luxury cars that use 87 octane gas image
Whenever I fill up the tank and get the cheapest gas, I wonder what I am paying for if I ever choose the "Supreme" quality instead of the regular quality i always go with. Does it make the car run any better? I never noticed a difference. And who goes with the middle grade? Is it mediocre gasoline?
Answer
The Low-Down on High Octane Gasoline
Are you tempted to buy a high octane gasoline for your car because you want to improve its performance? If so, take note: the recommended gasoline for most cars is regular octane. In fact, 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. Your best bet: listen to your owner's manual.
The only time you might need to switch to a higher octane level is if your car engine knocks when you use the recommended fuel. This happens to a small percentage of cars.
Unless your engine is knocking, buying higher octane gasoline is a waste of money, too. Premium gas costs 15 to 20 cents per gallon more than regular. That can add up to $100 or more a year in extra costs. Studies indicate that altogether, drivers may be spending hundreds of millions of dollars each year for higher octane gas than they need.
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 (usually 87 octane), mid-grade (usually 89 octane) and premium (usually 92 or 93). The ratings must be posted on bright yellow stickers on each gasoline pump.
What's the right octane level for your car?
Check your owner's manual to determine the right octane level for your car. Regular octane is recommended for most cars. However, some cars with high compression engines, like sports cars and certain luxury cars, need mid-grade or premium gasoline to prevent knock.
The Low-Down on High Octane Gasoline
Are you tempted to buy a high octane gasoline for your car because you want to improve its performance? If so, take note: the recommended gasoline for most cars is regular octane. In fact, 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. Your best bet: listen to your owner's manual.
The only time you might need to switch to a higher octane level is if your car engine knocks when you use the recommended fuel. This happens to a small percentage of cars.
Unless your engine is knocking, buying higher octane gasoline is a waste of money, too. Premium gas costs 15 to 20 cents per gallon more than regular. That can add up to $100 or more a year in extra costs. Studies indicate that altogether, drivers may be spending hundreds of millions of dollars each year for higher octane gas than they need.
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 (usually 87 octane), mid-grade (usually 89 octane) and premium (usually 92 or 93). The ratings must be posted on bright yellow stickers on each gasoline pump.
What's the right octane level for your car?
Check your owner's manual to determine the right octane level for your car. Regular octane is recommended for most cars. However, some cars with high compression engines, like sports cars and certain luxury cars, need mid-grade or premium gasoline to prevent knock.
is there a real difference between premium and regular unleaded? or is it just a gimmick?
riddelinpr
also, which gas stations are the best to buy from? I usually buy chevron or shell.
Answer
What you are reffering to is called the OCTANE a measure of the autoignition resistance of gasoline (petrol) and other fuels used in spark-ignition internal combustion engines.
Octane is measured on a scale of 0-100. In America, you are probably used to seeing 87 (regular) , 89 Premium and 93 Ultra.
These are just marketing terms used for people who are not educated about the gasoline refinery grades.
To make it simple for you, Octane ratings point to the amount of "knock" expected from the engine's burning of the fuel.
Engine knocking is compression detonation of fuel in the power stroke of the engine. Knocking occurs when the air-fuel mixture autoignites all at once (or sometimes perhaps when the flame front goes supersonic because of early ignition timing), before the flame front from spark plug ignition can reach it. The explosive reaction causes combustion to stop before the optimum timing, causing a decrease in performance. A fuel with a high autoignition temperature that burns reasonably fast and thus does not need early ignition timing will most often have high practical value knock resistance. Ethanol is such a fuel.
Basically the higher the octane, the lower the KNOCKING and the more combustible the fuel.
NEwer fuels such as ETHANOL E85 are composed of 85% Ethanol and 15% gasoline.
Ethanol which is an alcohol has higher octanes than similar gasolines, less knock and burns cleaner and cooler than gasoline BUT, since Ethanol is corrosive it damages car's fuel lines that can't resist its properties of corrosion.
That is why your current gasoline is only mixed with 10% ethanol rather than 85%. E85 is coming to most cities in the next 5 years.
Airplane fuel for military jets is of the highest octane because it must be volatile enough so that the engine won't "flame-out" in combat manuevers.
Some cars such as luxury sports cars and luxury SUV's require no less than 93 because they require a fuel that burns quickly, and in its entirety with no knock. Take for example a RR Phantom. If you use that car with 87 Octane, you will hear the engine knocking and eventually you will damage the engine.
Super Luxury cars such as the Bugatti Veyron require no less than 97 Octane (Racing Fuel) which costs $8 a gallon.
I'd say the best gaoline stations to buy from are BP, EXXON, SHELL, and HESS. These are well-known, trustable gasoline marketers who are more likely to sell you what you pay for than to try and rip you off by adding water to your gas or selling you false octanes.
What you are reffering to is called the OCTANE a measure of the autoignition resistance of gasoline (petrol) and other fuels used in spark-ignition internal combustion engines.
Octane is measured on a scale of 0-100. In America, you are probably used to seeing 87 (regular) , 89 Premium and 93 Ultra.
These are just marketing terms used for people who are not educated about the gasoline refinery grades.
To make it simple for you, Octane ratings point to the amount of "knock" expected from the engine's burning of the fuel.
Engine knocking is compression detonation of fuel in the power stroke of the engine. Knocking occurs when the air-fuel mixture autoignites all at once (or sometimes perhaps when the flame front goes supersonic because of early ignition timing), before the flame front from spark plug ignition can reach it. The explosive reaction causes combustion to stop before the optimum timing, causing a decrease in performance. A fuel with a high autoignition temperature that burns reasonably fast and thus does not need early ignition timing will most often have high practical value knock resistance. Ethanol is such a fuel.
Basically the higher the octane, the lower the KNOCKING and the more combustible the fuel.
NEwer fuels such as ETHANOL E85 are composed of 85% Ethanol and 15% gasoline.
Ethanol which is an alcohol has higher octanes than similar gasolines, less knock and burns cleaner and cooler than gasoline BUT, since Ethanol is corrosive it damages car's fuel lines that can't resist its properties of corrosion.
That is why your current gasoline is only mixed with 10% ethanol rather than 85%. E85 is coming to most cities in the next 5 years.
Airplane fuel for military jets is of the highest octane because it must be volatile enough so that the engine won't "flame-out" in combat manuevers.
Some cars such as luxury sports cars and luxury SUV's require no less than 93 because they require a fuel that burns quickly, and in its entirety with no knock. Take for example a RR Phantom. If you use that car with 87 Octane, you will hear the engine knocking and eventually you will damage the engine.
Super Luxury cars such as the Bugatti Veyron require no less than 97 Octane (Racing Fuel) which costs $8 a gallon.
I'd say the best gaoline stations to buy from are BP, EXXON, SHELL, and HESS. These are well-known, trustable gasoline marketers who are more likely to sell you what you pay for than to try and rip you off by adding water to your gas or selling you false octanes.
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