Is Premium Gas Better For Your Car?

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If you really love the vehicle you drive you might put premium gas in it because you want to treat it right. You may run premium gas in your vehicle because the person who sold it to you said that you had to. Either way, like most of us you may still be left wondering, is premium gas better for your car, or are you just wasting money every fill-up.

Today we’re going to clear the air as to whether premium gas is better for your car. We’ll lay out the facts, but it will be up to you to decide if the extra cost is worth it for your vehicle.

With different grades of gasoline there are two things to consider:

Knock resistance
Additives

Knock Resistance

The higher the octane rating of a type of fuel the more resistant it is to knocking or exploding your engine’s cylinder before it’s supposed to. For example, diesel fuel has an octane rating around 40 (less than half of regular gasoline) because it is supposed to ignite due to the heat created from the compression stroke in a diesel engine. Spark ignition vehicle doesn’t want the air/fuel mixture to explode during compression, but only when the spark plug ignites the mixture. This early explosion or knocking can cause lots of damage to your engine including a blown head gasket.

The higher the octane rating, the less likely the air-fuel mixture is to prematurely ignite. For more information about octane ratings, check out what Exxon-Mobile has to say.

The octane rating that any vehicle requires has specifically to do with how the engine was designed. Generally higher compression ratios, above 10 to 1 or cars with forced induction like a turbocharger are designed to run higher octane fuels. Also, at higher elevations, naturally aspirated cars can run lower octane fuels due to the thinner air.

Most cars with computer controlled ignition systems now have the ability to change ignition timing enough to compensate for lower octane fuels by retarding the ignition timing but you will see reduced fuel mileage and engine efficiency along with an increased chance in engine damage.

To be sure, check your vehicle’s owner’s manual for the octane your vehicle’s engine requires.

Additives

Besides gasoline and ethanol, fuel companies often add other chemicals to their gasoline. Some companies claim to have detergent gasoline that can keep your fuel system clean. Others oxygenate the gas to reduce emissions while others still add warm cold weather additives to protect the fuel from freezing or gelling in cold weather.

Companies rarely advertise exactly what is in their fuels because it is their secret recipe. Most Top-Tier fuels have a more extensive additives package in their premium gas so it may be worth using premium fuel in your car to keep your fuel system clean and reduce your vehicle’s emissions.

If your engine doesn’t require a higher octane fuel, there is a less expensive way to keep your fuel system clean and your vehicle performing it’s best. Use BlueDevil Fuel System Cleaner regularly in your car can reduce your emissions and keep your engine running efficiently without the high cost at every fill-up!

You can find BlueDevil Fuel System Cleaner at any of our partnering local auto parts stores like: