It may seem like buying higher octane “premium” gas is better for engine performance, but take note: the recommended gasoline for most cars is regular octane. If you car recommends regular fuel than putting a higher octane will be a waste of money. It won't make your car perform better, go faster, get better mileage, or run cleaner.
Can higher octane gas make my car run better?
You may think that buying the higher-octane, or premium, gas is better for your car and will make it perform better. This is a common belief, probably based on the commercials selling gasoline. But if you look in your owner’s manual, you’ll find that the recommended gas for most vehicles is economy and standard, low octane.
What is best way to increase octane in gas?
Other additives used as octane boosters include :
- Methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl - very toxic
- Ferrocene - toxic
- Triptane / 2,2,3-trimethylbutane. Used as an anti-knock additive in aviation fuel.
- Benzene - this has an octane number of 120; but it is carcinogenic. Toluene is used as a substitute nowadays.
- Alcohols - alcohols are sometimes blended with gasoline a
What are the pros and cons of higher octane gasoline?
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- Ethanol sucks water right out of the air
- Food vs fuel - prices and food availability
- Ethanol damages engines
- Creates greater emissions problems
- Has lower energy content BTU – lower MPG
- EROEI - Ethanol production is energy negative
- Requires too much water for production
- Chemical fertilizer creating environmental nightmare
Can you use high octane gas to get better performance?
The only time you will really get a performance boost by using higher octane fuel is if your vehicle requires mid-grade or premium fuel and you use a lower octane rating than recommended.
Does higher octane gas make your car run better?
The higher octane of premium gas won't make your car faster; in fact, the opposite is possible because higher-octane fuel technically has less energy than lower-octane fuel. It's the fuel's ability to be compressed more without pre-igniting that results in more power when used in the appropriate engine.
What does higher octane gas do for your car?
A higher octane rating indicates greater resistance to knock, the early combustion of the fuel-air mixture that causes cylinder pressure to spike.
What happens if you put 93 gas instead of 87?
In most cases, the vehicle will run fine, but you may experience less power and a decrease in gas mileage. In more serious cases, you may hear engine knocking or valve chatter because the fuel isn't burning right. These things could damage your engine and you should take it to your mechanic.
Who should use high octane fuel?
Many cars only require regular gas. However, vehicles with smaller turbocharged engines and higher performance vehicles will have higher factory recommended octane levels. That doesn't mean your car won't run on anything less than 91 octane.
Which gas is better 87 89 or 93?
Most cars on the road recommend a standard grade 87 or 89. Premium gas 90-93 is completely okay to put in a standard vehicle. Car experts say there is no risk of damage to a standard car using premium fuel.
Does premium fuel clean your engine?
Nope. Regular, plus, and premium gas all come with detergents to mitigate against carbon deposits in your engine. Plus and premium don't come with special powers for cleaning out the engine. If you're interested in cleaning out your engine, you're better off taking it in for service.
Is premium gas really worth it?
If your car doesn't require premium, fill up with regular. In a consumer notice, the Federal Trade Commission, notes: “In most cases, using a higher-octane gasoline than your owner's manual recommends offers absolutely no benefit. It won't make your car perform better, go faster, get better mileage or run cleaner.”
Will mixing premium and regular gas mess up your car?
According to The Drive, a motorist publication, your car will "survive," if you mix regular and premium. "That said, if your vehicle requires premium fuel, it's a good idea to top it off with the good stuff as soon as you're able," the website said.
Which fuel is best for my car?
unleaded fuelAlways refer to your vehicle manufacturer's recommendations before filling up at the fuel station, as the type of unleaded fuel you use does matter. In a vehicle that is recommended to use regular unleaded (91) fuel - you can opt for premium 95 or 98 unleaded fuel. This will not cause any harm to your engine.
Should I use premium gas in my older car?
If you have an older, heavier car, SUV, or truck with high-performance engines and you are experiencing engine knock, try using premium gas for a few fills to see if that fixes the problem, even if the vehicle does not call for it.
What is the best gas for a car?
But if you look in your owner’s manual, you’ll find that the recommended gas for most vehicles is economy and standard, low octane.
What is a lower octane?
Lower octanes (83-87) used in most cars are made to combust easily and more rapidly. Today’s cars with low-combustion engines also have computers that keep checking on the fuel/air mixture to eliminate the knocking (often the combustion of gas before the spark) that was common in older models.
What does octane mean?
About Octane. What does octane measure? Octane ratings refer to the fuel’s ability to burn, or combust, in the engine. There really isn’t much difference between 83 octane or 95 octane (octane levels can vary from one gas station to the next), unless you are a chemist.
Do you need to put higher octane gas in your tank?
What you may not know is what high-octane fuel is or how it affects your vehicle. Unless you hear your car’s, engine knocking, there is no need to put a higher-octane gas in your tank.
Does higher octane gas clean engines better?
Does higher-octane gas clean engines better? Not really. The EPA mandates that all gas, no matter the octane level or brand, add cleaning agents. In other words, all levels of gas and all brands carry similar cleaning agents.
Do premium fuels burn properly?
That means, according to William Green, a chemist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology “the regular fuel will burn properly and the premium fuel will burn properly and therefore there is no reason you should pay the extra money”.
Does premium fuel give more power?
Sadly, if your car is tuned to run on regular unleaded then pumping premium into it won’t extract more power. Sorry.
Is 98RON better than premium unleaded?
Sure, premium unleaded (98RON) is undoubtedly a better fuel in the right engine and it does offer more power and burns cleaner in engines tuned for this type of fuel but if you’re engine’s not specifically intended to run on it, then many of those benefits won’t be realised.
Is premium unleaded fuel necessary?
Where premium unleaded does become necessary, is when you have a higher compression ratio, say, in a turbocharged vehicle. Most car makers will specify on the fuel flap what type of fuel the vehicle is happy to run on, and if it says 95RON, then there’s absolutely no reason to run 98RON in it.
What are octane ratings?
Octane ratings measure a gasoline's ability to resist engine knock — a rattling or pinging sound that results from premature ignition of the compressed fuel-air mixture in one or more cylinders. Most gas stations offer three octane grades: regular (87 octane), mid-grade (89 octane), and premium (92 octane). The ratings are posted on on the gas tank near the nozzle to put gas.
What to do if your engine knocks?
If this happens, try switching to the next highest octane grade. In most cases, switching to the mid-grade or premium-grade gasoline will eliminate the knock. If the knocking or pinging continues after one or two fill-ups, something else may be going on with your engine.
How does the engine controller determine the octane of a fuel?
Instead, the engine controller calculates an inferred octane with closed-loop logic that continuously advances the ignition timing until it detects knock, which occurs when a portion of the fuel-air mixture ignites before the spark-plug-initiated flame front reaches it. The further the computer can advance the timing without provoking knock, the higher the octane rating.
What is the fuel octane for a Mazda 6?
Vehicles such as the Ford Escape and Mazda 6 are advertised with power figures made on 93-octane fuel, although both companies are quick to note that these vehicles will happily run on 87. What automakers rarely say is what, precisely, are the benefits of paying for premium. That ambiguity can be expensive.
How much horsepower does a BMW dyno have?
No, that delta was in line with expectations. Our jaws were left hanging by just how much power and torque we measured. On either fuel, the über 5-series is seriously underrated. While BMW claims 617 horsepower at the crank, the dyno reports it makes that much at the wheels (after driveline losses) on 93-octane premium. And both fuels produced significantly more torque than BMW's advertised 553 lb-ft.
What fuel does a Mazda 6 use?
Vehicles such as the Ford Escape and Mazda 6 are advertised with power figures made on 93-octane fuel, although both companies are quick to note that these vehicles will happily run on 87. What automakers rarely say is what, precisely, are the benefits of paying for premium. That ambiguity can be expensive. Premium gas tracked at $0.59 more per gallon than regular unleaded as of this writing. In a vehicle averaging 25 mpg and traveling 15,000 miles a year, that amounts to a $354 annual surcharge for using the more expensive stuff.
How does a knock affect a gas engine?
During knock, the flame front travels through the combustion chamber up to 10 times quicker than the normal spark-initiated flame front. Left unchecked, these pressure waves can damage the head gasket, pistons, or cylinder head. But the occasional brief knock is a useful tool for checking that the engine is operating efficiently. It's detected with one or more knock sensors bolted to the block to sense the oscillations created by the pressure waves with a typical frequency between 7 and 16 kilohertz. Stephen Russ, senior technical leader for gas engines at Ford, says this normal knock is usually detected and addressed within one or two combustion cycles and poses no threat to the engine. —ET
Does octane increase the energy content of a gallon of gas?
Raising the octane rating (also known as the anti-knock index) doesn't change the energy content of a gallon of gasoline. A higher octane rating indicates greater resistance to knock, the early combustion of the fuel-air mixture that causes cylinder pressure to spike. When higher-octane fuel is flowing through its injectors, the engine controller can take advantage of the elevated knock threshold and dial in more aggressive timing and higher boost pressures to improve performance.
Why do engines use higher octane?
Engines with a high compression ratio typically require higher octane fuel to achieve its intended level of performance, fuel efficiency and emissions. If your car requires premium gas, don’t skimp out. While you might save money on gas, your car will be less powerful and fuel-efficient.
What is the difference between premium gas and regular gas?
Regular gas is rated at 87 octane in most states, while premium gas is often rated higher at 91 or 93. Fuel with a higher octane rating can stand up to higher compression before it detonates. Essentially, the higher the octane rating, the lower the likelihood that detonation happens at the wrong time. On occasion, this occurrence will likely not harm your vehicle. However, if it happens frequently it may quicken the decline of your engine's performance.
What happens when you use a lower grade of fuel?
When you use a lower grade of fuel than what’s recommended or required, a modern vehicle’s ECU (Electronic Control Unit) can account for different octane levels and adjust accordingly. There’s a good chance your horsepower and MPG will go down while CO2 emissions go up.
Do you need premium gas for a car?
If your car requires premium gas, don’t skimp out. While you might save money on gas, your car will be less powerful and fuel-efficient.
Can you run a car on premium gas?
But if your owner’s manual says “premium fuel recommended,” you can safely run on regular.
Can you knock a car on low octane?
While older vehicles may be susceptible to engine knock when running on low octane fuel, modern ones are equipped with sensors to help prevent knock—and by extension, engine damage. Your car will probably be fine running on regular once in a while, but we don’t suggest putting it to the test on a regular basis.
Does high compression ratio affect fuel efficiency?
However, if it happens frequently it may quicken the decline of your engine's performance. Engines with high compression ratios or turbochargers often require high octane fuel found in premium gas for optimal performance and fuel efficiency.
