Bought a 2003 PT Cruiser GT Turbo 2.4L Yesterday - Some Questions

[polira]

First off, I love the car. Second off, it didn't come with an owners manual.

What type of gas should I use? What is the downside of simply using 87 regular gas? Is it harmful?

What is the gas mileage? I'll do "tests" of my own, but the guy at the dealer said "in the 30's" and I think he was lying (or mistaken).

Like I said I just bought it yesterday so I would like to figure out some of these things, any help is appreciated.

[sifu_scott]

For a turbo, I'd say the highest quality gas you can get. Expensive, yes, but it'll extend the life of your engine and you won't lose any "oomph" when you drive. I've heard of some people getting 30 mph, but not many. Mine get's between 25-27 mph.

[polira]

Originally Posted by sifu_scott

For a turbo, I'd say the highest quality gas you can get. Expensive, yes, but it'll extend the life of your engine and you won't lose any "oomph" when you drive. I've heard of some people getting 30 mph, but not many. Mine get's between 25-27 mph.

Thank you. I bought it with 73,000 miles on it, so who knows what gas the previous owner was using. I assume regular. So would it be worth it to start using premium right away?

As for the gas mileage, I bet I could get around 30 because I drive a consistent 70MPH to work most of the time, and that's most of my driving.

[Taggert_LOA]

Originally Posted by polira

Thank you. I bought it with 73,000 miles on it, so who knows what gas the previous owner was using. I assume regular. So would it be worth it to start using premium right away?

As for the gas mileage, I bet I could get around 30 because I drive a consistent 70MPH to work most of the time, and that's most of my driving.

you really need to use premium gas. the engine is tuned for it. using a lower grade gas causes the computer to retard timing to prevent knock. which leades to loss of power and poor fuel mileage. you'd wind up filling up more on the cheaper fuel. and use a branded gas station. non of joe's gas crap. BP,sunoco,shell,citgo,etc.

[polira]

Originally Posted by Taggert_LOA

you really need to use premium gas. the engine is tuned for it. using a lower grade gas causes the computer to retard timing to prevent knock. which leades to loss of power and poor fuel mileage. you'd wind up filling up more on the cheaper fuel. and use a branded gas station. non of joe's gas crap. BP,sunoco,shell,citgo,etc.

Yea I'll probably get the "ultra" from Sunoco or whatever they have at Shell. Thanks for your help.

[careyk]

Use PREMIUM

[bados]

It works best with premium.

[SRG]

Ok, the 2003 Gt came with only the 220 hp turbo engine, in 2004 Chrysler also introduced the "turbo lite" which was 180hp, as an option. At that point, the 220hp became known as the "high output" turbo.

Both engines are the exact same, however, the 220 hp turbo's computer is programmed to run with 92-93 octane gas. The "turbo lite" computer is programmed to run on 87 octane gas. Open your gas door and you'll see a sticker "premium fuel recommended".

You can use lower octane gas, but it will cause some knocking, (when you buy a turbo, remember sales people don't know squat about the car they're selling, and when they "give you a fill-up" before you drive away, you can be sure the wrong gas is in there, that's how I KNOW the car will knock.) The car has an anti-knock sensor, but I've heard that you can damage your engine this way.

Give the Chrysler customer service number a call and they can tell you how to get an owners manual. Or, buy one on ebay.

I own a 2004 "high Output" GT.

srg

[polira]

I just went to shell, filled it up with Premium. Cost $52, no sense complaining about it. The only thing is, I bought the car with 73,000 miles on it, so I'm wondering how much regular gas it had to deal with. I'll keep using premium to prevent any further engine damage.

Also, I did see the "premium fuel recommended" sticker, so that plus the replies on this thread made up my mind for me.

[bobs turbo pt]

welcome to the board & enjoy !!