Stop Wasting Money on Premium Gas if Your Car Requires Regular
Premium gas does not improve your car's performance.
According to the NY Times, Cars.com, and Kelly Blue Book, one thing is very clear: if you are spending hard-earned dollars on Premium gas for an engine that requires regular, you are wasting your money. In the United States, only 18% of brand-new cars require Premium. If your car falls into the category of the other 82% and you're buying Premium, you're wasting your money.
There hasn't been any provable science to show that adding in higher octane Premium gasoline will lead to better fuel-efficiency, a cleaner engine, or improved performance. Despite what you may have heard or believed in the past (I've been guilty of this too), Premium gas is a waste of money if your engine doesn't require it.
Source: David Roumanet
What is Octane Rating? Why does it matter?
According to Exxon Mobile, "Octane rating is a measure of a fuel's ability to resist 'knock.' The octane requirement of an engine varies with compression ratio, geometrical and mechanical considerations, and operating conditions. The higher the octane number, the greater the fuel's resistance to knocking or pinging during combustion."
Knocking (or pinging) during combustion can cause overheating of critical engine parts – such as valves, pistons, and spark plugs. Since each engine is thoroughly tested to determine how hot its parts can get before becoming damaged, a minimum 'octane rating' is assigned to ensure the knocking won't damage it. So, if you are following the owner's manual and using the correct minimum octane for your vehicle, your car's engine should work just fine under those conditions. Adding fuel that doesn't knock as much will not make your car go any faster.
In Layman's Terms
Paying extra for premium gas will not make your car run better or faster. If your engine requires regular gas and you are spending more money on what you assume is 'better' gas, you're simply just wasting money. Different mixtures of gasoline do cost different prices and have different names, but to think that one is 'better' is simply misinformation. Complex combustion materials have different formulas and those formulas are specifically tailored to match your engines needs. If your car's manufacturer tells you to use regular, then stop wasting money on a product that isn't necessary and provides no added benefits.
Source: Free-Photos (Pixabay User)
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