Is Regular Grade Gasoline Just As Good As Premium For Your Car?
Regular grade gasoline is just as good as premium gas for your car if you are not driving a high performance vehicle such as a Viper, Corvette or a high end luxury car.
Premium gasoline was designed for high performance vehicles and luxury cars that are built for high rpm’s and richer fuel mixtures. But to put premium gas in your everyday driving vehicle that doesn’t specify premium on the gas cap is a waste of money. It may even lower your gas mileage by causing your fuel system to run a little rich.
However if your vehicle does require premium, it is best to use it. Your performance will drop if you use regular in a premium vehicle and that can cause pre-ignition in the cylinder, which is referred to as pinging. You may be saving money on cheaper gas by putting regular in a premium built car but you will eventually pay for damage to the engine in the long run.
If your regular gasoline vehicle is lacking on performance there is a trick that I’ve learned in my 20 years of automotive experience, and that is to mix regular with premium, 3/4 regular to 1/4 premium. That will increase performance without decreasing your wallet and get rid of that slight annoying ping.
So yes, regular grade gasoline is just as good as premium when used in a vehicle designed for regular, but don’t substitute regular for premium in your performance car you may regret it later. Take care and drive safely.
The author Mike Webb was an automotive technician at a Chrysler Dealership for 15 years and an agricultural technician for 5 years. He won the prestigious Toptech award from Chrysler in 1996 and is an ASE certified Master Technician. He currently owns and operates the Okinawan School of Karate with 2 locations. To learn more about Mike Webb you can go to his website: http://www.karatebenefits.com
The above article may be published freely as long as all links are included. Copyright Mike Webb 2007
Tags: better mileage, better performance, car, engine ping, gas mileage, premium gas, type of gas