Is premium gas really that different than regular?

Question

Do you get better gas milage if not why pay the extra?

Answer 1

Not better gas mileage.

Less pre-ignition in vehicles with high compression engines.

You don't state the make and model of your vehicle, so the best way to know is to check your owner's manual, however, in most vehicles with the standard compression, you won't see any benefits at all!

The reason for requiring premium is because the engine is designed to be a performance engine. This usually means that the engine has a high compression to give your better performance and power. (The Camry doesn't have this, but believe it or not cars like the Nissan Maxima, Honda Odessey Mini Van do have high compression engines)

Higher compression also requires you get gasoline that does not pre-ignite, or believe it or not more resistant to spontaneous ignition. This means you'll need a higher octane (more resistant to ignition).

The lower the octane number, the easier the gasoline will ignite. Which means if you put lower octane in a high compression engine, you'll get something called pre-ignition or spontaneous ignition. This basically will generate a flame front that is at various points in the cylinder that is not at the location of the spark plug, where the desired igntion point is.

Usually pre-ignition occurs where the piston and cylinders meet. This means it will generate a flame front that is opposing the flame front from the spark plug when it ignites. (This will also cause loss of power)

When this occurs as the flame fronts meet (the ones from the cylinder walls due to pre-ignition, and the ones from the spark plug), you'll get a shock wave generated. The shock waves over time will cause piston and cylinder/head damage, typically seen as pitting.

What is normally heard from drivers is commonly described as pinging/knocking, and the damage that can occur.

Some vehicles such as the Honda Odessey and Nissan Maxima put knock sensors in to retard spark. This acutally starts the ignition process at a point less than optimal, but allow people who purchased those vehicles to use the cheap stuff too.

So the answer for you would be, if you have an engine that is a high compression engine, then the premium gasoline will give you more power, otherwise you're just paying extra for nothing.

Answer 2

Premium has nothing to do with mileage. The higher the octane, the more resistance to engine knock in higher compression engines. Just use what the manufacturer recommends, you don't give the engine a 'treat' by an occasional tank of premium.

Paying for premium gas can be a waste of money
Many people use premium gasoline in the belief that it's better for engines than regular. That can be a costly mistake, especially during times of high fuel prices. Octane grades don't represent a “good, better, best” choice; they simply measure the resistance of fuel to knocking or pinging, a condition in which gasoline burns uncontrollably in the engine's combustion chambers. Knocking and pinging can damage an engine.

Answer 3

This question is asked on here about 10 times a day, and it gets the exact same answer every time.

Premium gas has more octane. Octane retards detonation, keeping the engine from "pinging." High performance engines (turbocharged, supercharged, or high comp ratio engines) tend to need the extra octane. Most normal cars dont. If your car doesnt need it, there is absolutely zero benefit. NONE. youre throwing your money away. If your car DOES need it, it will run like crap on standard gas. People also sell race gas and such which has even HIGHER octane, like 114, 110 and 100 octane. premium is 93 usually, mid-grade is 89, and standard is 87.

man some people are incredibly wrong here. It does not burn hotter, faster, cleaner, or more efficiently. There is no extra power to be had from it. Zero. The only difference is the octane count, which resists predetonation. Thats it.

Answer 4

Higher octane fuel does NOT burn faster.. In fact it has a slower burn rate and thats how it keeps high compression/boosted engines out of detonation and pre ing.
Detonation happens when the fuel lights up too soon.

The higher the octane the slower it burns..

Truth be told, higher octane than needed in your engine will cause it to drop some power and get alittle less fuel mileage.

The only benifit to pump premium fuel is it has a higher amount of cleaners added to the blend so it can help to keep fuel system clean... A bottle of fuel system / injector cleaner added to the tank full of gas every 3,000 miles will do the same thing though and be a lot cheaper

Answer 5

Premium gas just has a higher octane level than regular. It won't make your car perform better, go faster, get better mileage or run cleaner. Octane ratings measure a gasoline's ability to resist engine knock, a rattling or pinging sound that results from premature ignition of the compressed fuel-air mixture in one or more cylinders. So if your engine has this knocking, then you should buy a higher octane rating of gasoline, otherwise it's a waste of money.

Answer 6

NO.
PREMIUM GAS IS A LITTLE BIT "CLEANER" AND HAS HIGH AMOUNT OF OCTANE IN IT.
PREMIUM ALSO IGNITES FASTER AND BURNS A LITTLE CLEANER THAN REGULAR.

THERE ARE SOME HIGH TECH CARS THAT REQUIRE PREMIUM FUEL ONLY DUE TO HIGH OUTPUT ENGINES AND HIGH RPMS THEY PRODUCE.

REGULAR IS NOT THAT GREAT FOR PERFORMANCE, BUT IT'S GOOD ENOUGH FOR AN EVERYDAY USE.

YOU SHOULD USE WHATEVER THE MANUFACTURER RECOMMENDS FOR YOUR CAR.

IF YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO RUN REGULAR AND YOU FILL YOUR TANK WITH PREMIUM YOU JUST WASTE YOUR MONEY BECAUSE IT'S NOT GOING TO MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE IN TERMS OF PERFORMANCE OR MILEAGE.
HOWEVER, IF YOU ARE WILLING TO RUN PREMIUM FUEL ON YOUR REGULAR FUEL CAR YOU SHOULD REPROGRAM THE COMPUTER AND TUNE IT TO 93 PREMIUM OCTANE.

IF YOUR CAR IS SUPPOSED TO RUN A PREMIUM DONT EVEN THINK OF USING REGULAR CAUSE IT WILL DAMAGE YOUR ENGINE AND CAN EVEN DETONATE ENGINE INTERNALS.

Answer 7

No, not really. The only reason people buy premium is if they have a car that needs extra octane such as a Dogde Viper. But, if you have a Toyota Camry or something like that, you should just buy regular.

Answer 8

Because some engines require the extra octaine to run at peak efficency; not about gas mileage

Answer 9

Yes, it is different yet the benefit is only suitable for performance cars. If your car doesn't require high octane then it is a waste to pay for it.

It burns more smoothly and reliably, increasing performance. It will not necessarily improve gas mileage.

Answer 10

premium gas is a higher octane which makes the gas ignite faster and burn cleaner inside your engine