need help with 1975 450 se

[bscott]

Regarding a 1975 450 se sedan (w116):
I have one basic, maybe obvious, question: Does gasoline type (octane) affect the car's performance?

Please don't worry about insulting me, as i'm very dumb with cars.

Truth is I want the car to run well and live forever, but I'm currently on a budget, so I don't want to spend too much on gas if it's not necessary.


Thank You,
b. scott

[cth]

too much octane is wasted. too little hurts the motor.

Buy decent gas consistently and the motor you save will be your own.

Keep the tank more than half full always (unless your doing a clong trip) and listen to how it behaves after each fill up. Buy the same gas from the same place 4-5 times in a row before you switch to a lower grade/place and go back up a notch after two bad results in a row.

Once you've settled on something you like, keep listening. Also, don't forget to get your valves adjusted. That car needs it every few 1,000 miles. Do that "right now" if you don't know when it was last done.

-cth

[bscott]

Thank you.
I'm a new owner and the advice is appreciated.

And thanks for the tip about getting the valves adjusted, I will have that done immediately.

-b.scott