Does Using a Higher Octane Gas Improve Fuel Economy?

Is higher octane gas worth the $208.00 increase in gas costs per year? Does the higher octane premium gas result in better mileage? Is better fuel economy attained by using premium gas? Does higher octane gas enable your car run better?

It will cost you $208.00 annually if you fill your car with premium gas instead of regular. The difference between regular fuel and premium fuel is about twenty cents per gallon. Therefore it will cost you $4.00 more per tank if you use premium gasoline instead of regular gasoline. This assumes you have a 20 gallon tank and you fill up about once per week.

Let's address the fuel economy question first. The simple answer is no, premium gas does not increase fuel economy at all.

The octane rating is a measurement of the proportion of isooctane to heptane in fuel. In non technical terms it is a rating that grades how much energy it takes to ignite that fuel. The rating has nothing to do with how much energy the gas puts out.It has absolutely nothing to do with fuel economy.

Does premium gas make your car run better? Once again the simple answer is no, there is no increase in a cars performance with premium gas.

I must add this one caveat, having said there is no performance gain, it is possible your car could show an increase of a little more horsepower with premium than with regular gas but it would be very hard for you to notice the difference. This slight possibility only allows car makers a little extra marketing advantage by using this claim on higher horsepower as part of their advertising.

Car manufacturers utilize this slight horsepower gain to market their cars claiming more horsepower by optimizing and designing their cars to take advantage of higher octane premium gasoline's anti-knock properties. Engineers and car experts agree that if you opt to use regular gasoline in your car designed for premium gasoline, the loss of horsepower is so small, you will not be able to detect any difference.

Will you harm your car or void your warranty if your car manufacturer recommends that you use high octane gas? Most automakers say using regular gas even when your owner's guide says to use premium gas won't void the warranty. Most automakers also say that using regular will not damage the engine.

Next time you go to fill up try regular instead of premium. You will immediately save $4.00. See how your car performs with the regular. If it runs fine and you don't hear any knocking continue to use regular. You could save $200.00 per year!

Scott Siegel is the author of a 143 page book of industry insider information on saving gas and dollars at the pump. Visit us to learn how you can get better gas mileage. Find out how to increase gas mileage.
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