Should I Use Premium Gas in My Car?

Should I Use Premium Gas in My Car?

Most folks automatically fill up with regular unleaded gasoline when it’s time to refuel, and most of those folks have probably wondered what would happen if they moved up to mid-grade or premium fuel. Do you get better performance from premium gas? Does using premium gas help your car run better? Well, it may surprise you, but in most cases, the answer to both those questions is “no.”

Let’s find out why.

What’s the Difference between Regular Unleaded Gas and Premium Gas?

The most important difference between the grades of gas is their octane rating. Without getting too complicated, octane is a chemical compound, and the more of it in your gasoline, the better that gasoline resists igniting in the engine cylinder before it’s supposed to. Igniting too early causes what’s known as “knocking.” It’s actually the fuel detonating in the cylinder from pressure alone, before the sparkplug fires, and it can cause serious damage.

Older, less technologically advanced engines that were prone to knocking would indeed see improvements from using higher-octane gasoline.

But here’s the thing: Most modern car engines are now specifically engineered – and programmed – to run on regular unleaded gasoline with an octane rating of 87. Using fuel with a higher octane usually has no effect on your engine. However, it sometimes can result in worse, less efficient performance since your powerplant is optimized to run on lower-octane fuel.

There are some cars and trucks that do require premium gasoline, though. For instance, certain high-end vehicles require higher octane gas to fuel their athletic performance: Their engines have relatively high compression ratios, which essentially means the gasoline they use needs to withstand more pressure before it ignites than in a less powerful engine. And as a reminder, the ability to resist combustion comes from octane.

What Is Mid-Grade Gasoline For?

An even smaller number of vehicles are engineered to run on mid-grade gas. That, as you might guess, has an octane rating between that of regular unleaded and premium unleaded. In fact, so few cars now require mid-grade gasoline that the oil companies don’t even make it themselves anymore. It’s automatically blended from the regular unleaded and premium unleaded tanks at gas stations as needed by individual customers.

Now that you know more about different grades of gasoline, you can start shopping here, start selling here, and enjoy the whole HMSMC site from wherever you have an Internet connection.