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wamster Champion Author Houston Posts:4,274 Points:697,105 Joined:May 2007	Message Posted: Sep 18, 2009 9:25:39 AM Ignore wamster Report Abuse I don't know if this subject has been posted before; at least I didn't notice it. Regular, midgrade, premium runs about 10 cents difference per gallon. Has anyone noticed or figured out whether the difference grades make your fuel mileage better?

wamster

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Houston

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Message Posted: Sep 18, 2009 9:25:39 AM

Ignore wamster Report Abuse

I don't know if this subject has been posted before; at least I didn't notice it.

Regular, midgrade, premium runs about 10 cents difference per gallon. Has anyone noticed or figured out whether the difference grades make your fuel mileage better?

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musicreporter All-Star Author San Antonio Posts:626 Points:136,240 Joined:Dec 2012	Message Posted: Jan 7, 2013 9:55:49 AM Ignore musicreporter Report Abuse not sure need more research
RalphHightower Champion Author South Carolina Posts:3,320 Points:692,405 Joined:May 2011	Message Posted: Mar 13, 2012 6:20:33 AM Ignore RalphHightower Report Abuse I use the manufacturers recommendation: premium.
bonbNJ All-Star Author New Jersey Posts:979 Points:326,940 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: Mar 13, 2012 4:18:00 AM Ignore bonbNJ Report Abuse i dont think so
geezer Champion Author Albany Posts:21,339 Points:3,074,745 Joined:Apr 2003	Message Posted: Mar 12, 2012 10:57:57 PM Ignore geezer Report Abuse diesdown, good point. Now get yourself to a dictionary and look up "grammer."
diesdown Champion Author North Carolina Posts:1,700 Points:514,500 Joined:May 2011	Message Posted: Mar 10, 2012 6:12:26 PM Ignore diesdown Report Abuse Has anyone noticed or figured out whether the difference(wrong) different (right) grades make your fuel mileage better? Proper grammer always helps the information sharing flow easier, and make sense!
shawd8 Champion Author Eugene Posts:2,065 Points:533,425 Joined:Oct 2011	Message Posted: Mar 10, 2012 10:19:55 AM Ignore shawd8 Report Abuse It depends on what the manufacturer recommends. Follow that. But...I have noticed slightly better MPG's using higher grades, but it basically offset by the increased cost. So it's a wash.
Sherm493 Rookie Author Nevada Posts:8 Points:5,835 Joined:Sep 2011	Message Posted: Mar 10, 2012 1:10:59 AM Ignore Sherm493 Report Abuse It has nothing to do with mpg but the car runs better and lasts longer.
KansasGunman Champion Author Kansas City Posts:21,436 Points:2,104,440 Joined:Oct 2005	Message Posted: Mar 10, 2012 12:39:46 AM Ignore KansasGunman Report Abuse Grade of gasoline has little or nothing to do with mpg.
jonjon57 Champion Author Raleigh Posts:2,452 Points:636,635 Joined:May 2011	Message Posted: Mar 10, 2012 12:37:37 AM Ignore jonjon57 Report Abuse No difference
emtrob2012 All-Star Author Myrtle Beach Posts:924 Points:152,855 Joined:Jan 2012	Message Posted: Mar 8, 2012 12:54:18 AM Ignore emtrob2012 Report Abuse yes, the higher the grade, the better the mileage.. just not very cost effective
forresj Champion Author Wilmington Posts:2,800 Points:546,180 Joined:May 2005	Message Posted: Mar 7, 2012 7:33:33 PM Ignore forresj Report Abuse There are no mileage benefits from using different gasoline grades.
Edpap Champion Author Pennsylvania Posts:4,349 Points:509,100 Joined:Oct 2011	Message Posted: Mar 7, 2012 6:17:11 PM Ignore Edpap Report Abuse No noticeable difference. Some premium fuels do burn cleaner
francescaromana Sophomore Author Modesto Posts:111 Points:5,100 Joined:Feb 2012	Message Posted: Mar 1, 2012 6:39:37 PM Ignore francescaromana Report Abuse I tried it once, but didn't notice a difference.
emtrob2012 All-Star Author Myrtle Beach Posts:924 Points:152,855 Joined:Jan 2012	Message Posted: Mar 1, 2012 4:48:49 PM Ignore emtrob2012 Report Abuse yes, I do see an increase of like 1-2 mpg with high grade, but it is more expensive and not cost effective
watch4you Champion Author Jacksonville Posts:1,201 Points:540,000 Joined:Feb 2011	Message Posted: Mar 1, 2012 1:35:41 PM Ignore watch4you Report Abuse Mechanics tell me that using higher grade (octane)does not improve mileage but is simply burned up by the engine. I have tried it a few times and not seen a change.
Houckster Champion Author Atlanta Posts:9,352 Points:693,700 Joined:Sep 2003	Message Posted: Mar 1, 2012 1:30:13 PM Ignore Houckster Report Abuse MAGICBUS19714 writes: I know after summer, I get better mileage and more performance. Must be the E-10. ____ Ethanol is in our gas year round. Everyone gets better mileage in the summer because there's a higher BTU content. As for getting better mileage with premium as opposed to regular, some cars are coming with ECUs that can provide better performance with premium than with regular because they have the fuel tables necessary to optimize engine performance relative to the octane of the fuel. Unfortunately, the price differential between regular and premium is in the 30-40 cent range in most areas and so the cost per mile with premium will probably be higher than with regular. It would be interesting to find out whether Big Oil is gouging us with the premium price differential or that the price is justified. [Edited by: Houckster at 3/1/2012 1:31:07 PM EST]
Skyjunky Veteran Author Portland Posts:482 Points:89,445 Joined:Oct 2004	Message Posted: Feb 26, 2012 9:11:14 PM Ignore Skyjunky Report Abuse IF you just buy ethanol reg gas it is like running on water.. there are places that do sell UNLEADED reg which gains me back up to my manufacture MPG which is good . I would not spend the price for the prem fuel with ethanol in it it is still junk ...
hubie24 Veteran Author Michigan Posts:315 Points:204,080 Joined:Jul 2010	Message Posted: Feb 26, 2012 5:46:52 PM Ignore hubie24 Report Abuse There is no difference in gas mileage when filling up with a higher octane. Just fill up with what the manufacturer specified in the owners manual or your car will not operate correctly.
taxtaxtax Rookie Author Alberta Posts:26 Points:900 Joined:Feb 2012	Message Posted: Feb 26, 2012 2:29:52 PM Ignore taxtaxtax Report Abuse I have tried both regular and premium and couldn't notice a difference at all, besides in my wallet.
kellyoneal Champion Author Louisville Posts:2,430 Points:707,740 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: Feb 26, 2012 11:06:16 AM Ignore kellyoneal Report Abuse I get the same mileage
jonjon57 Champion Author Raleigh Posts:2,452 Points:636,635 Joined:May 2011	Message Posted: Feb 26, 2012 7:59:29 AM Ignore jonjon57 Report Abuse Same mileage
MertieMan Champion Author Lexington Posts:14,803 Points:2,898,535 Joined:May 2005	Message Posted: Feb 22, 2012 9:50:43 AM Ignore MertieMan Report Abuse You won't get more milage by using a higher octane gas. You only burn in the vehicle the octane that the manufacturer recommends. Using higher octanes will do damage to your intakes, waste money and accomplish nothing in the process.
Magicbus19714 Rookie Author Ohio Posts:16 Points:2,145 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: Feb 22, 2012 1:09:10 AM Ignore Magicbus19714 Report Abuse I don't see a difference and I run a 97 Ford with a v-8. I use regular. I bought the car 4 years ago with 42K on it(now have 80K) and it was knocking when I first got it. I ran premium for about a month and then switched back to regular. Never knocked again. The gas mileage was the same. All the premium did was correct the problem which was probably bad gas. I know after summer, I get better mileage and more performance. Must be the E-10.
PaylessKY Champion Author Kentucky Posts:8,740 Points:1,584,375 Joined:Oct 2008	Message Posted: Feb 22, 2012 12:24:50 AM Ignore PaylessKY Report Abuse Its best to check the manual for your vehicle and use the octane stated. The manual for my car states 87 octane or higher. I use 87 octane 99% of the time.
timmyC4 Veteran Author Twin Cities Posts:417 Points:60,600 Joined:May 2007	Message Posted: Feb 21, 2012 11:58:18 PM Ignore timmyC4 Report Abuse Whenever possible burn non-oxygenated fuel. In other words, stay away from ethanol. It will degrade your economy. If midgrade is 10cents more a gallon and no ethanol, you're better off. Ethanol is junk.
Houckster Champion Author Atlanta Posts:9,352 Points:693,700 Joined:Sep 2003	Message Posted: Dec 20, 2011 12:45:18 PM Ignore Houckster Report Abuse In the last 2-3 years, this question has become more complicated. Most cars on the road will not benefit from premium if they are designed to use 87 octane fuel. This is because to use the premium fuel optimally, the engine must have the sensors and fuel tables necessary to adjust the spark timing and only within the last couple of years has this begun to change. Many newer cars are designed to run fine on regular but will deliver a bit better performance and mileage on premium because they do have the ability to adjust for higher octane fuels. This was true on a 2010 Ford Taurus I drove briefly. I suspect this change will become the standard but the problem is that on a cost per mile basis, most people will opt to use 87 octane because 91-93 octane fuel will be more expensive. Around here, premium fuel costs 30-40 cents more.
nwsynthetics Champion Author Oregon Posts:1,014 Points:347,625 Joined:Dec 2011	Message Posted: Dec 19, 2011 10:53:04 PM Ignore nwsynthetics Report Abuse I dont think Im seeing a real differance. Get rid of ethanol, and u will see better mileage.
skynet Champion Author California Posts:2,866 Points:736,130 Joined:May 2008	Message Posted: Dec 19, 2011 6:03:45 PM Ignore skynet Report Abuse No difference that I can tell.
1007 All-Star Author Michigan Posts:564 Points:999,405 Joined:Jan 2008	Message Posted: Dec 16, 2011 11:37:05 AM Ignore 1007 Report Abuse I drive an Envoy 2002 6cyl. 89Vs 87 no difference on thr highway
gvan Champion Author Chicago Posts:21,557 Points:2,839,215 Joined:Dec 2004	Message Posted: Dec 16, 2011 11:12:52 AM Ignore gvan Report Abuse The only thing you are improving by using a higher octane than required is the profits of the gas station owner.
pacecar68 Champion Author Oakland Posts:4,666 Points:868,070 Joined:Jan 2007	Message Posted: Dec 15, 2011 10:46:33 AM Ignore pacecar68 Report Abuse no difference...purchase the required level of octane as specified in your owner's manual.
Bus936 Champion Author Lexington Posts:16,459 Points:3,222,930 Joined:May 2004	Message Posted: Dec 15, 2011 9:34:14 AM Ignore Bus936 Report Abuse Absolutely not. You need to only run what the manufacturer recommends in your vehicle. Using higher octane than necessary could cause damage to your intakes, plus you are wasting your money in the process.
gobux10 Champion Author Ohio Posts:3,185 Points:682,755 Joined:Mar 2010	Message Posted: Dec 15, 2011 7:44:15 AM Ignore gobux10 Report Abuse go with regular
HybridTraveller Rookie Author Detroit Posts:4 Points:5,980 Joined:May 2010	Message Posted: May 5, 2010 7:25:41 PM Ignore HybridTraveller Report Abuse I record the numbers for every tank in a book that stays in the car. I've tried different grades and formulations. Basically, I have been unable to detect any difference in mileage. If there is, it is swamped by the tank-to-tank variation generating noise in the data. All of my cars spec 87 octane gas. I will use the "Regular" grade at whatever octane rating it has when in the mountains.
boatcrazyinme Champion Author Maine Posts:1,924 Points:547,990 Joined:Apr 2010	Message Posted: May 5, 2010 12:12:59 PM Ignore boatcrazyinme Report Abuse I get my best milage from Irving gas.
Boyrr Champion Author Allentown Posts:15,191 Points:3,166,580 Joined:May 2004	Message Posted: May 4, 2010 6:01:07 AM Ignore Boyrr Report Abuse if your machine only heeds regular, you will not gain anything by buy the more expensive grade.
pinbuster2005 Champion Author New Hampshire Posts:5,210 Points:1,522,075 Joined:Oct 2005	Message Posted: May 4, 2010 5:10:30 AM Ignore pinbuster2005 Report Abuse theUBERxA - You say an extra 2 mpg on average isn't worth paying 20 cents more a gallon for premium. Well lets look at in cost per mile. I don't know what you get for mileage but i'll just use an example. If you get an average of 20 mpg with regular and it costs $2.80 a gallon that would be 14 cents a mile that it costs you to run it. if you get an average of 22 mpg with preium/super and it costs $3.00 a gallon that would be 13.637 cents a mile to run it. So yes in the long run it's cheaper to run the premium in your automobile. If you get 30 mpg on regular at $2.80/gal it would cost you 9.333 cents a mile. if you get 32 mpg on premium at $3.00/gal it would cost you 9.375 cents a mile. So in that case it isn't cheaper to run premium. Basicly it comes right down to what your automobile gets for mileage and if you figure it out to the cost per mile you'll find out what one is truely the cheapest to run overall. I tried premium in my 2001 f-150 pick-up because the station I went to was out of regular and was selling premium for the regular price. My mileage dropped 3 mpg with it. If it had gone up I would have tried it a couple more times to see if it was a fluke or not.
AmericanMAN Champion Author Michigan Posts:13,652 Points:2,696,530 Joined:Aug 2005	Message Posted: May 2, 2010 12:10:15 AM Ignore AmericanMAN Report Abuse 1
Vibe03 Veteran Author Toronto Posts:466 Points:273,790 Joined:Aug 2007	Message Posted: May 1, 2010 11:42:26 AM Ignore Vibe03 Report Abuse Had been putting a tank of good stuff (premium grade) every 4 - 5 tanks and I think it is like a mini-tuneup and makes the engine cleaner, hence betting mileage
SiRMatt Rookie Author Vancouver Posts:42 Points:33,265 Joined:Sep 2008	Message Posted: Apr 28, 2010 1:12:43 AM Ignore SiRMatt Report Abuse If you run a car with a high compression engine like mine. Use the fuel type required by it, which is 91 octane or better. If you try to run lower octane fuel you will get detonation and screw up your engine, unless you wanna retard the timing. But lets not go there :)
the1roadhog Champion Author Atlanta Posts:9,913 Points:2,058,530 Joined:Jun 2007	Message Posted: Apr 25, 2010 8:03:27 AM Ignore the1roadhog Report Abuse Not so I've noticed.
BUSSY Champion Author Dallas Posts:9,922 Points:1,544,415 Joined:Oct 2006	Message Posted: Apr 25, 2010 7:33:25 AM Ignore BUSSY Report Abuse Use the octane recommended by your owners manual and you will receive optimal performance and mpg. If not let a good certified mechanic at your dealership check it out.
Quick68 Champion Author Columbus Posts:8,264 Points:1,228,725 Joined:Dec 2009	Message Posted: Apr 25, 2010 1:43:12 AM Ignore Quick68 Report Abuse All gas gives me the same mileage.
PaylessKY Champion Author Kentucky Posts:8,740 Points:1,584,375 Joined:Oct 2008	Message Posted: Apr 24, 2010 11:37:00 PM Ignore PaylessKY Report Abuse Just use what your vehicle calls for. If it is 87 octane that is all you need.
bobber62 Rookie Author Twin Cities Posts:11 Points:9,420 Joined:Apr 2010	Message Posted: Apr 21, 2010 8:10:19 PM Ignore bobber62 Report Abuse I LIVE IN SOUTH EASTERN PART OF MINNESOTA LAKE CITY MN. I HAVE NOTICED THAT OUR GAS PRICES ARE AT LEAST 10 TO 15 CENTS CHEAPER THEN THE TWIN CITIES.
PaylessKY Champion Author Kentucky Posts:8,740 Points:1,584,375 Joined:Oct 2008	Message Posted: Apr 12, 2010 1:17:02 AM Ignore PaylessKY Report Abuse Use the grade your vehicle calls for.
cyrix Champion Author Los Angeles Posts:1,201 Points:162,630 Joined:Jan 2009	Message Posted: Apr 11, 2010 3:44:02 AM Ignore cyrix Report Abuse I've always used 87, and my mileage has never varied.
theUBERxA Rookie Author San Diego Posts:13 Points:3,790 Joined:Apr 2010	Message Posted: Apr 10, 2010 6:40:04 PM Ignore theUBERxA Report Abuse i notice about a 2mpg avg gain with premium over the span of three tanks, full to empty . its definitely not worth the 20cents more for me. comes out to 6bux more to go just an extra 33miles.
FieroGT Champion Author Twin Cities Posts:14,337 Points:2,509,035 Joined:Mar 2005	Message Posted: Apr 10, 2010 6:02:07 AM Ignore FieroGT Report Abuse I don't think so. If a car engine was built to run on 87 octane, it won't run any better on 89 or 92 octane fuel.
NanookAK Champion Author Anchorage Posts:7,271 Points:1,443,940 Joined:Nov 2007	Message Posted: Apr 9, 2010 12:24:22 PM Ignore NanookAK Report Abuse I doubt if it will make a significant difference except perhaps in your wallet.