Do you buy premium fuel?

[BayGBM]

http://www.cracked.com/article_19704_6-car-myths-that-cost-you-money-every-year_p2.html

Here they list 6 Car Myths That Cost You Money.  The number one myth is that “High-Octane Gasoline Is Better for Your Engine.”  Do you believe this?  Do you buy premium fuel?  I don’t.  I never have.  My car manufacturer says it’s required, but I have never bought premium fuel for any of my cars. 

[wes]

Nope.......cost too much as it is.

[The_Punisher]

if you own a 2012 Mercedes E350, it wouldn't be wise to fill it up with 87. here's what Mercedez require

Fuel

Fuel type: gas
Fuel type: premium unleaded (required)Fuel tank capacity: 21.1 gal.
Range in miles (cty/hwy): 422.0/633.0 mi.
EPA mileage est. (cty/hwy): 20/30 mpg

[kh300]

I do for my toys..My bike 'pings' and runs like shit on 87

[El Diablo Blanco]

Seems like you don't know anything about Octane and how it helps a bigger more powerful engine perform.

Take street racing cars for example.  Some gas stations sell 100 Octane gas.  It is a noticable difference in output and performance when street racing.  You wouldn't want to run it all the time in risk of blowing a gasket but it is a big difference.

Now the crappy gas is that middle 89.  Not sure why anyone needs that.

And as the poster above pointed out.  Filling a sports bike with 87 and you feel and notice the difference than using 91

So that myth is complete BULLSHIT.

91 is NOT BETTER for your engine, but some engines do require it though based on the number of ccs.

[mass243]

Yes, only V-Power from Shell to me.

[sync pulse]

http://www.cracked.com/article_19704_6-car-myths-that-cost-you-money-every-year_p2.html

Here they list 6 Car Myths That Cost You Money.  The number one myth is that “High-Octane Gasoline Is Better for Your Engine.”  Do you believe this?  Do you buy premium fuel?  I don’t.  I never have.  My car manufacturer says it’s required, but I have never bought premium fuel for any of my cars. 

The timing retards automatically on modern engines so as to prevent predetonation (ping/knock)...but you will lose some of the power.

[hematocritter]

I have to run in premium in a couple of my cars, but one is supercharged and the other is turbocharged,
and they will detonate if I use less than 92 octane.
I had a z28 just after high school, it had the LS1 engine. I ran 89 in it, and the computer compensated for
the lower octane and avoided detonating, but it ended up using more fuel.
My friend always put 89 in his escalade, I told him to run premium like that 6.2 LS engine is supposed to run on,
and he did..... got 4 more mpg.

So it all depends on the engine and if it is modified or tuned in any way. Most modern high end cars' computers
will retard the timing or do other things to compensate for lower octane, but fuel mileage might suffer and
it isn't exactly good for the engine.

[BayGBM]

Seems like you don't know anything about Octane and how it helps a bigger more powerful engine perform.

Take street racing cars for example.  Some gas stations sell 100 Octane gas.  It is a noticable difference in output and performance when street racing.  You wouldn't want to run it all the time in risk of blowing a gasket but it is a big difference.

Now the crappy gas is that middle 89.  Not sure why anyone needs that.

And as the poster above pointed out.  Filling a sports bike with 87 and you feel and notice the difference than using 91

So that myth is complete BULLSHIT.

91 is NOT BETTER for your engine, but some engines do require it though based on the number of ccs.

If I were a race car driver or needed a performance car to earn a living I would buy premium, but since that's not me, I don't.  In 97% of cases premium fuel is totally unnecessary.  I'll pass. 

[bradistani]

does it come with more or less corn on the cob 

[El Diablo Blanco]

If I were a race car driver or needed a performance car to earn a living I would buy premium, but since that's not me, I don't.  In 97% of cases premium fuel is totally unnecessary.  I'll pass. 

Why buy a car with a high performance motor and give it less performing fuel?  Doesn't make sense.  Why not run the motor at full potential?

Do your musclebear boyfriends fill up with french fries and cheese or oats and chicken breasts?

[seCrawler]

Here they list 6 Car Myths That Cost You Money.  The number one myth is that “High-Octane Gasoline Is Better for Your Engine.”  Do you believe this?  Do you buy premium fuel?  I don’t.  I never have.  My car manufacturer says it’s required, but I have never bought premium fuel for any of my cars. 

You drive a 500 series Bimmer?

[Not Sure]

It's a common misperception to think that a car which requires premium fuel, doesn't really NEED it.   

"I put 87 in it and I get to where I need to go, and there's no warning lights...etc."   

True, cars from the last 10 years are pretty awesome in their ability to compensate for what drivers want to put in the fuel tank.  However, it's kinda like gh.....some 91 octanes are better than others, some days are better than others, etc.  So a cars computer has the ability to compensate for different qualities of premium fuel, and while that can be stretched over different octanes, it spits in the face of an efficient engine.....read both MPG and HP.

There is no cheating it.........not a statement to force guys to use premium in cars that require it, but a realization that $1 saved here is only spent there down the road, ( please save the stories of "I only lease, plan on selling it, etc." I"m talking bout' the overall concept.)

Where I can agree that it is a waste, is using premium fuel on a vehicle that requires regular 87 only.....and runs fine on 87. 

[gatorr]

Which fuel you should run in your vechicle is dependant on what the engines compression ratio is. My 68 chevelle has to run premium fuel as the compression ratio is 10:1. Same as my 95 firebird the manuel says to use premium or damage to the engine may occur.

[SamsonD]

I have to run in premium in a couple of my cars, but one is supercharged and the other is turbocharged,
and they will detonate if I use less than 92 octane.
I had a z28 just after high school, it had the LS1 engine. I ran 89 in it, and the computer compensated for
the lower octane and avoided detonating, but it ended up using more fuel.
My friend always put 89 in his escalade, I told him to run premium like that 6.2 LS engine is supposed to run on,
and he did..... got 4 more mpg.

So it all depends on the engine and if it is modified or tuned in any way. Most modern high end cars' computers
will retard the timing or do other things to compensate for lower octane, but fuel mileage might suffer and
it isn't exactly good for the engine.

This.
There is a reason that high octane fuel exists.  Forced induction engines and those with higher compression ratio's(such as a crotch rocket, or any performance naturally aspirated engine), need the octane to not detonate.  My CTS "requires" premium because of it's higher compression pistons(I think it's like 10:1).  You can run it on 87 if you want to because the computer senses the shitty gas and retards the ignition timing appropriately.  It runs much better and gets better gas mileage though on 93.

[BayGBM]

Why buy a car with a high performance motor and give it less performing fuel?  Doesn't make sense.  Why not run the motor at full potential?

Do your musclebear boyfriends fill up with french fries and cheese or oats and chicken breasts?

Question: How often do you need to run your motor at “full potential”?  

Answer: (almost) never.

In the United States most people who buy “performance” cars do so in order to impress themselves or their friends; they are certainly not buying them because they regularly go from 0-60 in five seconds.  A few miles from where I live there is something called the Infineon Raceway where normal people may take their cars and race them around a track a high velocities.  Sounds great if one is a car enthusiast, but the truth is relatively few people (even those who consider themselves car guys with performance vehicles) make use of this facility.  
http://www.infineonraceway.com/

If one is driving a vehicle from say the 1950s, 60s, or 70s  you can test the car with both types fuel and in some cases you will notice a real difference. If that is the case then premium fuel makes sense.  Similarly, if you are determined to extract the absolute best performance possible from your car then premium fuel is a good option.  It would also make sense to put premium race tires on your car as well, but how many people are going to do that?  As I said above, if one is racecar driver or you require the absolute best performance possible from a vehicle then premium fuel is the way to go; otherwise it is a waste of money.  A surprising number of cars today claim to “require” premium fuel including the Smart car ($13,590), the Cooper Mini, many SUVs.  If you are driving one of these vehicles is peak performance and speed really your priority?

[El Diablo Blanco]

Question: How often do you need to run your motor at “full potential”?  

Answer: (almost) never.

In the United States most people who buy “performance” cars do so in order to impress themselves or their friends; they are certainly not buying them because they regularly go from 0-60 in five seconds.  A few miles from where I live there is something called the Infineon Raceway where normal people may take their cars and race them around a track a high velocities.  Sounds great if one is a car enthusiast, but the truth is relatively few people (even those who consider themselves car guys with performance vehicles) make use of this facility.  http://www.infineonraceway.com/

If one is driving a vehicle from say the 1950s, 60s, or 70s  you can test the car with both types fuel and in some cases you will notice a real difference. If that is the case the premium fuel makes sense.  Similarly, if you are determined to extract the absolute best performance possible from your car then premium fuel is a good option.  It would also make sense to put premium race tires on your car as well, but how many people are going to do that?  As I said above, if one is racecar driver or you require the absolute best performance possible from a vehicle then premium fuel is the way to go; otherwise it is a waste of money.  A surprising number of cars today claim to “require” premium fuel including the Smart car ($13,590), the Cooper Mini, many SUVs.  If you are driving one of these vehicles is peak performance really your priority?

When you have sex.  Do you buy cheap lube or good lube?  lube is lube right?

[seCrawler]

Question: How often do you need to run your motor at “full potential”?  

Answer: (almost) never.

In the United States most people who buy “performance” cars do so in order to impress themselves or their friends; they are certainly not buying them because they regularly go from 0-60 in five seconds.  A few miles from where I live there is something called the Infineon Raceway where normal people may take their cars and race them around a track a high velocities.  Sounds great if one is a car enthusiast, but the truth is relatively few people (even those who consider themselves car guys with performance vehicles) make use of this facility.  
http://www.infineonraceway.com/

If one is driving a vehicle from say the 1950s, 60s, or 70s  you can test the car with both types fuel and in some cases you will notice a real difference. If that is the case then premium fuel makes sense.  Similarly, if you are determined to extract the absolute best performance possible from your car then premium fuel is a good option.  It would also make sense to put premium race tires on your car as well, but how many people are going to do that?  As I said above, if one is racecar driver or you require the absolute best performance possible from a vehicle then premium fuel is the way to go; otherwise it is a waste of money.  A surprising number of cars today claim to “require” premium fuel including the Smart car ($13,590), the Cooper Mini, many SUVs.  If you are driving one of these vehicles is peak performance and speed really your priority?

You drive a BMW.  It was purchased to impress men for booty calls, correct? 

[BIG ACH]

On the 4-Runner I get the Mid-grade (89)

On the ML-350 I get the Premium (91)

[Dreadlifter]

Why buy a car with a high performance motor and give it less performing fuel?  Doesn't make sense. 

This.

Premium car- premium fuel. Don't have a premium car then you're just throwing away money.

[Parker]

http://www.cracked.com/article_19704_6-car-myths-that-cost-you-money-every-year_p2.html

Here they list 6 Car Myths That Cost You Money.  The number one myth is that “High-Octane Gasoline Is Better for Your Engine.”  Do you believe this?  Do you buy premium fuel?  I don’t.  I never have.  My car manufacturer says it’s required, but I have never bought premium fuel for any of my cars. 

My manufacturers says it's required, and it runs better on it. All my cars I have noticed run better.
I used to have a Ford Taurus that had that pinging sound when using low grade or mid grade.

I am willing to bet that you'd notice the performance difference (pep, and or sluggishness) between using prem vs mid grade or low grade.

Now, I have used low grade when gas prices go up...and my dad is cheap so he uses it all the time except in my mom's Mercedes.

[El Diablo Blanco]

My manufacturers says it's required, and it runs better on it. All my cars I have noticed run better.
I used to have a Ford Taurus that had that pinging sound when using low grade or mid grade.

I am willing to bet that you'd notice the performance difference (pep, and or sluggishness) between using prem vs mid grade or low grade.

Now, I have used low grade when gas prices go up...and my dad is cheap so he uses it all the time except in my mom's Mercedes.

Read the words of the article.  It says run better.  Better is the key word.  Will it make a honda civic run better?  probably not.  The details are as you mentioned is if it is required or not.

[tu_holmes]

Engineers spend thousands of hours determining what fuel works best for what type of engine.

If my engine says it requires the highest octane in the manual... I trust the engineers who built the engine know what the hell they are talking about.

However, make note that they say that based upon a minimum rating around the world.

For instance, in the UK, it's my understanding that 89 Octane is the highest, so that's what is recommended. The US has 91,92, and 93 (I've actually seen 105) octane and so we consider that the "highest".

It's just not the same around the world.

[_bruce_]

Premium only, though I don't really own a car
but a lawn mower... like a high octane knife through butter.

[US MUSL]

My Vehicles.

1994 Corvette built engine 11:1 compression 93 octane
2001 Lingenfelter Twin Turbo Corvette 9 psi 93 octane
2001 Ford Lightning supercharged 15 psi no working knock sensors 93 octane
2006 Cobalt LS daily driver ~40 mpg 87 octane