Premiun Gas?

Question

My boyfriend's in the hospital and i had to drive his car home. He told me (after i ahd put regular) to only use 93. Did i mess his car up? It's a 2005 Escalade.

Thank you so much for your help!

Answer 1

ohhhh.. your in big trouble...lol... nope there will not be a problem....he might notice a difference driving it, he might not(normally i use 93, but sometimes switch to regular, and i notcie a slight difference) but it wont screw it up...i wouldnt even say anything, he problaly wont notice

Answer 2

Nope, you have not. Newer cars has an antiknock sensor. I use the cheapest gas that I can find on my 03 Impala. I still getting 30PMPG at 70MPH.
It is misfiring or running rough? I bet not. Do not tell him, the car and the owner will not tell the difference (do a blind test, you will be surprised). The only time that will tell is on a Dyno and will be a very small difference. Beside, a glorified Chevy Tahoe / GM Denali will not know the difference neither.
Octane ratings are sales gimmicks to make you pay more. That way you think you are getting a premium product (is just a small notch from the cheap stuff). All gasolines has the same amount of BTUs. The only time Octane ratings means some if you have a high compression engine. Regular passenger engines are fine with what is out there at the pump. What saves you gas are your driving habits and that is on you.

Answer 3

no,it will not harm his ride,but regular gasoline 87 octane is low on octane and will give a poor mpg,and in some cases cause it to knock a bit,will not hurt to and an octane booster additive!

Answer 4

please follow this link http://kutv.com/archive/local_story_128170400.html
or print this and show it to him

in Utah a news program (Chanel 2 ) did an investigation on this they found that on newer cars the octane had no effect on mileage or power or anything else it is a waist of your money as the oxy sensors and knock sensors will adjust to compensate for any differences

it did make a difference on older carburated cars

more info
(KUTV) The octane grades of gasoline we put into our cars are 85, 89 and 92. Some of you wanted to know why Utah's octane grades are lower than other states. Bill Gephardt explains.

It's a question Jim Openshaw wrote: Please help me find the real answer to this question. Why do parts of Utah, Nevada, and Idaho sell 85 octane gasoline as regular, as opposed to other states where 87 is the low octane rating?

The simple answer: it's the altitude...lower octane if you're above 4-thousand feet.

Remember, octane is meant for one purpose: to reduce knocking in your engine.

At the Utah Department of Weights and Measures, they confirmed higher altitude means lees of a need for anti-knocking components in fuels.

The plant manager over at the Flying "J" refinery in North Salt Lake tells me the standard for thinner air is above 4-thousand feet.

Yes, your owner's manual says use a minimum 87 octane but it was written for owners who drive below 4-thousand feet which is the vast majority of people.

But the Flying J manager says there's a fuel benefit for being up high.

Lower octane fuels are cheaper to make and those few pennies can be passed on to consumers driving at higher altitudes.
Gas prices are hitting record highs this spring. The national average right now is $2.30 a gallon. We decided to "Get Gephardt" on this. Bill says he's found some ways for you to save.

"I got a four banger in my truck. If I had a six-cylinder I'd go to the next one. If I had a V8, I’d go to the supreme,” said one gas-buying customer.

“Why?” asks Bill.

“It's a little easier on the motor," said the customer. "Higher octane makes it run better, you know what I'm saying?"

“How does it make it run better?” asks Bill.

“It just uh, I don't know, sparks better I guess,” added the customer.

According to another customer, "whenever I get better gasoline I'm rewarding my car, I'm saying hey, good job car here's some better gasoline for you."

One thing's clear, you've got octane on the brain. We know it costs more and it certainly sounds more important: high test versus low test and premium versus regular or midgrade. But what is it?

The scientific explanation goes like this: you take a straight chain parrafin that has a very low octane, rearrange it into an aeromatic ring structure that has a very high octane. Huh? What all that means is octane simply helps reduce engine knock, that rattling or pinging sound you hear when the engine fires too soon. Simple as that to bust four gas myths:

1. High octane is not easier on an engine.
2. High octane does not make your car go faster
3. High octane does not give you better gas mileage.
4. High octane is not a special treat for your car.

Turns out most cars run just fine on gas with a regular octane level, that's 85 here in Utah and there's an easy way to figure out what your car needs.

"I would look in your owner's manual and use whatever octane your manual calls for," said Jeff Utley who runs the Flying J Refinery in North Salt Lake.

Utley says most of us don't need to give octane another thought.

"In the newer cars and for many years, cars have octane sensors in them, so it compensates for the octane," said Utley.

Did you get that? Your car is probably smart enough to take care of all that octane stuff for you, and just in case those octane doubts come creeping back, listen to your owner's manual.

Okay, next question. How should you decide where to fill up?

Is it Choice A: to buy good gas.

“It's supposed to be good gas,”said one customer.

“Do you think it's better than other gas?” asks Bill.

“It's all I put in my car," added the customer.

Choice B: avoiding bad gas.

"I stay away from XXXXX, I hear they have bad gas," said another customer.

Or Choice C: the cost.

Joe goes by price. He said "I try to. It just makes sense to save money where you can, you know.”

What do you think? Is one gas better than another? The ads sure sound like it, but I wanted proof.

At the Utility Testing Laboratory in West Valley, scientists run experiments on substances like gas and oil, figuring out exactly what's in them. So armed with the proper equipment, I headed out to collect some samples. I bought regular unleaded and premium from four different gas stations picked randomly: Phillips 66, Flying J, Costco, and Chevron. Then I dropped them off for analysis.

A couple weeks later, lab owner Drew Spencer gave me the results. Except for the octane grades, the fuels themselves look remarkably similar to one another. The tiny differences detected at the lab show up in the fuels additives package, also known as detergents.

“They really basically help remove the coatings and other contaminants that get inside the combustion chamber as well as clean things out,” said Spencer.

Gas companies don't like to talk about the specific mix of detergents they use, kind of like grandma's secret recipe. However, the Federal Trade Commission says no one recipe has been proven better than the other. In fact, the agency has taken action against companies that claim a switch to their gas will save you money on car maintenance. So back to our question, how does refinery guy Jeff Utley pick a particular gas station?

“I would probably look for the most competitive station with the cheapest price,” said Utley.

And like other refineries Utley sells fuel to any gas station owner in Utah who wants it, not just Flying J.

Drew Spencer used to believe one brand of gas was better than another.

"Based on what you know now, which kind of gasoline do you want to buy?" said Bill.

“Frankly, it doesn't really matter,” answered Spencer.

And remember Joe? He had it right all along going by price alone.

"It just makes sense to save money where you can, you know,” said Joe.

Now remember, the Federal Trade Commission and the American Petroleum Institute both tell say the formula for gasoline is the same from coast to coast, with some allowances for altitude or seasons. That's what my test found too. So just stick with that owner's manual.