Regular or Premium Gas - How to Choose

Depending on the person you talk to, premium gasoline for your car is either an absolute necessity for every car, or a complete waste of money. Like most things, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. How can you choose the right fuel for your vehicle? After you finish reading this premium fuel FAQ and answers, you'll know exactly what you need.

What's the Difference?

You can pump gas straight from a container and into a fuel tank using just a little bit of pressure. But getting it to "explode in your engine", in the right place, at the right time, takes a little doing. In order to explode correctly, the heat and pressure have to combine with fuel and air, in just the right way and at just the right time. If any part of the equation is disturbed, the fuel won't ignite correctly.

Because every engine is different, and because engines change over time, gas stations typically provide three grades of gasoline. These grades have absolutely nothing to do with quality. 87 grade gas is not a lower quality than 89 or 93.

Instead, the grade of the gasoline determines how much heat and pressure it needs to "explode in your engine". A lower grade fuel requires less; a higher-grade gasoline requires more.

Why Do We Need Grades?

If a low-grade fuel is used in an engine that produces relatively high levels of heat and pressure, you can actually hear it malfunction, as the engine begins to ping and knock. This is the sound of many tiny explosions per second, all taking place at the wrong time and causing real engine problems. Over time, this knocking or pinging can damage vital components, and drastically affect changes in engine performance.

What Does the Book Say?

To determine the grade of gasoline for your engine, simply check your owner's manual. Be sure to use the grade of gas that it recommends! Some people believe that car companies purposefully tell people to use premium gas when they don't need it. This simply isn't true. Car companies recommend higher-grade gasoline to ensure a long life for your engine.

Owners of luxury cars will probably notice that, more often than not, their manual insists on high grade gasoline. Again, this has nothing to do with using better quality gas. The simple fact is that luxury vehicles tend to come with large, high-performance engines, which produce more heat and higher pressure to obtain faster acceleration and more power at low speeds. The more common sedans from other manufacturers typically come with engines that emphasize fuel savings over power, so they don't require the higher grade fuel.

What Does Your Engine Want?

Even if your manual calls for lower grade gasoline, pay close attention to the sounds that your engine makes. If you start noticing pinging or knocking noises, try switching to the higher grade. If that gets rid of the noises, only fill your car with that grade of gasoline to avoid any problems in the future.