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Old 09-03-2015, 10:45 PM   #1
Old Henry
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Default Regular or Premium gas?

If you're still wondering, watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPPkPAbzwbU

I can't believe that the head of the Canadian petroleum industry doesn't understand what premium gas is for.

If you really want to spend more money for better gas, buy Top Tier gasoline http://www.toptiergas.com/.

Not only can our old cars with stock engines run as well on the lowest octane available as on any higher octane, the higher you drive in elevation, the even lower octane you can burn. That goes for new cars too. If you're driving a new car that requires 89 octane at sea level, it will do just as well on 87 octane at 5,000 feet elevation.

Just remember, higher octane is only for higher compression engines to prevent premature detonation. It has no other benefits. It is not more efficient, not more powerful, not cleaner, and, in fact, is worse for the environment when run in a lower compression engine like ours.
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Old 09-04-2015, 03:52 AM   #2
51 MERC-CT
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Default Re: Regular or Premium gas?

Unfortunately there are those who will never see the light.
Almost fell over at the $1.33 price for gas until I realized this was done in Canada and was per liter.
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Old 09-04-2015, 07:55 AM   #3
Scott H in Wheaton
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Default Re: Regular or Premium gas?

I think a lot of the average driver believing in higher octane comes from the old "racing Gas" at 100 octane or better.
I mean, if a race car uses it to go faster it must make my car go faster too, right?
They don't understand the race engine needs the higher octane because of the 12:1 or 13:1 compression ratios.
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Old 09-04-2015, 09:37 AM   #4
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Default Re: Regular or Premium gas?

Anything they sell us now is "swamp water" compared to when there was lead in the gas. What they sell as now as premium gas is lower in octane then regular used to be.
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Old 09-04-2015, 10:47 AM   #5
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Default Re: Regular or Premium gas?

Are you telling me none of these work either?http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars...hall-of-shame/
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Old 09-04-2015, 10:48 AM   #6
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Default Re: Regular or Premium gas?

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When will we see a "consumer protection" program to "protect" us from devious, self anointed, "consumer protection groups". To reasonably well informed folks a good argument could be made that using a relatively low performance vehicle to "prove" their thesis is itself deceptive.

While the broad message is accurate, i.e. don't buy more octane than the minimum your vehicle requires, the subtle, or not so subtle, swipes at the petroleum industry are annoying. No, I'm not advocating the petroleum industry are saints, but they're also not the devils that popular mythology persists in peddling.

Much could be said about the content of that vid, but two things I think are most salient. The yoga chick says she "thinks/believes" it's better, therefore it is........in her mind. That's pretty normal human behavior. Marketing to that belief makes perfect sense, and no coercion is employed. Alternately, the crewcut expert openly contradicted himself when on the one hand he says the lower octane fuel is the only thing necessary, but then says if he were to use his Corvette in a high performance application he would use the premium fuel. Lost in that subtle exchange was the info that some more modern engines do in fact have systems that can change engine tune, and thus performance, to accommodate/require premium fuel. While that info is in the commentary it doesn't get the same emphasis as the negativity that is more pervasive throughout the piece. (end of rant)

Edit; to be fair to the crew cut expert, he may have made sufficient qualifying statements in his actual commentary, but the editors of the vid might have dropped that part as it didn't fit their agenda.
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Old 09-04-2015, 10:49 AM   #7
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Default Re: Regular or Premium gas?

Doesn't 93 octaine have less or no ethinol?
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Old 09-04-2015, 11:40 AM   #8
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Default Re: Regular or Premium gas?

Quote:
Originally Posted by deuce_roadster View Post
Anything they sell us now is "swamp water" compared to when there was lead in the gas. What they sell as now as premium gas is lower in octane then regular used to be.
Not necessarily true. The old leaded premium was 100 research octane. 93 super today is (87 motor + 99 research)/2. When unleaded gasoline came out they added the motor octane method to simulate city driving. High research octane doesn't guarantee performance in the city. Remember back in the day that some gasoline would cause cars to "run on" after the key was turned off? Minimum motor octane cures that as well.
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Old 09-04-2015, 11:41 AM   #9
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Default Re: Regular or Premium gas?

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Originally Posted by 30-9 View Post
Doesn't 93 octaine have less or no ethinol?
It all has 10% ethanol thanks to the dictators in Washington DC.
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Old 09-04-2015, 11:42 AM   #10
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Default Re: Regular or Premium gas?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Old Henry View Post
If you're still wondering, watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPPkPAbzwbU

I can't believe that the head of the Canadian petroleum industry doesn't understand what premium gas is for.

If you really want to spend more money for better gas, buy Top Tier gasoline http://www.toptiergas.com/.

Not only can our old cars with stock engines run as well on the lowest octane available as on any higher octane, the higher you drive in elevation, the even lower octane you can burn. That goes for new cars too. If you're driving a new car that requires 89 octane at sea level, it will do just as well on 87 octane at 5,000 feet elevation.

Just remember, higher octane is only for higher compression engines to prevent premature detonation. It has no other benefits. It is not more efficient, not more powerful, not cleaner, and, in fact, is worse for the environment when run in a lower compression engine like ours.
Super sales make a lot of money for oil companies. 99% of cars don't require it.
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Old 09-04-2015, 12:05 PM   #11
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Default Re: Regular or Premium gas?

In Minnesota, we have easy access to no-alcohol premium, thanks to the MSRA and the boating industry. I use it exclusively in my old cars, not particularly for the higher octane rating, but because, in my experience, it has a longer "shelf-life" than "oxygenated" fuel. If for some reason you have a vehicle or engine that doesn't get used for a year or three, you will be glad you had a full tank of non-oxygenated fuel.
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Old 09-04-2015, 02:56 PM   #12
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Default Re: Regular or Premium gas?

I have an 2010 Nissan Altima with the 2.5L engine. With 87 octane I get about 29mpg and with 93 octane get about 34mpg. I attribute the difference to the knock sensor. It doesn't cut back the timing with the higher octane gas.

Last winter I did a bit of a study and found the more expensive gas on this car at least was more economical. But all gas stations are not the same and quickly found the ones that were selling bad hi octane gas. So settled on the best low octane gas in nearby stations.
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Old 09-04-2015, 04:40 PM   #13
Alaska Jim
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Default Re: Regular or Premium gas?

no ethanol no mater what the octane rating here in Alaska, or it would be marked on the pump.
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Old 09-04-2015, 06:43 PM   #14
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Default Re: Regular or Premium gas?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Old Henry View Post
...I can't believe that the head of the Canadian petroleum industry doesn't understand what premium gas is for...
That guy is a paid mouthpiece for the industry. He understands quite well what premium gas is for: Primarily to boost the profit margins of petroleum companies, while giving the consumers the ability to choose their poison.

What he said about detergents may have some truth in it. Premium may in fact have more detergents than are required to keep the engines clean, as the very presence of more detergents may have the effect of raising octane. Remember, high octane = slower burn, so any additive that interferes with the burn will slow the burn. The primary reason for lead in the old days was to raise the octane in that manner. Today, the presence of alcohol serves that purpose via the water content in alcohol.

In the video, the most ridiculous part was asking minimum wage pump jockeys which gas was better! That was pure theater, and grossly unfair to those poor guys!
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Old 09-04-2015, 06:52 PM   #15
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Default Re: Regular or Premium gas?

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Originally Posted by mrtexas View Post
Not necessarily true. The old leaded premium was 100 research octane. 93 super today is (87 motor + 99 research)/2. When unleaded gasoline came out they added the motor octane method to simulate city driving. High research octane doesn't guarantee performance in the city. Remember back in the day that some gasoline would cause cars to "run on" after the key was turned off? Minimum motor octane cures that as well.
Engines did not "run on" because of the fuel octane level. They "ran on" because the valve ports were so full of carbon which was subsequently heated when driving. Shut the engine off and that hot build up of carbon would ignite the furl vapors.
I recall all too well doing valve jobs back in the early 80's... most heads took a LOT of efforts just to get all of the built up carbon chipped away enough so I could sand blast the heads prior to machining. that stuff (carbon build up) was HARD and very difficult to remove.
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Old 09-04-2015, 06:55 PM   #16
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Default Re: Regular or Premium gas?

Quote:
Originally Posted by JAKEFORD View Post
I have an 2010 Nissan Altima with the 2.5L engine. With 87 octane I get about 29mpg and with 93 octane get about 34mpg. I attribute the difference to the knock sensor. It doesn't cut back the timing with the higher octane gas.

Last winter I did a bit of a study and found the more expensive gas on this car at least was more economical. But all gas stations are not the same and quickly found the ones that were selling bad hi octane gas. So settled on the best low octane gas in nearby stations.
Our 2014 Mercedes actually gets about 2 - 3 mpg more with lower octane (87) even though the car is supposed to utilize premium (93+). The service manager at Benz had advised me to use the lower octane as apparently, this was the typical result of doing so.
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Old 09-05-2015, 07:04 AM   #17
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Default Re: Regular or Premium gas?

I use 91 octane in my '37 so that I can get non-ethanol gasoline. If I could find 87 octane non-ethanol gas I would use that but it seems to be getting to the nature of "unobtainium".
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Old 09-05-2015, 08:11 AM   #18
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Default Re: Regular or Premium gas?

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Originally Posted by dwaynec View Post
I use 91 octane in my '37 so that I can get non-ethanol gasoline. If I could find 87 octane non-ethanol gas I would use that but it seems to be getting to the nature of "unobtainium".
Try the website pure-gas.org. I just checked it and there are several places in Davenport that offer 87 octane non-ethanol.
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Old 09-05-2015, 08:31 AM   #19
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Default Re: Regular or Premium gas?

Thanks. I will give it a shot.
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Old 09-05-2015, 08:39 AM   #20
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Default Re: Regular or Premium gas?

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Originally Posted by mrtexas View Post
It all has 10% ethanol thanks to the dictators in Washington DC.
The vote was in DC but the reason was in Iowa's early straw poll, caucus, and primary schedules.
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