is it bad to use unleaded gas in your car. i drive a 1996 oldsmoble seirra. today i went to get gas and this is the first time i have got it on my own, and i didn't know what kind to put in so i just picked one. i use unleaded. i am not really sure what they put in it before.
will it hurt my car.
will it hurt it if before i used unleaded plus.
2007-09-25 12:43:10 · 18 answers · asked by Anonymous in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
ok, am i suppose to put unleaded in my car. idk. please help.
2007-09-25 12:47:06 · update #1
How on earth is this the first time you have fueled a car. You did make the right choice tho. None of them will "hurt" your car.... except for diesel. But all your car needs is unleaded. the others will just cost more and not give any benefits to a 96 olds.
2007-09-25 12:47:01 · answer #1 · answered by gwlemt 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Its not a bad thing. There are 2 types of fuel widely available at fuel stations around the country. Those are Unleaded and Diesel. Unleaded gasoline is what is used in most every non-diesel vehicle. In the late 70's and very early 80's, we still had Leaded Gasoline around, however, it is not allowed for use, and is not distributed anymore. Unleaded is the standard fuel.
Diesel is for vehicles who have diesel engines, this fuel works on a completely different combustion process, and you should NEVER put diesel in your unleaded fuel tank, or vise versa.
Now that you know that Unleaded is the standard fuel, and what you should be using, lets go into more detail. Within the Unleaded title, there are typically 3 different kinds of Unleaded. There will be "Unleaded" "Unleaded Plus" and "Premium Unleaded". The only difference in the 3 kinds is the octane rating of the fuel. As a rule of thumb, you can not hurt your car by using high quality fuel than it needs, but you can hurt it by using lower quality fuel then it needs. Most vehicles in use require the 87 octane rating, which is the standard "Unleaded" and also happens to be the cheapest. Some performance vehicle and engines require the higher grade fuel for their engines to run properly. Your vehicle needs only the regular "Unleaded" fuel, and that will do you just fine. I hope this has helped you some.
2007-09-25 19:58:31 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
All gasoline sold at gas stations today is unleaded . The only difference being the octane value. Thus 87, 89 and 93 posted at the pumps. Most people use the least expensive lowest octane possible even though the car manufacturer may call for a higher octane cooler, slower, burning grade of fuel.
Usually the octane you should be using is posted behind the fuel door cover on the side of your rear fender. If it's not there your handbook in the glove compartment in the specifications section will advise you which octane you should be using.
It's not illegal to sell buy or use leaded gasoline anywhere in the USA. It's used at tiny to large racetracks every day in engines that have high compression engines that won't live foe 1 minute with 93 octane "no" octane fuel. Some hot-rodders with deep pockets purchase VP or Sunoco racing gas to run in their hot rods on the street. Remember high compression motors in cars of the 50's, 60's and early 70's used the highest octane fuel we could get our hands on which was Sunoco 103. Todau VP and Sunoco makes 112 - 115 octane leaded fuel that anybody can buy in 55 gallon drums.
2007-09-25 20:01:45 · answer #3 · answered by Country Boy 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
the only kind of gas you can buy is unleaded. there are different grades of unleaded 87 octane, 89 octane, 93 octane , but all cars built after the switch from leaded gas to unleaded gas are for the most part designed to run on 87 octane. just stay away from the diesel pump your car cannot use that at all
2007-09-25 19:49:23 · answer #4 · answered by hermitofnorthdome 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
You're just fine using regular unleaded 87 octane in your car. Using a higher octane is just a waste of money unless you're driving a high performance car or unless the owners manual specifically calls for a higher octane. Stick to regular unleaded 87 octane, don't waste your money! If you want to confirm this check out... http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/transportation/consumer_tips/regular_vs_premium.html
2007-09-25 19:52:49 · answer #5 · answered by Fierce Lioness 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Unleaded is just a cleaner burning gas. Your car probably will not run as good if it required leaded gas. I'm guessing you are from outside the US because leaded gas is illegal to buy and run in the US.
If your car required unleaded gas and you put leaded gas into it, then you can cause damage to your car.
2007-09-25 19:51:06 · answer #6 · answered by Z car guy 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Most Vehicles will stipulate what type of gasoline they require. Regular Unleaded gasoline is the usual choice for most vehicles; unless you drive a sports car that would require the higher octane level - the unleaded should be okay for your type of car.
I would check your owners manual and see if it stipulates a type of gas, you could also check where you pump gas into the car (the gas cap, etc) - there's usually a sticker identifying what type of gas to use.
I would be wary of constantly switching types of gasoline though; cars like stability - messing with their octane levels might cause decreased performance. If you have put Unleadede Plus into the car since day one, keep doing that.
Good Luck!
2007-09-25 19:50:35 · answer #7 · answered by Stephie 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
For a 1996 unleaded is the only choice unless it runs on LP
2007-09-25 19:52:45 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
No, regular unleaded is what about 99% of the population uses since it's the cheapest.
2007-09-25 19:46:32 · answer #9 · answered by Kate 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I dont believe you can find leaded gas anymore. Yes it is ok. Unless you are driving a high preformance car DO NOT waste your money on plus gas. your car's computer is set up to use 87 octane unleaded gas. It can actually hurt your gas milege to use anything else.
2007-09-25 19:55:18 · answer #10 · answered by chuck t 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋