Regular vs Premium Gas
Many continue to ask the question, “Is premium gasoline worth every cent you’re paying for?” Well, the answer is yes. But this is just for some. This notion is not entirely true for the rest. In times of severe economic crisis and rapidly increasing gas prices, it may actually be wiser to rethink your gas choice and switch to the more cost-effective option.
In the debate of regular versus premium gas, one fact will always remain as a fact – premium gas is pricier than regular gas. So why is premium gas more expensive when, in fact, the two gas types contain almost the same amount of energy British thermal units / gallon = about 111,400?
The trick is that the majority of autos today are using engines that require regular to mid-range octane ratings. So what are octane ratings, and why does gas with higher octane ratings become more expensive than those with a lower octane? To start, the octane rating is describing how resistant to knocking is a particular type of fuel. An engine knock (not a good thing) occurs when there’s too much ignition in the combustion chamber than what is normally allowable thus disrupting the normal operation of the gas engine. The higher the rating, the more effective is the fuel in avoiding a knock. Regular gas in America usually has an 87 octane rating. Mid-octane rating gas is scored at 89 while the premium type is rated at 93 or even higher. However, one must also know that many engines today are already built with sensors to avoid knocks.
This means that a typical car will just run absolutely fine if it is run using regular gas. There’s really no need to switch to high octane premium gas for cars that require lower octane gas and slower combustion. Only the higher performance automobiles need to run using high octane premium gas because of their inherently designed high-compression engines. Cars that are prone to knock may also benefit from the use of premium gas. By the way, most car manuals state what type of gas you need to use.
Lastly, some believe that premium gas has more detergent properties than regular gas. This means fewer residues left for premium gas users. However, it has also been discovered that most governments already regulate the required detergents in gasoline. Hence, regular gasoline already contains enough detergents to “clean” your engine. It’s just that some premium gases have been mixed with additional detergents that make them clean your engine better. If you believe this, then going for premium gas, despite the price, is the better choice for you.
Summary:
1.Premium gas is pricier than regular gas.
2.Premium gas has higher octane ratings than regular gas.
3.Premium gas is ideal for the high-performance class and high-compression cars while regular gas is already good for most of the other regular to mid-class cars.
4.Premium gas is believed by some to have more detergents (that serve to clean the engine) than regular gas.