little man? It's from John Carpenters They Live- and Rowdy Roddy Piper said it first.
By the way, watch Evil Dead 1, 2, and Army of Darkness. All Dukes lines are stolen.
Sorry to rain on your parade.