Not really true. So car companies started to do recommend on cars that should be on higher octane. Like for example turbo cars yes it may say require 87, but we recommend 91 because that does do better to prevent knock which is a issues with turbo cars especially the older it gets. Turbos cars have mire steps to maintain then people know
I know the people who build these vehicles and write up the manuals know what they're doing but the manual for my truck suggests you can go up to 16000 kms (10000 mi) between oil changes. Maybe I'm a bit old school but theres no way I'm gettting even close to that before I change my oil.
If you have a turbo, supercharger or other high compression engine, use high octane fuel. Listen to the manufacturer, and not a media outlet that can’t accurately report anything.
@@jessicacole8404 they do now. A lot of manufacturers have moved towards forced induction, low displacement engines. The main thing to look at is the compression ratio. If it’s more than 10:1 I’d definitely run higher octane fuel, if it was my car. Also keep in mind that the ECU/ECM on many newer vehicles will detune your engine if you run lower octane fuel. It doesn’t hurt to run higher octane, but you can do a lot of damage if you run too low of octane fuel.
My VW 1.8 TSI (turbo stratified injection) specifies 87 octane, and they mean it! Turns out the ECU will not advance spark timing even if the knock sensors are dead quiet, it's simply unable to benefit from the higher octane. OTOH my first gen. Insight with a 1 liter 3 cylinder specifies 87 octane too, but it has 10.8:1 compression, an ECU that wants to run lean whenever possible (as a fuel saving measure) and I go wide open throttle up every hill to keep the speed up so I fill it with 93, at least with 44 mpg in mixed driving it doesn't hurt that bad.
@@evancourtney7746 I was going to say, VW had to fake data to meet emissions regulations I’m not surprised lol. If the engine isn’t experiencing knock, there’s no danger. It’s not a good idea in my opinion for them to tell people they don’t “have” to use higher octane fuel. When they bend a rod or pop a hole in a piston, it’s too late lol.
Yeah this video is really overdue lol A lot of cars now are using forced induction which means it needs higher octane to be more efficient This video would have been helpful if it was released 10 years ago
So simple and yet so not followed by the masses. The exact same thing goes for oil changes. Change your oil by what your owner's manual says, not what your dealer or Jiffy Lube say.
@@MichaelRockfez I don’t necessarily agree with that. Higher compression ratios can increase efficiency. Just factor in everything including its real world fuel economy when making your decision.
@michael Chang a lot of us actually like to drive our cars and look at them more than just transportation so have fun in your corolla but I love my Audi S5
Not really, most car will just reduce performance with cpu technology. So a lot of the times you engine just isn’t making the horsepower it should be making with premium. But nothing beyond that. It’s not going to blow up your engine if you are on a tight budget and need to put regular into a car that needs premium.
@@scottbecker4367 while true, i can appreciate the notion of wanting to know more about why you don't need it, especially for the layman who typically only has an understanding that 'better' things cost more. And this is one thing that even if you know a car burns gas, most driver's understanding of that process stops there.
Best sweet light crude oil on the planet presently is out of IRAN. US is pump nasty fracking crude. It comes out a slurry and takes alot of filtering for it to become even cheap gas. The reason gas is so cheap in US today is Saudi Arabia is mad with US fracking. Saudi Arabia opened its oil valves cheap to make US fracking go way under in lo$$.
I work for a MAJOR oil and gas company (it's gas station was shown in the video) and I can confirm that premium gasoline is mostly a scam. It takes pennies to add the additives, but due to 'premium' tag, the margin is huge.
Not many people considering it is the high performance vehicles that need higher octane. Who is going to buy a Ford Mustang or Dodge Charger and put cheap gas in it? And with high compression engines you can really feel the cheap gas- its more sluggish. With a normal engine you don't really feel a difference with high octane. And even in some cases can ping the engine occasionally if the fuel is too rich. I use high octane gas in motorcycles because they get better performance and more gas mileage out it. I can feel the difference in octane because motorcycles are almost always high compression engines. Maybe once in a while if I feel cheap I'll do midgrade. They will run on regular but you feel a reduction in performance and kind of sluggish sometimes. Usually the owner manual on a motorcycle will recommend mid grade or better. On some of the sports cars low octane gas is bad for the engine. But in a regular car or truck high octane makes no difference. It isn't a high enough compression engine to use the octane and can even sometimes ping if the fuel is too rich. There are other factors. Like usually when I talk about "premium gas" I don't mean high octane. I mean like BP or Shell. They have better quality gas compared to most other brands. This does make a difference if you compare a low octane BP gas to low octane Chevron. They have better fuel additives and they also test their gas. A lot of these other brands they don't test their gas and you have shady gas station owners that water down their gas with ethanol and stuff- so you get bad gas mileage. Like my 20 year old junker SUV I have high octane fuel doesn't do anything for it, but it gets a lot better gas mileage with BP gas. And also gets better mileage and performance with ethanol free gas. Motorcycle doesn't seem to be much difference with BP or ethanol free, but does perform better with high octane. Though I try to use a name brand like shell or something in most cases.
@@raymondkidwell7135 The high performance vehicles owners will most likely for sure use higher octane fuel yes. But there are a lot of regular cars that recommend and some even require it that I'm referring to like Mitsubishi outlanders v6, GM's 2.0L turbo vehicles like regal, equinox ect.. Even Subaru's old 3.0L flat six was a premium fuel engine. The list goes on, mostly regular cars that normal non car people purchase.
@@raymondkidwell7135 Lots of people are really cheap when they think no one will notice. I've seen cars with high performance engines at the gas pump with people putting in regular gas. Cheap of stupid? Maybe both since they often go together.
Ya you lose like 2mpg compared to gas henry ford was making his cars to run on ethenal to help the farmers but he wasnt able to out due john Rockefeller and gasoline
The additives identified as detergents in some brands, including in Shell and Costco premiums, are reported to have five times the amount in the lower grades. Those detergents help keep fuel injectors cleaner, longer, requiring less maintenance, which saves money. And the knock sensors don't just alter spark timing to stop the knock, they cause a decrease in efficiency, ie, mileage and power. As admitted in the video, the savings are "only" 3-5%, which is about the difference we pay for premium in Cali. And, as more vehicles are not normally aspirated, all to boost performance and efficiency, more will require higher octane ratings. Why not just produce more of the additives, as the video suggests, to get the "better" prices for the extra octane we have in Cali? I think it's ridiculous for people on the Midwest to pay 50¢ to a dollar more for premium.
Indeed, when I recently filled up at an Exxon pump, I saw a sign, pasted onto the pump, saying thje Exxon-Mobile brands have more detergent in their premium grades. If I recall correctly it said 5 times as much. The web site listing top tier brands listed Exxon, but I did not see a sign at my Exxon station saying the gasoline was top tier. I don't see this label anywhere in NC.
Theres quite a few turbos now certified to run on regular. I OWN one. On average per my data logger I loose 8 degrees of timing -2 after TDC on takeoff for regular with ac on vs 12 degrees BTDC on takeoff with premium! So 14 degrees difference in timing. Exhaust gas temps are wayy higher with regular too. Theres wayy more unburnt fuel out the exhaust with regular too!
Very True. Supercharger, Turbocharger, doesn't matter . All these do is increase the amount of oxygen , oxygen needed to burn more fuel .. My 9nth grade Science teacher said " British Thermal Units , BTU''s . The law of physics dictate BTU''S cannot be beat ,. They are the difinitive bottom line ". That's why boosted engines aren't any more economical than a bigger engine without it . The BTU s in the fuel dictate how much force or energy must be burnt to move the load x distance. Either a little engine spinning very fast or a larger engine spinning slower . Same amount of fuel consumption... I use Primo in my ride because it gets about 4-5 more mpg using it , ( it almost equals it's self ). And my cat runs best with it . No valve rattle, less downshifting , cooler running. I buy non - ethanol gasoline for my 2 cycle engines and lawn mowers. They have paper gasket material that is eaten by alcohol. It's 90 octain ethanol free Pure cracked crude oil Gasoline . It does even better than premo in my car . But at 3$ + a gal I only use it In small engines that require it .
@@jessstuart7495 Yes , I think my car needs to go on a diet . It only gets 37 miles per gallon . Or I could just take the doors hood and hatch off of it . That would make it lighter. Lol. 🙃
Jess Stuart have you done any research to support this claim? A 400 hp 1.5L turbocharged engine will have a higher BMEP and lower FMEP than a 400 hp 5.0L V8 naturally aspirated engine. BSFC, quantified in grams per kW/hr will be substantially better in the downsized turbocharged engine.
I have a Cadillac ATS 2.0T, for which it is manufacturer recommended that I use premium. I did a test, albeit not incredibly scientific, but observable. I ran 3 tanks of premium and then 3 tanks of regular and I found that the regular use wasn't as efficient, so any dollars I saved at the pump were lost in distance driven per tank. The car also runs so much better on Premium, so it makes sense to just run the good stuff.
my 2017 Corvette wants to drink 93 octane but all I can find is 91 octane around me. You should use whatever the manufacturer recommends because it's been tuned for performance/efficiency/emissions.
@@runabout76 It's true that the difference in gas price is more psychological. I used to have a car that was supposed to go on premium but I always used midgrade...no issues.
Depends on your engine. My 2016 colorado with its direct injected 11.7 to 1 comprettion rattlesnon everything but 91 plus. Forget the cleaning claims. Its pre ignition.... yes it does now req 91 or better. Not a waste. Not a 90s 305. 350 or 4.3. Thi injected engine. The comtression is under 9 to 1.... it can run on around low 80 octane without issue. In that type. Yes. Anything other than cheap stuff is a waste.
This video is for people who have “regular” vehicles and think putting premium gas in is beneficial. If you have a performance vehicle which you would know then those would obviously require and run better on premium gas.
Because your car can detect if your duel octane is higher then 87. If you had a turbo car that needs 92+ premium then it will pre ignite and damage your engine if you use regular 87. Your jeep most likely is a 4 cylinder so 87 should be its gas.
I live in Europe, the Netherlands. I find it amazing how low octane levels they sell in the USA. Regular fuel here has 95 octane, premium 98 and high octane fuel has 102.
Always read user manual and use the fuel recommended by automaker. My accord required regular fuel current Mazda 6 runs on premium. Every turbo charged vehicle operates smoother on premium
the problem is marketing lol no its the fat cats that want more more more profit they had a meeting on jekly island a long time ago... and everrryting now has fuel oil in it cosmetics plastic etc.. this is why our earth is dieing why the great plastic reef exsists why smog is around why the earth is heating why winter is now 1 month or more later.... and you think its marketing.. its greed... on all the industry... they can make cars that run on water that are battery powered by hydro damns etc yet wont...
Watch for these keywords “Required” or “Recommended”. Required means you absolutely need it, recommended means it’s optional. Usually these keywords can be found on your gas cap or gas cap cover as to what your vehicle needs. Trust me, I’m an expert. Horror story, I had a car that needed premium and a gas pump provided regular gas when I selected premium. My engine was toast and there was horrible pinging. Engine tear down shows 3 out of 4 pistons has holes melted through them
Almost all modern engines are able to detect what quality fuel you're using and adjusts appropriately to protect the engine. If you use the wrong kind, it won't shut off your engine. You just won't get as much power and as much fuel economy.
In the US all vehicle must be capable of running on 87 octane. I have a 93 Thunderbird SC and they Ford achieved this was the supercharger belts can be removed. Modern vehicles achive this with knock sensors and VVT.
@Fed up w. all most Everyone these r the facts thou. There is a lot of variables to take into account and manufacturer guidelines is the easiest to get the right octane but certain situations do demand higher octane
@@inorite4553 yes. Newer ‘regular’ cars should be able to detect. (Highly dependent on specific vehicles) But not all cars. Usually high performance cars will require 91 octane minimum (at sea level) and the ECU will assume that’s the minimum in the tank any lesser.... well it’s bad news. Better Fuel eco linked to vehicles that run higher than recommended octane (for vehicles requiring regular gas) have some current issues it is experiencing such as carbon build up (which increases cylinder pressure and increases chance of knocking, the knock sensor usually pulls back some ignition timing from the range it is allowed to), to extreme heat environment, (more fuel to cool cylinder) to low quality low octane gas, to towing. In this situation, sometimes running mid grade works fine to improve this temporary or permanent situation. In non extreme duty situations (like daily driving), sometimes changing to a different gas station can yield some better quality 87 octane gas that can restore fuel eco without the need for mid or prem gas. There’s so many variables to take into account
My 99 infiniti q45t calls for premium fuel.on regular fuel it will knock ping on startup till warm. Performance seems lees with regular also. My girlfriends 13 hyundai accent had a knock sensor code.so i changed it. Still came back on. After reading up on this car and detonation and knock and other things i decided to put plus in it.light went away and stays away with plus or better.
Well said. Also - if you live at altitude, expect lower octane ratings due to lower barometric pressure. IE: my Tacoma says to use 87 but in Utah we have 85, 87 and 91 vs the 87, 89, 93. So it's acceptable to use 85 octane.
if you want highher octane, just put some acetone A.K.A lacquer A.K.A paint striper into it...it's going to clean your fuel injectors and ur catalytic converter at the same time. www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/acetone-and-octane.282229/
Higher octane is needed in high compression engines to avoid knocking (preignition) and in carburâtes engines because of stupid ethanol added in regular!
I own an old carbuteted car and I have had zero issues running it on regular gas for years. I put in premium once and the only difference I felt was my wallet feeling emptier than usual.
, my 2017 Corvette wants to drink 93 octane but all I can find is 91 octane around me. You should use whatever the manufacturer recommends because it's been tuned for performance/efficiency/emissions.
I use regular unleaded to run my 2011 Sonata. Works just right. I use unleaded plus in our lawn mower. It does not get gel issues. Sta Bil in in the stored gas is a winner. 😅😅
Maybe that - but a lot of vehicles do require 91 octane. Both of mine do. The video makes a distinction, but the title is objectively wrong as stated (I haven’t disliked the video, but my guess is that’s why people are).
Higher octane burns slower and colder then cheap oily gas. Cheap gas burns hot an violent and causes Detonation knock. Detonation is when a gasoline engine acts like a diesel. Youll get valve train chatter under load or the engine will bobble and thump shutting down with the key.
The octane rating your vehicle requires is in your owners manual and sometimes its actually on your gas cap or inside the fuel door. If you put anything besides 93+ octane in my Challenger it will let you know about it in short order!
I purchased an '08 GM 3800 V6 new. 3500 mile oil changes, 50k trans flush(15 years old). It currently has 250k miles. At 220k miles, the engine was starting to run sluggish. I switched to 94 Octane fuel, and the engine dynamic changed by 80%. It's like I have a new engine.😊
I hate the term "waste money" but buying fuel for your car that you essentially don't need to just make it operate is at its very core a waste of money.
Cnbc is full of *hit! Higher octane has less oil and it leaves fewer coked on deposits on the valve train. Aviation & racing fuels begin at 104+ octane.
Most modern Hondas and a few Toyotas recommend premium fuel, specifically the turbo variant. So not all drivers are being ripped off, mostly the drivers in older models are since it's just regular fuel.
I wasn't aware we were supposed to be born with the knowledge of how a car engine works. As someone who is a self-taught programmer, something I'd venture to say most people don't know how to do, including yourself, I'd be considered "dumb" because I don't invest most of my time learning everything I can about how a car functions? Pretty sure that's why engineers exist. Don't judge a fish by it's ability to climb a tree. Birds can't breath under water.
@@SilverAura Bro stfu and read your car manual. I swear people these days just hop in their car and just drive, don’t do any self maintenance or read their manuals
When people rely on the internet for every question they have they stop forcing their brains to work. The weaker the brain gets, the more they rely on their computers. It will only get worse.
Nice to see mention of e85 in this article. I’ll gladly choose e85 at $2.19 /gal over premium at. $3.75. My Audi is FFV, and is spec’d for 93 oct. or better. My 2016 Ford Focus is FFV with 12:1 C/R . My gas mileage is the nearly the same e85 vs regular. More of this type of vehicle, please.
@@ssj2camaro21 .. and that's where testing comes in to play. Test the fuel before pouring it in the tank. 1 minute routine can save thousands in repair & replacement costs.
I have a 07 honda accord with the v6 and the shell nitro definitely wakes it up quite a bit more than when I use the lower octane fuel. The difference is most noticeable accelerating off the line.
@Minne Swen But nowadays that is the same for everyone. Have you seen Mercedes vehicles after 2018. They have some of the poorest construction and reliability.
So personal experience: When I first bought my car, I put 87 in it, because I had a preconceived notion that all regular cars allowed it. My MPG lowered significantly down to 22. Then, I read the manual and it reccomended premium, so I switched my car over and the MPG went up to 28. I may be spending more on fuel, however a full fuel tank on premium lasts myself much longer.
Can attest to that my truck allows me to put 87 or 89 or 91 I tried all 3 to see what kind of mileage I would get. On 87 I get about 11 mph, during the week I tested it out, with the 87 I had to fill up twice during the week Filled up on Sunday night, then Wednesday after work. With the 89 I got till Thursday night, while With 91 I made it till Friday. I drive to the same site for work and take the same route to work, minimal traffice and yet I was able to see a difference. While I do pay 10 bucks more per fill up I only have to fill once up on 91.
IF IT SAYS REGULAR IS GOOD BUT PREMIUM IS FINE OR RECOMMENDS PREMIUM BUT REGULAR IS FINE...THEN MID GRADE WHEN ITS CHEAPER AND FUEL PRICES ARE LOWER IS PREFERABLE
I got Acura RDX 2013. 91 octane is recommended but not required. I tried regular and it did not drive smoothly. It drive a lot better with premium gases (91-93) so I used them all the time...
My 2015 Acura idles perfectly on Premium fuel, gets goes 100 km on 7-9 Litres of fuel in the summer, and the top of the engine is clean--- no carbon or sludge because of the extra additives that are NOT present in Regular fuel. I've got over 110,000 km on the factory spark plugs--- they look like they did when I bought the car.
IF IT SAYS REGULAR IS GOOD BUT PREMIUM IS FINE OR RECOMMENDS PREMIUM BUT REGULAR IS FINE...THEN MID GRADE WHEN ITS CHEAPER AND FUEL PRICES ARE LOWER IS PREFERABLE
I will put Premium in my truck once a year during a trip to a event, and fill up on the way back as well with premium, then I notice the next fillup with Plus is alot more MPG vs the last fillup. Premium also helps burn out carbon in the cylinders if there is any as it burns hotter, so it in theory helps clean the engine!~
ANY substance added to gas that helps prevent, or delays pre-ignition with give gasoline a higher octane rating but, they will not cause the fuel to burn hotter or burn out carbon anymore than a lower octane fuel.
Although I only need mid-range octane, I like premium for a few reasons; - Price is only 6c more (about $3 per tank, say 5% more) but miles per tank is much better - Engine responsiveness is better on premium - Engine maintenance will hopefully be less over the long run - I drive a VW and the clearances are very small to non-existent when warm so I like to treat it well as it treats me
@@ivocanevo Don't believe everything you see/hear/read on RUclips. I watch it and make up my own mind about the content. Also different countries have different fuel standards and ways to measure, so intelligence dictates that these variables are taken into consideration.
Your car might need the extra octane because of the compression ratio (older cars sometimes need it, cars with turbo chargers and/or superchargers often need them). I also know some people who buy premium (up north) because some gas stations sell premium ethanol-free fuel and they needed ethanol-free fuel for their lawnmowers, tractors, or antique vehicles (but they didn't necessarily need the extra octane). In Georgia, it's easy to find ethanol-free regular, but not ethanol-free premium (I bookmarked 3 gas stations relatively near where I live that offer it). In Wisconsin, I found it easy to find ethanol-free premium, but not ethanol-free regular (if somewhere offers it, I don't know who or where, so I just buy ethanol-free premium because I only need a few gallons). If you are willing to spend extra money on fuel in the hopes of getting some benefit, I suggest you buy Lucas fuel stabilizer. It has fuel injector cleaner and lubricates your cylinders. It actually does make my car feel like it runs better and it supposedly improves your fuel economy if you use it often enough (particularly if your injectors were clogged).
My 2006 VW Rabbit manual says to use 91 octane for best performance. A car with my engine was dynoed with 91 and 87. The difference was 9hp 14lbs, 2 mpg With 91.
Save you time on the video. Look at your owners manual for recommended octane rating, tire pressure and everything about your vehicle. How genius is that🤷🏽♂️
My car recommends 32psi. I find 38psi is much better. Car handles much better, rides better, noticable mpg bump up, and the tires don't look flat. On road trips I set to 40psi.
@@carnage50x 👍🏼obviously manual recommendations are an educated guess to handle most climates and conditions. Higher PSI would mean less drag on your tires, hence better MPG. That could also result in less traction depending on how and what surface you drive. As long as you're aware of what you're putting in and why, you can obviously make adjustments that suit your needs.
@@carnage50x Tire inflation recommendations are a bit different because Engineers cannot control the quality of the air you use. Fuels are regulated to ensure uniformity across markets which allows Engineers to design better performing engines and provide more accurate recommendations for fuel use.
Evercar likes it, the problem is with thr hoses and fittings of older cars, the ethanol can break down the lines and fittings causing leaks and possibly fires.
I drive a 2013 F-150 crew cab with the 3.5L EcoBoost V6, which, for those that don't know, is twin turbocharged. It had a 36 gallon tank. I switched from regular to premium, and consistently get 2mpg better on premium. Doesn't sound like much, but 2mpg X 36 gallons = 72 more miles per tank. Ford "recommends" regular. Yeah, I'll stick with premium, thanks.
If premium is recommended but not required for your car, run premium anyway. It burns cleaner (better for the environment), optimizes power and - if you plan on keeping your car for a long time - may save you money on having to walnut blast the carbon build up off your valves.
@@ChErRyaVe20pK You are correct but that's not what he was saying. "If premium is recommended but not required for your car" meaning the manufacturer recommends premium gas but the engine can run regular as well. In this case, the engine will run more efficient and possibly produce slightly more power.
I have a 2014 Dodge dart GT and Recommended fuel is plus ,but when I get to quarter tank I hear rattling. When I use premium no rattle at quarter tank and way better performance.
Years ago you would always raise the hose up and get the gas that was stuck in the hose. they seems to have redesigned them now so that is not possible.
I used to have a Corvette and it said premium required. I have a friend who had one of those Cadillac Deville DTS and it said premium recommended. Yes there's a difference.
Spoken by a complete idiot there is absolutely no difference in performance between your regular and premium and new difference in gas mileage either it's all a dog and pony show to get more money I'm a pilot I used 87 octane in my plane there was a hundred available at the airport tried some absolutely no difference in consumption or performance
@@camerongoff1081 I agree with you because it actually happened. Some other guy called me an idiot for saying that but I got rid of him. I don't have time for childish folks.
I agree I've always used premium for my 14 year old Fuison. When I put regular in by mistake I notice a huge difference in the transmission especially when shifting gears and I also get engine stutters. I feel my long term use of premium has prolonged the life of my vehicle and saved me maintence cost because I have yet to pay for any major engine or transmission issue.
Besides pre-ignition, two other important characteristics of fuel, the rate of burn and the temperature at which it burns, effect the engine knock mentioned in the video. Another characteristic of regular gas not mentioned is it's tendency to deteriorate over a short period of time (one month or longer), resulting in very poor burn performance. This is not seen when used in cars that burn the gas put in the tank in a one or two week period, but regular gas used for lawnmowers or other small engine equipment used only occasionally will go bad and have to be replaced after a month. Here is where premium fuel excels in performance and can run well in the small engines even after six or more months of sitting in the tank. The alternative is to treat the regular gas with additives which will bring the cost up comparable to premium fuel.
@@IntrovertedN00b Regular gasoline, especially with the added ethanol, will go bad after a month or so, and so I would drain all the gas out of the tank, add fresh gas, then run the fuel pump and discard the first few cups of gas, to be sure to get all the old gas out. I just had to do this with a motorcycle which had 2.5 year old gas and just would not run on all four cylinders. The other fluids will be fine. Be a good idea to start with a fresh oil change so as to keep track and change it every 3000 miles (or 5000 with synthetic). Trans fluid can be changed at its regular interval of every 50K miles. Keep in mind that all vehicle fluids need to be replaced at regular intervals, including power steering fluid (at 100K miles) and brake fluid (100K miles).
Had a Mercedes where Circle K exists 90% of where I live it was horrendous even with Premium I burnt through sparkplugs even Costco helped only so much I'm pretty sure that was Circle K supplied too
I have an 02 s2000 with 250k never ran premium fuel,gas companies don't sell what they advertise,if someone invented a octane tester there would be a lot of lawsuits and companies going out of business!, ☮️
If you have an 11.1 compression ratio then you should be using a higher octane fuel. You are probably experiencing advanced pre ignition in your car. For a performance engine like yours you would get a lot more power and your engine would run a lot cleaner if you used the higher octane fuel.
@@bubba842 , I usually use 93, the only time I had an issue is when I first got the car and used 87 to fill up a few times, I didn’t really notice too much of a performance loss but I did notice the gas mileage still sucked, after I noticed the little sticker on the gas door and did a little digging is when I started using premium
Not always. Again, you have to look at your auto manual and see what it says. The 1.5T Civic for instance, does not require "premium". Some forced induction engines have been tuned so that the timings don't cause pre-ignition for 87+ octane fuel.
Exactly I own a INFINTI g35 couple and it says it has to have premium fuel and I also own a Honda cbr 250r and it also has to have premium fuel. This trash ass news article like wtf it’s not that expensive
? Luxury vehicle engines require premium. Even carburated engines prefer premium even more so prefer ethanol free which is hard to find and more costly than premium
exactly lol, my BMW F32 with the dinan tune requires 93 octane, so I run 94 with 0% ethanol, the video completely miss the disadvantage of ethanol, oxidization aka rust.
As a former chemistry student and a current mechanical engineering undergrad, I’m suprised by how accurate this is. You guys don’t usually get your topics this accurate.
@@AgentGG1967 the timing is only adjusted once the engine starts knocking which means only when the knock sensor is tripped period and while this is true, this only applies to cars that require high octane. If you have a car that requires 91 octane, it might still be allowed to run on 87 but it will adjust its timing it's a little bit
@@AgentGG1967 yes, this is true period however, knock control is not an issue at all if your car is meant for 87 octane. If you have a Honda Civic that requires 87 octane, it's true that your power will be reduced when you have knock, but it will never have knock unless you put even lower octane. the only time your car's power will ever be reduced with the lower fuel is if you have a super high performance car that requires higher performance fuel. so again, even cars that have 91 octane requirement still can run on 87 octane just with timing adjustments... But you still should use 91. if you have a car like a Honda Accord or a Toyota Corolla that only takes 87 octane, there will never be any knock on 87 octane therefore it will not have to adjust the timing therefore no reduction in power used by using lesser fuel.
I was surprised that nothing was mentioned about the damage that lower octane fuels with ethanol cause to small engines. Hence, the reason that 91 octane fuel omits ethanol and prevents damage to plastic components on small engines such as fuel tanks, gas caps, fuel lines, etc. Ethanol-free fuels are a much better choice for power mowers, snow blowers, chain saws, etc.
Ethanol-free is a much better choice period - better fuel economy, doesn't gum stuff up, less corrosion, easier on certain engine parts, engine oil lasts longer, less condensation in your catch can.
and why haven't small engine manufacturers learned the same lesson that US automakers learned: spent the 12 cents per engine to pick ethanol tolerant materials for your fuel systems. No gumming . No leaks. No dissolved plastic parts.
You'll be hard pressed to find any fuels without ethanol outside of a marina anymore (marinas avoid it for it's tendency to attract water). That's not to say you shouldn't be using e0 fuels in small (or very old) engines, but the newer small engines are usually marked with an e10 rating because they have upgraded their polymers to auto grade so ethanol doesn't dry out the rubbers.
You use buttons to select grade? In the UK regular (I think the equivalent of US "plus") and super (the equivalent of US "premium") have completely separate nozzles.
I owned a Honda Accord 1999. Used 89 gasoline and I had to step on the gas pedal to go faster. Switched it to 91 and it ran so smooth, it sounded like a prius. My rides were way more comfortable and my car reacted way faster than when it was with 89. True story
@@thefuzzypickle8277 Generally speaking premium doesn't contain ethanol. Ethanol - which is in virtually all "regular" gas is corrosive, attracts water, breaks down faster, and is harmful to engines that aren't built to deal with it - and will decrease engine life in said engines. Fortunately virtually all modern cars are built to handle small amounts of ethanol mixed in to fuel, so it generally isn't an issue any more (although it will cause the gas to go bad sooner - but that generally isn't an issue for cars that are regularly used) Long story short, cheaper gases are technically worse because of their additives, but are "fine" and won't damage modern cars. If your car is made in the last 20 years, don't worry about it. (never use cheap fuels in small engines like chainsaws, snowmobiles, etc - it will damage your engine, especially if it's allowed to sit unused) And you probably don't want to use regular gas in vintage cars, they weren't built for ethanol and will suffer the negative effects.
@Oscar Perez Yeah I know I had a 2008 Audi A4 which requires premium in fact they tell you that she'll is the best for that car, well one day I decided to put mid grade in their & that thing started knocking plus the performance suffered, also when I took it to the dealer they asked did I put any other gas other than shell which I did, they could actually see a build up of deposits on the engine so yeah my car only gets premium.
I had a Ford Svt car that needed premium only. Ran out of gas in middle of nowhere, someone stopped and gave me some regular gas to get to the gas station. Had to change a sensor because it fowled it up and cause the car to run like ass.
Altitude also plays a role. The higher the elevation the less pressure on the outside, making premium even less needed. Cars where it says recommended premium or Supreme, it most likely won't be needed if your 4,500 feet or higher. Regular with top tear and you should be more then fine.
in europe there are companies that sold for a lot of years premium gas ,i used to buy 100 octanes gas from B.P. to my lancia 2.0L turbo and it saved me like 20 € from each trip i did to the beach but it was some cents more expensive than the others that makes one buy new injections like we change socks , i bought this car from a friend very cheap when he could charge me the doble and still was cheap and lot´s of friends told me you only bought mercedes and bmw´s and now a lancia, are you carzy?this car will need fixing every month, but as others the only thing i spent money was the brakes from 5 to 5 years ,tires and gasoline and also a change of oil when needed , people would ask me you did a straight shot a lancia without problems?well i used mpremium gas always and notice that in the manual said if not 98 octanes fuel ,never use 95 (wich is the minmum) but it said also if in need use lead, unleaded fuel is what is available for comsuption but because of old cars they sale some adictive of lead to mix with unleaded gasoline but premium is cheaper in reality ,it saves money in repairs and the cars are thankfull
That is simply because there are more factory turbocharged cars on the road today that require you to run "Premium". Just like back in the early 2000s when everyone was buying diesels. The price of diesel was almost double the price of gasoline here.
Octane testers are laboratory grade instruments. If you’re up to it, you can always have your fuel tested at you local fuel laboratory if they can perform the octane rating.
It’s so simple. If your car requires premium then use premium, if not don’t. Why does CNBC had to make a half hour explaining what should be common sense?
I have had a car the required 98 octane. It also got 30 MPG with 98 octane. That was a Corvair Corsa. Then 93 became that excuse for premium so I had to have the '69 Suburban engine rebuilt to detune it down to 93 octane. So instead of 12 MPG it got 9. The 1980s Lincoln LSC also used 93 octane, which in 1966 was regular gas. Todays regular gas was the standard for mogas military gas in 1966 at 87 octane. So now I drive a 2016 1/2 a Corvair for 10 x the price, but it can and is recommended to run regular. It also gets the same gas mileage. I also the same size gas guzzling SUV that is 15 years old that does not get driven much. It gets the same mileage as the original "69 and tows 4,000 lbs less.
Right but wrong. When engines require premium it's because it's tuned to a degree where it needs gas that explodes at the same time every time and with lower octane you have a larger "range" of timing that the gas will explode at. So if the manual says put in premium and you don't, you will have much more wear on the engine while vice versa will give no benefits to engines that only ask for regular unleaded.
Usually sports cars have a higher compression ratio that requires a higher octane level so it doesn’t combust before it’s compressed to where it needs to be.
I drive a Mini Cooper S. All models (including the base model engines) require premium fuel only, recommended by the manufacturer inside every gas cap.
Unless your manual specifies than there is no need for more expensive gas. Unfortunately most people don’t read their manual and feel “Premium” or “Super” is better. Lesson... read your manual to know what the manufacturer recommends.
I have interference engine, turbo charged, high compression. Manual says 91 or higher. The extra cost for high octane is cheaper than an engine rebuilt.
@Ambiguously Ambiguous the compression ratio in a cylinder is simply the ratio between the space inside the cylinder during BDC and TDC, not the gas or air coming in lol
If the owners manual says it is "REQUIRED" then it is "REQUIRED". If the manual says "RECOMMENDED" then it is NOT "REQUIRED"
Not entirely true my Nissan has sticker that says its recommended but the manual says 91-96 octane.
@@jonathanjuillerat9831 then it is true
Not really true. So car companies started to do recommend on cars that should be on higher octane. Like for example turbo cars yes it may say require 87, but we recommend 91 because that does do better to prevent knock which is a issues with turbo cars especially the older it gets. Turbos cars have mire steps to maintain then people know
Now for natural aspirated engines can do just 85 unless it doe say so less carbon build up
Well said
This has to be the longest way to tell people "use the gas suggested in your owner's manual"
Some people happen to like information about things they otherwise wouldn't have known. Not everything is tailored toward the impatient
I know the people who build these vehicles and write up the manuals know what they're doing but the manual for my truck suggests you can go up to 16000 kms (10000 mi) between oil changes. Maybe I'm a bit old school but theres no way I'm gettting even close to that before I change my oil.
It's nice to know the "Why" of things
The 2020 Toyota corolla suggests 87 (Research Octane Number 91) or
higher. So is it 87 or 91? Any why would they say "or higher"? Why?
What are you talking about? There is a lot of good info in here
If you have a turbo, supercharger or other high compression engine, use high octane fuel. Listen to the manufacturer, and not a media outlet that can’t accurately report anything.
But do most people have turbo chargers? I see a lot in Houston, but ifk if that's regional or not
@@jessicacole8404 they do now. A lot of manufacturers have moved towards forced induction, low displacement engines. The main thing to look at is the compression ratio. If it’s more than 10:1 I’d definitely run higher octane fuel, if it was my car. Also keep in mind that the ECU/ECM on many newer vehicles will detune your engine if you run lower octane fuel. It doesn’t hurt to run higher octane, but you can do a lot of damage if you run too low of octane fuel.
My VW 1.8 TSI (turbo stratified injection) specifies 87 octane, and they mean it! Turns out the ECU will not advance spark timing even if the knock sensors are dead quiet, it's simply unable to benefit from the higher octane. OTOH my first gen. Insight with a 1 liter 3 cylinder specifies 87 octane too, but it has 10.8:1 compression, an ECU that wants to run lean whenever possible (as a fuel saving measure) and I go wide open throttle up every hill to keep the speed up so I fill it with 93, at least with 44 mpg in mixed driving it doesn't hurt that bad.
@@evancourtney7746 I was going to say, VW had to fake data to meet emissions regulations I’m not surprised lol. If the engine isn’t experiencing knock, there’s no danger. It’s not a good idea in my opinion for them to tell people they don’t “have” to use higher octane fuel. When they bend a rod or pop a hole in a piston, it’s too late lol.
Yeah this video is really overdue lol
A lot of cars now are using forced induction which means it needs higher octane to be more efficient
This video would have been helpful if it was released 10 years ago
Ignition timing on a turbo:
Am I a joke to you
Ignition timing on a turbo charged engine: literally the most important aspect of the tuning.
so, long story short: people generally don't read their vehicle owner's manual
It's generally on filler cap.
@@Robert-cu9bm so slightly longer story, people don't read their manuals or gas caps 😆
Yep ... Pretty much 🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️
More likely marketing sucess and misunderstanding. Though you may be right too.
My car didn't come with a manual 😔😭
Use it if your owners manual requires it. Otherwise it’s a waste of money.
So simple and yet so not followed by the masses. The exact same thing goes for oil changes. Change your oil by what your owner's manual says, not what your dealer or Jiffy Lube say.
Then again, you may want to avoid buying cars that require it if possible.
Exactly. Just read the manual.
@@MichaelRockfez I don’t necessarily agree with that. Higher compression ratios can increase efficiency. Just factor in everything including its real world fuel economy when making your decision.
@michael Chang a lot of us actually like to drive our cars and look at them more than just transportation so have fun in your corolla but I love my Audi S5
Put regular in a vehicle that requires premium...knocking on heaven’s door
My car Lmaoo
Not really, most car will just reduce performance with cpu technology. So a lot of the times you engine just isn’t making the horsepower it should be making with premium. But nothing beyond that. It’s not going to blow up your engine if you are on a tight budget and need to put regular into a car that needs premium.
@@noelsoto4329 not everyone owns a car new enough to adjust to that
@@thatdude8454 I mean it’s most cars like 2008+ if you’ve driven your car that long and don’t know what fuel you need that’s your own fault I guess.
@@noelsoto4329 some people just buy used cars because that’s all they can afford
its basically saying, "Use the gas suggested in your owner's manual"
BMW use premium, Toyota use regular, etc
BMW's premium is basically normal gas in Europe. :D In Europe regular is 95 RON which is 91 AKI.
“It’s a waste of money to buy a thing if you don’t need it and not a waste of money if you do need it”.
Sick, great info
You would be surprised how many people don't understand these two concepts.
@@scottbecker4367 while true, i can appreciate the notion of wanting to know more about why you don't need it, especially for the layman who typically only has an understanding that 'better' things cost more. And this is one thing that even if you know a car burns gas, most driver's understanding of that process stops there.
@@themadmallard fair enough.
@@scottbecker4367yeah its basically vice-versa statement
I bought a bicycle that I didn't need but I wanted so is that a waste of money?
Call it Supreme Gas and watch it sell out like crazy
Call it White Supremacists and watch it sell out
The 2 replies before me obviously don't get it 😂😂
Edit: Also the 1 guy after me 😂😂
Best sweet light crude oil on the planet presently is out of IRAN.
US is pump nasty fracking crude.
It comes out a slurry and takes alot of filtering for it to become even cheap gas.
The reason gas is so cheap in US today is Saudi Arabia is mad with US fracking.
Saudi Arabia opened its oil valves cheap to make US fracking go way under in lo$$.
As in like supreme the streetwear brand? Sorry I’m slow..
ans dye the gas red
RIP to all the high compression motors out there
Nope. 11-1 in my corvette.
Even harley builds their motors with high compression rate to run on premium gas, ..
I go to my local small airport and buy AVGAS. 100 octane fuel!
93 in my high comp motor. Exactly what I built it to run on. Sounds like this video was made by someone that thinks everyone should have a Prius
HA! Mazda has done the high compression engine correctly with their skyactiv G engine at a 13-1 compression ratio running on 87 octane ;)
I work for a MAJOR oil and gas company (it's gas station was shown in the video) and I can confirm that premium gasoline is mostly a scam. It takes pennies to add the additives, but due to 'premium' tag, the margin is huge.
I'd be more curious to know how many people fill their car up with 87 when they should be using 91 just to save a few dollars.
Not many people considering it is the high performance vehicles that need higher octane. Who is going to buy a Ford Mustang or Dodge Charger and put cheap gas in it? And with high compression engines you can really feel the cheap gas- its more sluggish. With a normal engine you don't really feel a difference with high octane. And even in some cases can ping the engine occasionally if the fuel is too rich.
I use high octane gas in motorcycles because they get better performance and more gas mileage out it. I can feel the difference in octane because motorcycles are almost always high compression engines. Maybe once in a while if I feel cheap I'll do midgrade. They will run on regular but you feel a reduction in performance and kind of sluggish sometimes. Usually the owner manual on a motorcycle will recommend mid grade or better. On some of the sports cars low octane gas is bad for the engine.
But in a regular car or truck high octane makes no difference. It isn't a high enough compression engine to use the octane and can even sometimes ping if the fuel is too rich.
There are other factors. Like usually when I talk about "premium gas" I don't mean high octane. I mean like BP or Shell. They have better quality gas compared to most other brands. This does make a difference if you compare a low octane BP gas to low octane Chevron. They have better fuel additives and they also test their gas. A lot of these other brands they don't test their gas and you have shady gas station owners that water down their gas with ethanol and stuff- so you get bad gas mileage.
Like my 20 year old junker SUV I have high octane fuel doesn't do anything for it, but it gets a lot better gas mileage with BP gas. And also gets better mileage and performance with ethanol free gas. Motorcycle doesn't seem to be much difference with BP or ethanol free, but does perform better with high octane. Though I try to use a name brand like shell or something in most cases.
@@raymondkidwell7135 The high performance vehicles owners will most likely for sure use higher octane fuel yes. But there are a lot of regular cars that recommend and some even require it that I'm referring to like Mitsubishi outlanders v6, GM's 2.0L turbo vehicles like regal, equinox ect.. Even Subaru's old 3.0L flat six was a premium fuel engine. The list goes on, mostly regular cars that normal non car people purchase.
@@raymondkidwell7135 you probably wouldn’t buy a high performance car if you didn’t know how to take care of it.
People who lease lol
@@raymondkidwell7135 Lots of people are really cheap when they think no one will notice. I've seen cars with high performance engines at the gas pump with people putting in regular gas. Cheap of stupid? Maybe both since they often go together.
"because corn is so cheap" .... because it's heavily heavily subsidized.
It's the same price as premium - and significantly less available. Plus there's the corrosion issue as well.
Ethanol doesn't cause corrosion in any modern motor vehicle back to the 90s.
E85 will clean the carbon in your motor and usually clogs stuff up if you always ran regular gas that corods everything e85 does not cause corrosion
completely left out the part of ethanol being less energy dense and lower MPG than gasoline for some reason, too.
Ya you lose like 2mpg compared to gas henry ford was making his cars to run on ethenal to help the farmers but he wasnt able to out due john Rockefeller and gasoline
The additives identified as detergents in some brands, including in Shell and Costco premiums, are reported to have five times the amount in the lower grades. Those detergents help keep fuel injectors cleaner, longer, requiring less maintenance, which saves money. And the knock sensors don't just alter spark timing to stop the knock, they cause a decrease in efficiency, ie, mileage and power. As admitted in the video, the savings are "only" 3-5%, which is about the difference we pay for premium in Cali. And, as more vehicles are not normally aspirated, all to boost performance and efficiency, more will require higher octane ratings. Why not just produce more of the additives, as the video suggests, to get the "better" prices for the extra octane we have in Cali? I think it's ridiculous for people on the Midwest to pay 50¢ to a dollar more for premium.
Indeed, when I recently filled up at an Exxon pump, I saw a sign, pasted onto the pump, saying thje Exxon-Mobile brands have more detergent in their premium grades. If I recall correctly it said 5 times as much. The web site listing top tier brands listed Exxon, but I did not see a sign at my Exxon station saying the gasoline was top tier. I don't see this label anywhere in NC.
We're paying 70 cents more per gallon now for premium here in Chicago.
Theres quite a few turbos now certified to run on regular. I OWN one. On average per my data logger I loose 8 degrees of timing -2 after TDC on takeoff for regular with ac on vs 12 degrees BTDC on takeoff with premium! So 14 degrees difference in timing. Exhaust gas temps are wayy higher with regular too. Theres wayy more unburnt fuel out the exhaust with regular too!
@@willc5512 Don't forget about these new turbo direct-injected gas engines are prone to low speed pre-ignition.
Yet somehow my cat runs terrible on Costco brand and better on arco or shell.
Hey that smells like regular. She needs premium dude. PREMIUM! DUUUUDE!
Screw the honor system. My baby needs me!
@@PaulsWildLife hey you're ruining it for the rest of us
*Moe Szyslak:* Geez, this hot rod is souped up six ways from Sunday! Never had you figured for a gearhead, Homer.
*Homer:* Oh yeah, I'm a real expert.
Otto?
Tmnt?
Turbocharged engines are not necessarily more fuel efficient. A lot depends on how heavy your foot is.
Very True. Supercharger, Turbocharger, doesn't matter . All these do is increase the amount of oxygen , oxygen needed to burn more fuel ..
My 9nth grade Science teacher said " British Thermal Units , BTU''s . The law of physics dictate BTU''S cannot be beat ,. They are the difinitive bottom line ". That's why boosted engines aren't any more economical than a bigger engine without it . The BTU s in the fuel dictate how much force or energy must be burnt to move the load x distance. Either a little engine spinning very fast or a larger engine spinning slower . Same amount of fuel consumption... I use Primo in my ride because it gets about 4-5 more mpg using it , ( it almost equals it's self ). And my cat runs best with it . No valve rattle, less downshifting , cooler running. I buy non - ethanol gasoline for my 2 cycle engines and lawn mowers. They have paper gasket material that is eaten by alcohol. It's 90 octain ethanol free Pure cracked crude oil Gasoline . It does even better than premo in my car . But at 3$ + a gal I only use it In small engines that require it .
@@jeremyturner9067,
Reduced vehicle weight will help to improve fuel economy, especially in city driving where you are accelerating a lot.
@@jessstuart7495 Yes , I think my car needs to go on a diet . It only gets 37 miles per gallon . Or I could just take the doors hood and hatch off of it . That would make it lighter. Lol. 🙃
Jess Stuart have you done any research to support this claim? A 400 hp 1.5L turbocharged engine will have a higher BMEP and lower FMEP than a 400 hp 5.0L V8 naturally aspirated engine. BSFC, quantified in grams per kW/hr will be substantially better in the downsized turbocharged engine.
@@jeremyturner9067 37 mpg? Try my car that's gets 18 mpg at best
This video fueled my interest in premium gas.
Quit knocking for likes with this comment.
@@wjb4578 Input: A clever sentence using forced induction
I'm pumped by these comments, but your mileage may vary.
I have a Cadillac ATS 2.0T, for which it is manufacturer recommended that I use premium. I did a test, albeit not incredibly scientific, but observable. I ran 3 tanks of premium and then 3 tanks of regular and I found that the regular use wasn't as efficient, so any dollars I saved at the pump were lost in distance driven per tank. The car also runs so much better on Premium, so it makes sense to just run the good stuff.
my 2017 Corvette wants to drink 93 octane but all I can find is 91 octane around me. You should use whatever the manufacturer recommends because it's been tuned for performance/efficiency/emissions.
Have you tried Midgrade?
@@mathisnotforthefaintofheart I haven't. The price difference here isn't enough to bother, and Premium is ethanol free, which the car prefers anyway.
@@runabout76 It's true that the difference in gas price is more psychological. I used to have a car that was supposed to go on premium but I always used midgrade...no issues.
Depends on your engine. My 2016 colorado with its direct injected 11.7 to 1 comprettion rattlesnon everything but 91 plus. Forget the cleaning claims. Its pre ignition.... yes it does now req 91 or better. Not a waste. Not a 90s 305. 350 or 4.3. Thi injected engine. The comtression is under 9 to 1.... it can run on around low 80 octane without issue. In that type. Yes. Anything other than cheap stuff is a waste.
This video is for people who have “regular” vehicles and think putting premium gas in is beneficial. If you have a performance vehicle which you would know then those would obviously require and run better on premium gas.
Well listen to you, Mr. Premium.
Yep.
100% facts!!!
@Teddy Li Your transmission does not use motor oil.
@@inorite4553 😆
Mine car tells me “put whatever gas you want, but if your car starts making funny noises, that’s on you!” I drive a Jeep
Because your car can detect if your duel octane is higher then 87.
If you had a turbo car that needs 92+ premium then it will pre ignite and damage your engine if you use regular 87.
Your jeep most likely is a 4 cylinder so 87 should be its gas.
I have a fiat and i buy cheapest supermaket gas,it works.
I live in Europe, the Netherlands. I find it amazing how low octane levels they sell in the USA. Regular fuel here has 95 octane, premium 98 and high octane fuel has 102.
@@martintechtips4827 same gas mate. Different math
@@NatsumeKonno If it’s a four-cylinder it’s a turbo, six cylinder uses the 87 octane.
You know how I "treat" my car to something?
I don't drive it for that day.😎
Not moving the fluids through your daily driver could be the worst thing for it.
@@briandaves2297 one day aint gonna hurt it my guy chill. I drive mine 5-6 days a week
A true treat for your vehicle is to take it out and give it the old Italian tune-up.
Always read user manual and use the fuel recommended by automaker. My accord required regular fuel current Mazda 6 runs on premium. Every turbo charged vehicle operates smoother on premium
The problem is the naming of the fuel and American Fuel Marking strategy.
for other county it stil low grade....
the problem is marketing lol no its the fat cats that want more more more profit they had a meeting on jekly island a long time ago... and everrryting now has fuel oil in it cosmetics plastic etc.. this is why our earth is dieing why the great plastic reef exsists why smog is around why the earth is heating why winter is now 1 month or more later.... and you think its marketing.. its greed... on all the industry... they can make cars that run on water that are battery powered by hydro damns etc yet wont...
Actually it's genius! People are idiots and the higher grade means more profits.
The super duper cleaner fuel with 7483833737282838 more miles per gallon with lots of additive to make youd engine run cleaner!
Watch for these keywords “Required” or “Recommended”. Required means you absolutely need it, recommended means it’s optional. Usually these keywords can be found on your gas cap or gas cap cover as to what your vehicle needs. Trust me, I’m an expert.
Horror story, I had a car that needed premium and a gas pump provided regular gas when I selected premium. My engine was toast and there was horrible pinging. Engine tear down shows 3 out of 4 pistons has holes melted through them
OH hes an expert lol
Almost all modern engines are able to detect what quality fuel you're using and adjusts appropriately to protect the engine. If you use the wrong kind, it won't shut off your engine. You just won't get as much power and as much fuel economy.
In the US all vehicle must be capable of running on 87 octane.
I have a 93 Thunderbird SC and they Ford achieved this was the supercharger belts can be removed.
Modern vehicles achive this with knock sensors and VVT.
@Fed up w. all most Everyone these r the facts thou. There is a lot of variables to take into account and manufacturer guidelines is the easiest to get the right octane but certain situations do demand higher octane
@@inorite4553 yes. Newer ‘regular’ cars should be able to detect. (Highly dependent on specific vehicles) But not all cars. Usually high performance cars will require 91 octane minimum (at sea level) and the ECU will assume that’s the minimum in the tank any lesser.... well it’s bad news.
Better Fuel eco linked to vehicles that run higher than recommended octane (for vehicles requiring regular gas) have some current issues it is experiencing such as carbon build up (which increases cylinder pressure and increases chance of knocking, the knock sensor usually pulls back some ignition timing from the range it is allowed to), to extreme heat environment, (more fuel to cool cylinder) to low quality low octane gas, to towing. In this situation, sometimes running mid grade works fine to improve this temporary or permanent situation.
In non extreme duty situations (like daily driving), sometimes changing to a different gas station can yield some better quality 87 octane gas that can restore fuel eco without the need for mid or prem gas. There’s so many variables to take into account
My 99 infiniti q45t calls for premium fuel.on regular fuel it will knock ping on startup till warm. Performance seems lees with regular also. My girlfriends 13 hyundai accent had a knock sensor code.so i changed it. Still came back on. After reading up on this car and detonation and knock and other things i decided to put plus in it.light went away and stays away with plus or better.
She needs premium dude!.. PREMIUM!!!
simpsons references
lol
Lol snake
DDDUUUUUUUDDDDEEEE!!!!
*Snake:* Give me my car, fatty >:o
*Homer:* Hey, this is my car! And I'm not fat, it's glandular >:(
*Snake:* Right -_-
Just look at your owner's manual. I use premium in my outboard engine only. My kid has a VW that uses premium. Everything else we use regular. Easy.
Thank you! Go by the manual.
Neither of those vehicles need a premium.
Well said. Also - if you live at altitude, expect lower octane ratings due to lower barometric pressure. IE: my Tacoma says to use 87 but in Utah we have 85, 87 and 91 vs the 87, 89, 93. So it's acceptable to use 85 octane.
if you want highher octane, just put some acetone A.K.A lacquer A.K.A paint striper into it...it's going to clean your fuel injectors and ur catalytic converter at the same time. www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/acetone-and-octane.282229/
well i think its more of a question of if you can't afford to maintain the car, you shouldn't buy it.
Owners manual? Most the vehicles I’ve owned that require premium have it right there in the Gas cap the required octane rating
Premium seems to help my old truck run smoother and get better fuel economy
Yeah, that happens with old engines without a knock sensor.
It doesn't happen with modern engines
@@JJJT- yep, a lot of modern engines can automatically sense the octane rating and change the timing accordingly.
@@michaelworkman5590 Because your truck is old and has carbon built up on the pistons. You need a fuel additive to try to blow it out.
Higher octane is needed in high compression engines to avoid knocking (preignition) and in carburâtes engines because of stupid ethanol added in regular!
I own an old carbuteted car and I have had zero issues running it on regular gas for years. I put in premium once and the only difference I felt was my wallet feeling emptier than usual.
, my 2017 Corvette wants to drink 93 octane but all I can find is 91 octane around me. You should use whatever the manufacturer recommends because it's been tuned for performance/efficiency/emissions.
No it's not. Tell me you don't own a car without telling me haha
I had a motorcycle with an 11:1 compression that ran on regular
4:50 what kind of animal let all that gasoline drip to the side of the car like that?
That triggered me so bad lol
@@foufoufun same lol
People aren't very smart
AAAAHHHHHH THE HUMANITY...
muricans and karens
car chokes on regular, doesn't on premium...so I'm using premium as REQUIRED.
What car?
@@WanderingExistence most cars with severe carbon build up.
@@scoobdooittoo I assume that's only for non-direct injection cars?
@@scoobdooittoo There are additives you can put in your fuel tank so that carbon build up is eroded.
Define Chokes.
No one likes a bad “knock knock” joke. Read your manuals!
Knock knock who's there? Manuel. Manuel who? I don't know but odds are that he's an illegal alien so send him back
Or check the gas cap or gas door
@@mistamaog most cars don’t tell you that 😂
,,KNOCK
KNOCK
NI***AAA"
(Lamar Davis, GTA V, 2013)
I use regular unleaded to run my 2011 Sonata. Works just right. I use unleaded plus in our lawn mower. It does not get gel issues. Sta Bil in in the stored gas is a winner. 😅😅
When I was a kid in the 80s , I remember the options were Regular, Unleaded and Super Unleaded.
Super unleaded??? unleaded should already mean no lead...
Ultra instinct unleaded 😂
@@Juan-mw5tt 1973 IS WHEN US BANNED LEADED GAS
Still is
@@masterpalladin 1986 Hyundai Stellar used leaded gas.
By the likes/dislikes ratio, lots of RUclipsrs pay for premium.
It really chaps the cheeks of certain people to be shown that they are suckers wasting money
Maybe that - but a lot of vehicles do require 91 octane. Both of mine do. The video makes a distinction, but the title is objectively wrong as stated (I haven’t disliked the video, but my guess is that’s why people are).
My 2015 chevy ss runs on 91 but when i hit up the track i run on e85
People are really putting premium gas in their Toyota Camrys just because premium “sounds” better?
Higher octane burns slower and colder then cheap oily gas.
Cheap gas burns hot an violent and causes Detonation knock.
Detonation is when a gasoline engine acts like a diesel. Youll get valve train chatter under load or the engine will bobble and thump shutting down with the key.
@@noneshere its not about how hot gas burns its about how hot gas can get before it burns
Just get racing fuel bro it must be better. Thats like super premium rating.
premium gas adds 5 hp per gallon
@@noneshere So you would put premium fuel in a Honda Civic?
if only you saw the gas prices NOW compared to when this video was made...ugh....
The title should say: How marketing of gas companies turned into a 2 billion dollar revenue.
The octane rating your vehicle requires is in your owners manual and sometimes its actually on your gas cap or inside the fuel door. If you put anything besides 93+ octane in my Challenger it will let you know about it in short order!
The Hemi in my Ram require 89 but it performs a lot better on 93 and I will always buy premium
Yellow cap means ethanol friendly and faster
My sports car runs slower on Sams gas lolll
My scientifically minded grandfather used to tell me about this back when I paid 40 cents a gallon for premium.
Because it burns faster and cleaner
I purchased an '08 GM 3800 V6 new. 3500 mile oil changes, 50k trans flush(15 years old). It currently has 250k miles. At 220k miles, the engine was starting to run sluggish. I switched to 94 Octane fuel, and the engine dynamic changed by 80%. It's like I have a new engine.😊
Make a video “why Americans waste so much money on things they don’t need compared to others”
@Austin Martín Hernández But I'm sure the things you need are the right things to need and buy. Hypocrite ...
because "Hell Yeah !"
Because we can
I hate the term "waste money" but buying fuel for your car that you essentially don't need to just make it operate is at its very core a waste of money.
@@pb4ugo08 that makes absolutely no sense!
Wait so there’s people driving camrys and accords who are pumping premium? 😂 they deserve to be ripped off
Yeah a lot of people are, just silly
Cnbc is full of *hit!
Higher octane has less oil and it leaves fewer coked on deposits on the valve train.
Aviation & racing fuels begin at 104+ octane.
Most modern Hondas and a few Toyotas recommend premium fuel, specifically the turbo variant. So not all drivers are being ripped off, mostly the drivers in older models are since it's just regular fuel.
🤣🤣🤣
🤣🤣
It’s official, we’re literally getting dumber
And it wasn't before lol?
Its just more obvious now lol
I wasn't aware we were supposed to be born with the knowledge of how a car engine works. As someone who is a self-taught programmer, something I'd venture to say most people don't know how to do, including yourself, I'd be considered "dumb" because I don't invest most of my time learning everything I can about how a car functions? Pretty sure that's why engineers exist.
Don't judge a fish by it's ability to climb a tree. Birds can't breath under water.
@@SilverAura Bro stfu and read your car manual. I swear people these days just hop in their car and just drive, don’t do any self maintenance or read their manuals
When people rely on the internet for every question they have they stop forcing their brains to work. The weaker the brain gets, the more they rely on their computers. It will only get worse.
Nice to see mention of e85 in this article. I’ll gladly choose e85 at $2.19 /gal over premium at. $3.75. My Audi is FFV, and is spec’d for 93 oct. or better. My 2016 Ford Focus is FFV with 12:1 C/R . My gas mileage is the nearly the same e85 vs regular. More of this type of vehicle, please.
E85 can due more harm to both of your engines than regular gas could ever. Especially if it's improperly mixed at the pump
@@ssj2camaro21 .. and that's where testing comes in to play. Test the fuel before pouring it in the tank. 1 minute routine can save thousands in repair & replacement costs.
Not really, i put premium gas in my Honda its now a Lamborghini
If I put 87 my check engine turn on
😂
@@123abc8632 whst kind of car
I put regular gas in my Lamborghini now its a Honda
I have a 07 honda accord with the v6 and the shell nitro definitely wakes it up quite a bit more than when I use the lower octane fuel. The difference is most noticeable accelerating off the line.
“Cars that don’t need it” *shows Range Rover*
Range Rovers dont need it, they never work and stay at the repair shop. So why put ANY gas in them :p
@Minne Swen Says someone who cannot own one.
@Minne Swen I have leased one in the recent past. Zero issues.
@Minne Swen But nowadays that is the same for everyone. Have you seen Mercedes vehicles after 2018. They have some of the poorest construction and reliability.
@@mansees Mercedes actually improved their build quality, not compared to w124 or some like that but still pretty good.
So personal experience:
When I first bought my car, I put 87 in it, because I had a preconceived notion that all regular cars allowed it. My MPG lowered significantly down to 22. Then, I read the manual and it reccomended premium, so I switched my car over and the MPG went up to 28. I may be spending more on fuel, however a full fuel tank on premium lasts myself much longer.
Can attest to that my truck allows me to put 87 or 89 or 91 I tried all 3 to see what kind of mileage I would get. On 87 I get about 11 mph, during the week I tested it out, with the 87 I had to fill up twice during the week Filled up on Sunday night, then Wednesday after work. With the 89 I got till Thursday night, while With 91 I made it till Friday. I drive to the same site for work and take the same route to work, minimal traffice and yet I was able to see a difference. While I do pay 10 bucks more per fill up I only have to fill once up on 91.
@@shadowspire That is probably due to the fact that premium grade has no ethanol, therefore more BTU's of energy per gallon.
performance vehicles REQUIRE it. the gas covers say PREMIUM ONLY. the owners manuals say PREMIUM RQRD OR DAMAGE WILL OCCUR.
If you didn't know the different between regular and premium before watching this video, your car probably didn't need it
i dont think the majority of premium gas car owners realize why the car needs it.
If you don’t know the difference between regular and premium before watching this video, you car is probably not running right
@@12th.jahlil yeah my dealer just told me always pick the highest number one.
IF IT SAYS REGULAR IS GOOD BUT PREMIUM IS FINE OR RECOMMENDS PREMIUM BUT REGULAR IS FINE...THEN MID GRADE WHEN ITS CHEAPER AND FUEL PRICES ARE LOWER IS PREFERABLE
I got Acura RDX 2013. 91 octane is recommended but not required. I tried regular and it did not drive smoothly. It drive a lot better with premium gases (91-93) so I used them all the time...
My 2015 Acura idles perfectly on Premium fuel, gets goes 100 km on 7-9 Litres of fuel in the summer, and the top of the engine is clean--- no carbon or sludge because of the extra additives that are NOT present in Regular fuel. I've got over 110,000 km on the factory spark plugs--- they look like they did when I bought the car.
My wife's Volkswagen golf Tsi requires
Volkswagen lies about their gas mileage so take your mileage with a gain of salt
MID GRADE AT THE LEAST
IF IT SAYS REGULAR IS GOOD BUT PREMIUM IS FINE OR RECOMMENDS PREMIUM BUT REGULAR IS FINE...THEN MID GRADE WHEN ITS CHEAPER AND FUEL PRICES ARE LOWER IS PREFERABLE
I will put Premium in my truck once a year during a trip to a event, and fill up on the way back as well with premium, then I notice the next fillup with Plus is alot more MPG vs the last fillup.
Premium also helps burn out carbon in the cylinders if there is any as it burns hotter, so it in theory helps clean the engine!~
ANY substance added to gas that helps prevent, or delays pre-ignition with give gasoline a higher octane rating but, they will not cause the fuel to burn hotter or burn out carbon anymore than a lower octane fuel.
Although I only need mid-range octane, I like premium for a few reasons;
- Price is only 6c more (about $3 per tank, say 5% more) but miles per tank is much better
- Engine responsiveness is better on premium
- Engine maintenance will hopefully be less over the long run
- I drive a VW and the clearances are very small to non-existent when warm so I like to treat it well as it treats me
So basically you didn't watch the video.
@@ivocanevo
Don't believe everything you see/hear/read on RUclips. I watch it and make up my own mind about the content.
Also different countries have different fuel standards and ways to measure, so intelligence dictates that these variables are taken into consideration.
In my place it's 30c between 87 and 91. I actually measured higher mpg so I'm still struggle with the equation.
Your car might need the extra octane because of the compression ratio (older cars sometimes need it, cars with turbo chargers and/or superchargers often need them).
I also know some people who buy premium (up north) because some gas stations sell premium ethanol-free fuel and they needed ethanol-free fuel for their lawnmowers, tractors, or antique vehicles (but they didn't necessarily need the extra octane). In Georgia, it's easy to find ethanol-free regular, but not ethanol-free premium (I bookmarked 3 gas stations relatively near where I live that offer it). In Wisconsin, I found it easy to find ethanol-free premium, but not ethanol-free regular (if somewhere offers it, I don't know who or where, so I just buy ethanol-free premium because I only need a few gallons).
If you are willing to spend extra money on fuel in the hopes of getting some benefit, I suggest you buy Lucas fuel stabilizer. It has fuel injector cleaner and lubricates your cylinders. It actually does make my car feel like it runs better and it supposedly improves your fuel economy if you use it often enough (particularly if your injectors were clogged).
My 2006 VW Rabbit manual says to use 91 octane for best performance. A car with my engine was dynoed with 91 and 87. The difference was 9hp 14lbs, 2 mpg With 91.
The HP/torque difference was likely noticeable in a small car like that, but the extra 2 MPG probably didn't justify the higher cost of the gas.
@@TortureBot I don’t know, I just enjoy the way it drives on anything other than 87.
I miss these gas prices…
Save you time on the video. Look at your owners manual for recommended octane rating, tire pressure and everything about your vehicle. How genius is that🤷🏽♂️
But their drama is so entertaining 🤗
My car recommends 32psi. I find 38psi is much better. Car handles much better, rides better, noticable mpg bump up, and the tires don't look flat. On road trips I set to 40psi.
@@carnage50x 👍🏼obviously manual recommendations are an educated guess to handle most climates and conditions. Higher PSI would mean less drag on your tires, hence better MPG. That could also result in less traction depending on how and what surface you drive. As long as you're aware of what you're putting in and why, you can obviously make adjustments that suit your needs.
@@carnage50x Tire inflation recommendations are a bit different because Engineers cannot control the quality of the air you use. Fuels are regulated to ensure uniformity across markets which allows Engineers to design better performing engines and provide more accurate recommendations for fuel use.
Some vehicles don't like the ethanol blends so trying to find ethanol free gas usually results in running premium
Evercar likes it, the problem is with thr hoses and fittings of older cars, the ethanol can break down the lines and fittings causing leaks and possibly fires.
My mpg drops when I run e10 in my car
Ethanol free gas where I live is usually 50¢ more than Premium
@@happyfacefries is your premium not ethanol free?
@@jonathonklimmer6698 nope
Who knew the bad guy from the 5th Element was a gasoline expert now.
I drive a 2013 F-150 crew cab with the 3.5L EcoBoost V6, which, for those that don't know, is twin turbocharged. It had a 36 gallon tank. I switched from regular to premium, and consistently get 2mpg better on premium. Doesn't sound like much, but 2mpg X 36 gallons = 72 more miles per tank. Ford "recommends" regular. Yeah, I'll stick with premium, thanks.
This series of general industry knowledge is very useful. Kudos CNBC
If premium is recommended but not required for your car, run premium anyway. It burns cleaner (better for the environment), optimizes power and - if you plan on keeping your car for a long time - may save you money on having to walnut blast the carbon build up off your valves.
That is a complete lie. Higher octane fuel for engines that require lower octane is not fuel efficient
@@ChErRyaVe20pK You are correct but that's not what he was saying. "If premium is recommended but not required for your car" meaning the manufacturer recommends premium gas but the engine can run regular as well. In this case, the engine will run more efficient and possibly produce slightly more power.
@@josephcastro88 you're right actually. I misinterpreted it
@@ChErRyaVe20pK douch
"SHE NEEDS PREMIUM!"
-Snake
Underrated comment
"Snake, snake....I don't know any snake"
For all the non OG people. The term of snake is from a simpsons episode look it up genius
@@THE-xp3hp OG?
@@THE-xp3hp For all the non OG people, my comment was from Harry, from Home Alone...look it up people.
I have a 2014 Dodge dart GT and Recommended fuel is plus ,but when I get to quarter tank I hear rattling. When I use premium no rattle at quarter tank and way better performance.
i wonder how much gas a year is wasted through that “drip” that always happens when you take it out of your car....
Probably just as much as is wasted when people leave their cap off
That's why you shake the tip no more than 2 times. If you do it more than twice you're just playing with it.
@@TonytheYorkie yeah I notice I used to do that then it said to shake it and I felt like a caveman not knowing that
Lol, I always wondered that as well!
Years ago you would always raise the hose up and get the gas that was stuck in the hose. they seems to have redesigned them now so that is not possible.
I used to have a Corvette and it said premium required. I have a friend who had one of those Cadillac Deville DTS and it said premium recommended. Yes there's a difference.
When you are supposed to have premium it’s pretty noticable
Spoken by a complete idiot there is absolutely no difference in performance between your regular and premium and new difference in gas mileage either it's all a dog and pony show to get more money I'm a pilot I used 87 octane in my plane there was a hundred available at the airport tried some absolutely no difference in consumption or performance
If you don’t run premium in a corvette that Mofo gonna build up carbon and ping
@@camerongoff1081 I agree with you because it actually happened. Some other guy called me an idiot for saying that but I got rid of him. I don't have time for childish folks.
@@kenneycooper6199 I have an 02 c5 LS1 and I only run 93 but sometimes I’ll mix in 100 octane with it
Premium seems to help my old truck run smoother and get better fuel economy
I agree I've always used premium for my 14 year old Fuison. When I put regular in by mistake I notice a huge difference in the transmission especially when shifting gears and I also get engine stutters. I feel my long term use of premium has prolonged the life of my vehicle and saved me maintence cost because I have yet to pay for any major engine or transmission issue.
I think you don't use your truck very much.
that's most likely because premium gases have more additives that clean carbon buildup on your pistons which cause hotspots
Besides pre-ignition, two other important characteristics of fuel, the rate of burn and the temperature at which it burns, effect the engine knock mentioned in the video. Another characteristic of regular gas not mentioned is it's tendency to deteriorate over a short period of time (one month or longer), resulting in very poor burn performance. This is not seen when used in cars that burn the gas put in the tank in a one or two week period, but regular gas used for lawnmowers or other small engine equipment used only occasionally will go bad and have to be replaced after a month. Here is where premium fuel excels in performance and can run well in the small engines even after six or more months of sitting in the tank. The alternative is to treat the regular gas with additives which will bring the cost up comparable to premium fuel.
I have a car that has been sitting for more than 3 years. Besides replacing the fuel, what else should I replace? Motor oil, trans fluid?
@@IntrovertedN00b Regular gasoline, especially with the added ethanol, will go bad after a month or so, and so I would drain all the gas out of the tank, add fresh gas, then run the fuel pump and discard the first few cups of gas, to be sure to get all the old gas out. I just had to do this with a motorcycle which had 2.5 year old gas and just would not run on all four cylinders. The other fluids will be fine. Be a good idea to start with a fresh oil change so as to keep track and change it every 3000 miles (or 5000 with synthetic). Trans fluid can be changed at its regular interval of every 50K miles. Keep in mind that all vehicle fluids need to be replaced at regular intervals, including power steering fluid (at 100K miles) and brake fluid (100K miles).
Had a Mercedes where Circle K exists 90% of where I live it was horrendous even with Premium I burnt through sparkplugs even Costco helped only so much I'm pretty sure that was Circle K supplied too
@@IntrovertedN00b --don't forget to change the Fuel filter(s)! Maybe the filter in the gas tank also. 😎👍
2010 TSX 11:1 compression, on the gas door lid it says minimum 91 recommended and that’s what I use.
I have an 02 s2000 with 250k never ran premium fuel,gas companies don't sell what they advertise,if someone invented a octane tester there would be a lot of lawsuits and companies going out of business!, ☮️
If you have an 11.1 compression ratio then you should be using a higher octane fuel. You are probably experiencing advanced pre ignition in your car. For a performance engine like yours you would get a lot more power and your engine would run a lot cleaner if you used the higher octane fuel.
My friend had a 2009 TSX, and one day I was riding along with him, and I saw him putting 87 in it!
@@bubba842 , I usually use 93, the only time I had an issue is when I first got the car and used 87 to fill up a few times, I didn’t really notice too much of a performance loss but I did notice the gas mileage still sucked, after I noticed the little sticker on the gas door and did a little digging is when I started using premium
If your car has a turbo, just get the more expensive gas.
Not always. Again, you have to look at your auto manual and see what it says. The 1.5T Civic for instance, does not require "premium". Some forced induction engines have been tuned so that the timings don't cause pre-ignition for 87+ octane fuel.
My car has turbocharger. It does not need premium
@@KennyakaTI You need to tune your car for higher octane
Normally a turbo will need a minimum of 89 Gasoline
@@outremer91 I don't need to tune it. It's fine. The recommended gas is regular and that's what I'll use.
I bet CNBC does not own any “premium unleaded fuel only” car. Example g35, 350z, gsr, evo, Sti, etc.
1984 delta 88 , yeaaa I'm filling up with 93
Exactly I own a INFINTI g35 couple and it says it has to have premium fuel and I also own a Honda cbr 250r and it also has to have premium fuel. This trash ass news article like wtf it’s not that expensive
? Luxury vehicle engines require premium. Even carburated engines prefer premium even more so prefer ethanol free which is hard to find and more costly than premium
They want me to fry my G37 🥴
exactly lol, my BMW F32 with the dinan tune requires 93 octane, so I run 94 with 0% ethanol, the video completely miss the disadvantage of ethanol, oxidization aka rust.
My 2004 Mach 1 misfired with 91 but hummed on 93. The hi compression mixed with spark gap noticed the difference between two different premium gases
As a former chemistry student and a current mechanical engineering undergrad, I’m suprised by how accurate this is. You guys don’t usually get your topics this accurate.
As a mech engineer, agreed.
@@AgentGG1967 the timing is only adjusted once the engine starts knocking which means only when the knock sensor is tripped period and while this is true, this only applies to cars that require high octane. If you have a car that requires 91 octane, it might still be allowed to run on 87 but it will adjust its timing it's a little bit
@@AgentGG1967 yes, this is true period however, knock control is not an issue at all if your car is meant for 87 octane.
If you have a Honda Civic that requires 87 octane, it's true that your power will be reduced when you have knock, but it will never have knock unless you put even lower octane.
the only time your car's power will ever be reduced with the lower fuel is if you have a super high performance car that requires higher performance fuel.
so again, even cars that have 91 octane requirement still can run on 87 octane just with timing adjustments... But you still should use 91.
if you have a car like a Honda Accord or a Toyota Corolla that only takes 87 octane, there will never be any knock on 87 octane therefore it will not have to adjust the timing therefore no reduction in power used by using lesser fuel.
@@AgentGG1967 do you want me to link you various studies with engines running on a bench? Or do you want to Google it yourself?
@@AgentGG1967 Analyze this: 2:10
I’ve done several trials and my Mercedes gets on average 15% more mileage from premium than regular.
We call that the placebo effect.
Would you say it was worth the extra money?
Does your Mercedes specifically call for premium? If it does, performance will definitely suffer since the engine is tuned for higher octane gas.
@@NK-iw6rq I dont think you understand the meaning of placebo. If he tested it an has a quantitative difference, its not placebo.
@@nuwantilakaratna7157 Only if he has driven the same average speed over one tank of fuel as he did with the other gas.
I was surprised that nothing was mentioned about the damage that lower octane fuels with ethanol cause to small engines. Hence, the reason that 91 octane fuel omits ethanol and prevents damage to plastic components on small engines such as fuel tanks, gas caps, fuel lines, etc. Ethanol-free fuels are a much better choice for power mowers, snow blowers, chain saws, etc.
Ethanol-free is a much better choice period - better fuel economy, doesn't gum stuff up, less corrosion, easier on certain engine parts, engine oil lasts longer, less condensation in your catch can.
and why haven't small engine manufacturers learned the same lesson that US automakers learned: spent the 12 cents per engine to pick ethanol tolerant materials for your fuel systems. No gumming . No leaks. No dissolved plastic parts.
You'll be hard pressed to find any fuels without ethanol outside of a marina anymore (marinas avoid it for it's tendency to attract water). That's not to say you shouldn't be using e0 fuels in small (or very old) engines, but the newer small engines are usually marked with an e10 rating because they have upgraded their polymers to auto grade so ethanol doesn't dry out the rubbers.
You use buttons to select grade? In the UK regular (I think the equivalent of US "plus") and super (the equivalent of US "premium") have completely separate nozzles.
I owned a Honda Accord 1999. Used 89 gasoline and I had to step on the gas pedal to go faster. Switched it to 91 and it ran so smooth, it sounded like a prius. My rides were way more comfortable and my car reacted way faster than when it was with 89. True story
I know your story is so true because this video is very misleading only people who don't understand cars believe videos like this.
Gotta say these guys did a great job covering this.
If your car have a turbo or supercharger most likely need premium
I'm not sure if that's true anymore. My Honda Civic has a factory turbo and it runs on regular gas, and that's an extremely common car.
Can I use 91 octane with diesel?
@@angelgjr1999 haha 😄
@@angelgjr1999 yes you can. Mix 3 gallons of 91 octane for 1 gallon of diesel.
@@mtorres3097 Thanks bro.
Have an 03 Acura TL I tried regular gas in once. Acceleration was poor & the engine ran poor. Use the gas in your owners manual.
I hear people say, “the higher the octane the more clean the gas is and will not clog up my gas filter” lol 😂
@Romero Bryan ok? But HOW is it cleaner? Lol
People will say whatever they want to support their own perception, no matter how false.
@@thefuzzypickle8277
Generally speaking premium doesn't contain ethanol. Ethanol - which is in virtually all "regular" gas is corrosive, attracts water, breaks down faster, and is harmful to engines that aren't built to deal with it - and will decrease engine life in said engines. Fortunately virtually all modern cars are built to handle small amounts of ethanol mixed in to fuel, so it generally isn't an issue any more (although it will cause the gas to go bad sooner - but that generally isn't an issue for cars that are regularly used)
Long story short, cheaper gases are technically worse because of their additives, but are "fine" and won't damage modern cars. If your car is made in the last 20 years, don't worry about it. (never use cheap fuels in small engines like chainsaws, snowmobiles, etc - it will damage your engine, especially if it's allowed to sit unused)
And you probably don't want to use regular gas in vintage cars, they weren't built for ethanol and will suffer the negative effects.
I drive a new Acura & the manual says premium, this is the only grade I will put in
@Oscar Perez Yeah I know I had a 2008 Audi A4 which requires premium in fact they tell you that she'll is the best for that car, well one day I decided to put mid grade in their & that thing started knocking plus the performance suffered, also when I took it to the dealer they asked did I put any other gas other than shell which I did, they could actually see a build up of deposits on the engine so yeah my car only gets premium.
@Oscar Perez Yeah this is true & as I stated earlier my car is a 21 TLX type s so that car absolutely can't have cheap gas
Bro if my tank says premium only, shes getting premium only.
Fr. Like yes I’m surprised my gti says use 91 or higher but it’s gonna get 91 of higher even if it seems overkill
100%
I had a Ford Svt car that needed premium only. Ran out of gas in middle of nowhere, someone stopped and gave me some regular gas to get to the gas station. Had to change a sensor because it fowled it up and cause the car to run like ass.
Yes that's the only time you should vs using premium...
My WRX says premium required and I'm not gonna risk messing up my turbo.
in the UK the regular is 95 octane and the premium such as shell v-power is 98. And BOTH have cleaning additives.
The UK uses the RON rating which is different from the AKI rating used in the USA. Your RON 95 octane is equivalent to AKI 91.
Altitude also plays a role. The higher the elevation the less pressure on the outside, making premium even less needed. Cars where it says recommended premium or Supreme, it most likely won't be needed if your 4,500 feet or higher. Regular with top tear and you should be more then fine.
True. Turbos kinda reduce that effect however.
Our vehicles, for most people, are our 2nd biggest liability not asset.
What's 1st?
What's 1st?
@@nishitpatira1740 Our homes. Unless you make money from something you've bought, it's a liability. It's only costing you money to own/have it.
@@user-xw4vg1vy5e someone read “rich dad, poor dad”
@@user-xw4vg1vy5e Land appreciates, homes depreciate. A lot of people don't realize this because property taxes are imposed on the total.
You mean like how my car knocks with regular, rarely with mid-grade, and never with premium?
I agree this video is a complete scam
in europe there are companies that sold for a lot of years premium gas ,i used to buy 100 octanes gas from B.P. to my lancia 2.0L turbo and it saved me like 20 € from each trip i did to the beach but it was some cents more expensive than the others that makes one buy new injections like we change socks , i bought this car from a friend very cheap when he could charge me the doble and still was cheap and lot´s of friends told me you only bought mercedes and bmw´s and now a lancia, are you carzy?this car will need fixing every month, but as others the only thing i spent money was the brakes from 5 to 5 years ,tires and gasoline and also a change of oil when needed , people would ask me you did a straight shot a lancia without problems?well i used mpremium gas always and notice that in the manual said if not 98 octanes fuel ,never use 95 (wich is the minmum) but it said also if in need use lead, unleaded fuel is what is available for comsuption but because of old cars they sale some adictive of lead to mix with unleaded gasoline but premium is cheaper in reality ,it saves money in repairs and the cars are thankfull
Years ago, The Price Difference between grades was 10-20 Cents for each level. Now? Premium is around 50 Cents more than Reg.
That is simply because there are more factory turbocharged cars on the road today that require you to run "Premium". Just like back in the early 2000s when everyone was buying diesels. The price of diesel was almost double the price of gasoline here.
Someone needs to invent a octane tester, pretty sure there's gas companies that don't sell what they advertise!, ☮️
trust me if you put 87 in a car that requires 93 you'll know
they are called fuel hydrometers
Gas companies operate like the wild west in your mind I bet
@@CDines
That actually does happen especially in areas that don't have that much traffic or have low enforcement
Octane testers are laboratory grade instruments. If you’re up to it, you can always have your fuel tested at you local fuel laboratory if they can perform the octane rating.
It’s so simple. If your car requires premium then use premium, if not don’t. Why does CNBC had to make a half hour explaining what should be common sense?
I have had a car the required 98 octane. It also got 30 MPG with 98 octane. That was a Corvair Corsa.
Then 93 became that excuse for premium so I had to have the '69 Suburban engine rebuilt to detune it down to 93 octane. So instead of 12 MPG it got 9.
The 1980s Lincoln LSC also used 93 octane, which in 1966 was regular gas. Todays regular gas was the standard for mogas military gas in 1966 at 87 octane.
So now I drive a 2016 1/2 a Corvair for 10 x the price, but it can and is recommended to run regular. It also gets the same gas mileage.
I also the same size gas guzzling SUV that is 15 years old that does not get driven much. It gets the same mileage as the original "69 and tows 4,000 lbs less.
Techron in Chevron gas really does make a difference in older vehicles.
Sports cars usually require premium given their engines run a bit more aggressive and need the extra octane to run reliably.
Agreed!
Right but wrong. When engines require premium it's because it's tuned to a degree where it needs gas that explodes at the same time every time and with lower octane you have a larger "range" of timing that the gas will explode at. So if the manual says put in premium and you don't, you will have much more wear on the engine while vice versa will give no benefits to engines that only ask for regular unleaded.
Usually sports cars have a higher compression ratio that requires a higher octane level so it doesn’t combust before it’s compressed to where it needs to be.
I drive a Mini Cooper S. All models (including the base model engines) require premium fuel only, recommended by the manufacturer inside every gas cap.
Require. Recommended. Which is it?
@@yosoywilson78 I think OP meant it is ‘required’ and that the recommendation of ‘required’ is found in the gas cap area
If my car didn’t require 91+ octane I definitely would not get it. I don’t understand why someone would pay for something they don’t need
@John Smith Or it's misleading marketing, the word "premium" implies that is it is more expensive, so the logic is that higher cost=better for engine
Unless your manual specifies than there is no need for more expensive gas. Unfortunately most people don’t read their manual and feel “Premium” or “Super” is better. Lesson... read your manual to know what the manufacturer recommends.
@John Smith I like that
Is 85 gas fine to use? In the Rocky Mountains some gas stations only have 85 or 91; and I’m not paying for Premium
I have interference engine, turbo charged, high compression. Manual says 91 or higher. The extra cost for high octane is cheaper than an engine rebuilt.
Shell V Power Nitro + is on another level of fuel, nothing else compares.
@JCS Where gas differs is heavy oil vs light oil gas.
@JCS I'm still using it and full synthetic, and my car runs perfectly as a result. I don't know I why I notice the difference 🤷
2:55 why when explaining compression ratios do you show a graphic for a carburetor?
@Ambiguously Ambiguous the compression ratio in a cylinder is simply the ratio between the space inside the cylinder during BDC and TDC, not the gas or air coming in lol