Synthetic oil vs Conventional oil
premium gas vs regular gas
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Motoroiltests.com - Do not waste money on premium gasoline
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No Need to pay high octane gas for your vehicles
With an expensive and recurring cost like gasoline, it's important to understand what you're putting into your car and why. Gas prices are constantly on the rise, and more than 16.5 million Americans are pumping the wrong type of fuel according to a AAA report.
U.S. drivers are wasting money on Premium fuel because most vehicles don’t require it. Many believe that higher-octane gas improves vehicle performance and fuel efficiency, but that's largely untrue.
“AAA’s tests reveal that there is no benefit to using premium gasoline in a vehicle that requires regular fuel,” said Megan McKernan, manager of the Automobile Club of Southern California’s Automotive Research Center. “Premium gasoline is specifically formulated to be compatible with specific types of engine designs and most vehicles cannot take advantage of the higher octane rating.”
Vehicles with turbochargers or superchargers, high-compression engines, or other high-performance engine modifications require high-octane gas to function properly, but your Toyota Camry is just fine with Regular gas.
U.S. drivers are wasting money on Premium fuel because most vehicles don’t require it. Many believe that higher-octane gas improves vehicle performance and fuel efficiency, but that's largely untrue.
“AAA’s tests reveal that there is no benefit to using premium gasoline in a vehicle that requires regular fuel,” said Megan McKernan, manager of the Automobile Club of Southern California’s Automotive Research Center. “Premium gasoline is specifically formulated to be compatible with specific types of engine designs and most vehicles cannot take advantage of the higher octane rating.”
Vehicles with turbochargers or superchargers, high-compression engines, or other high-performance engine modifications require high-octane gas to function properly, but your Toyota Camry is just fine with Regular gas.
The Real Purpose of Octane Ratings
Check your owner's manual to find out what type of fuel your car requires. Currently, the United States utilizes 87 octane (regular), 89 octane (mid-grade) and 91 or 93 octane (premium), depending on location. It’s important to note that engines designed to run on high-octane gas should never be filled with low-octane gas as it could damage the engine. The different octane ratings exist mainly to prevent engine knock, which happens when the compressed air and gas inside your engine ignite at the wrong time.
Without getting too technical, a low-octane gas cannot withstand the pressure and temperature inside a high-performance or high-compression engine, essentially exploding prematurely and pushing against the engine's pistons, causing a knocking sound. Think of it as someone pushing a door shut while you're trying to push the same door open from the other side — nobody's going anywhere.
Check your owner's manual to find out what type of fuel your car requires. Currently, the United States utilizes 87 octane (regular), 89 octane (mid-grade) and 91 or 93 octane (premium), depending on location. It’s important to note that engines designed to run on high-octane gas should never be filled with low-octane gas as it could damage the engine. The different octane ratings exist mainly to prevent engine knock, which happens when the compressed air and gas inside your engine ignite at the wrong time.
Without getting too technical, a low-octane gas cannot withstand the pressure and temperature inside a high-performance or high-compression engine, essentially exploding prematurely and pushing against the engine's pistons, causing a knocking sound. Think of it as someone pushing a door shut while you're trying to push the same door open from the other side — nobody's going anywhere.
Gas Octane Tests
A modern engine can sense knock and turn down power to save itself from damage, but unless you own a high-performance sports car, that same engine won't gain any additional horsepower with high-octane gas.
AAA's research tested a variety of engines designed to run on Regular fuel and found that these engines did not gain any benefits from Premium fuel; in fact, some engines lost horsepower with the often-perceived "better" fuel .
AAA's research tested a variety of engines designed to run on Regular fuel and found that these engines did not gain any benefits from Premium fuel; in fact, some engines lost horsepower with the often-perceived "better" fuel .
How to Save
Don't let the gas company's marketing efforts convince you to pay more for something you don't need — higher octane doesn’t necessarily equal higher quality.
According to AAA, 70 percent of drivers own a vehicle that requires regular, 87-octane, gasoline, and only 16 percent of drivers have vehicles that need high-octane gas. More than $2.1 billion is wasted by drivers who use higher octane fuel in cars that don't require it..
Looking at national averages for fuel consumption and gas prices, if you unnecessarily purchase 480 gallons of Premium gas per year at $2.849 per gallon, you're spending an extra $235 annually when compared to Regular gas at $2.361 per gallon.
Bottom line: if your car doesn't require Premium fuel, just get the regular stuff — it can't tell the difference.
Check your owner's manual for the minimum octane rating recommended for your car and don't be afraid to use it. As long as you're not buying gasoline from the back of someone's pickup truck, you'll be perfectly fine.
Don't let the gas company's marketing efforts convince you to pay more for something you don't need — higher octane doesn’t necessarily equal higher quality.
According to AAA, 70 percent of drivers own a vehicle that requires regular, 87-octane, gasoline, and only 16 percent of drivers have vehicles that need high-octane gas. More than $2.1 billion is wasted by drivers who use higher octane fuel in cars that don't require it..
Looking at national averages for fuel consumption and gas prices, if you unnecessarily purchase 480 gallons of Premium gas per year at $2.849 per gallon, you're spending an extra $235 annually when compared to Regular gas at $2.361 per gallon.
Bottom line: if your car doesn't require Premium fuel, just get the regular stuff — it can't tell the difference.
Check your owner's manual for the minimum octane rating recommended for your car and don't be afraid to use it. As long as you're not buying gasoline from the back of someone's pickup truck, you'll be perfectly fine.
Does fuel stabilizer work (Google Result)
Fuel stabilizer works to stop this oxidation and chemical breakdown from happening. ... You can't turn “bad” fuel into “good” fuel by adding fuel stabilizer, but you can keep gasoline relatively fresh over a long period of time by introducing it at the beginning of storage .
Fuel stabilizer works to stop this oxidation and chemical breakdown from happening. ... You can't turn “bad” fuel into “good” fuel by adding fuel stabilizer, but you can keep gasoline relatively fresh over a long period of time by introducing it at the beginning of storage .
