Regular Fuel vs. Premium Fuel
07-30-04, 10:29 AM
#1
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Regular Fuel vs. Premium Fuel
I know some people claim superior results when using premium although it's not required. Here's something to think about...
Premium vs. Regular Fuel
Why use premium gas when regular will do?
By James R. Healey, USA TODAY
Marti Mayne once fueled her low-octane Subaru with high-octane gas. Not now. Premium-gas prices "went sky high, and now I just use low grade" to motor around Yarmouth, Maine, where she runs a marketing business.
When prices dropped earlier this year, she stuck with cheaper fuel because "I don't think that my car runs any differently on high, medium or lower grade."
She's right. Engines designed for regular fuel don't improve on premium and sometimes run worse. And today's engines designed for premium run fine on regular, too, their makers say, though power declines slightly. (Background: About Octane ratings)
But premium lovers are passionate. "I would simply curtail driving rather than switch grades," says Bill Teater of Mount Vernon, Ohio, who puts high-test in both his Cadillacs, though only one recommends it. He's sure both the DeVille and the Escalade run rough and lack pep on regular.
Prejudice and preference aside, engineers, scientists and the federal government say there's little need for premium.
When fuel's cheap, motorists are willing to pay 20 cents or so more for premium. But as gas prices sneak back up, the mental wrangle begins anew over whether it's OK to burn cheaper, regular-grade gas.
AS PRICES RISE, CONSUMERS
SHUN PREMIUM GAS
Average price of a gallon of premium gasoline:
1993 $1.30
1999 $1.36
2002 $1.58
20031 $1.80
Premium gas share of all gas sold:
1993 19.9%
1999 16.8%
2002 13.5%
2003 12.1%
The answer almost always is yes.
"I personally use regular even though my owner's manual says you'll get better performance with premium," says Lewis Gibbs, consulting engineer and 45-year veteran at Chevron oil company. He's chairman of Technical Committee 7 on Fuels, part of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Fuels & Lubricants Council. Gibbs knows gas.
"My wife runs midgrade (89 octane) in her car, and it's a turbocharged engine" meant for 91-octane premium, he says.
Premium ? gasoline having an octane rating 91 or higher ? is just 12.1% of sales this year, down from 13.5% in 2002, when it was 22 cents a gallon cheaper, and well below the modern high of 20.3% in 1994, when it was 49 cents cheaper, according to industry and government data. Despite the allure of premium, once they abandon it, most motorists don't come back, the data suggest.
For every dime increase in the price, sales of premium gas drop 1%, Bob Johnson, general manager of gasoline and environmental services for the 7-Eleven chain, figures, based on data back to 1998.
The main advantage of premium-grade gas is that it allows automakers to advertise a few more horsepower by designing and tuning engines to take advantage of premium's anti-knock properties. But auto engineers generally agree that if you use regular in a premium engine, the power loss is so slight, most drivers can't tell.
"I go back and forth, and I'm hard-pressed to notice" whether there's regular or premium in the tank, says Jeff Jetter, principal chemist at Honda Research and Development Americas. He drives an Acura designed for premium.
Import brands, especially, use premium fuel to distinguish their upmarket models. Most Toyotas, for instance, are designed to run on regular or midgrade, while the automaker's Lexus luxury brand prefers premium. Same with Honda and its Acura luxury line.
"Generally, the more expensive the vehicle, the higher the expectation for performance and the more the customer is willing to pay for fuel," says Pete Haidos, head of product planning for Nissan in the USA.
Actually, the price debate is nearly worthless. At 20 cents more for premium, pumping 20 gallons of it instead of regular would cost $4 more. Annually, that's a difference of $171 for a vehicle that averages 14 miles per gallon ? as some big sport-utility vehicles do ? and is driven 12,000 miles a year.
Gasoline retailers and refiners like high-test because it's more profitable than regular-grade gas is. The retailer paid about 8 cents more for the premium you pay 20 cents more for ? though that margin can swing wildly. Refiners make a few cents a gallon more on premium than on regular when they sell to wholesale distributors.
__________________
Premium vs. Regular Fuel
Why use premium gas when regular will do?
By James R. Healey, USA TODAY
Marti Mayne once fueled her low-octane Subaru with high-octane gas. Not now. Premium-gas prices "went sky high, and now I just use low grade" to motor around Yarmouth, Maine, where she runs a marketing business.
When prices dropped earlier this year, she stuck with cheaper fuel because "I don't think that my car runs any differently on high, medium or lower grade."
She's right. Engines designed for regular fuel don't improve on premium and sometimes run worse. And today's engines designed for premium run fine on regular, too, their makers say, though power declines slightly. (Background: About Octane ratings)
But premium lovers are passionate. "I would simply curtail driving rather than switch grades," says Bill Teater of Mount Vernon, Ohio, who puts high-test in both his Cadillacs, though only one recommends it. He's sure both the DeVille and the Escalade run rough and lack pep on regular.
Prejudice and preference aside, engineers, scientists and the federal government say there's little need for premium.
When fuel's cheap, motorists are willing to pay 20 cents or so more for premium. But as gas prices sneak back up, the mental wrangle begins anew over whether it's OK to burn cheaper, regular-grade gas.
AS PRICES RISE, CONSUMERS
SHUN PREMIUM GAS
Average price of a gallon of premium gasoline:
1993 $1.30
1999 $1.36
2002 $1.58
20031 $1.80
Premium gas share of all gas sold:
1993 19.9%
1999 16.8%
2002 13.5%
2003 12.1%
The answer almost always is yes.
"I personally use regular even though my owner's manual says you'll get better performance with premium," says Lewis Gibbs, consulting engineer and 45-year veteran at Chevron oil company. He's chairman of Technical Committee 7 on Fuels, part of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Fuels & Lubricants Council. Gibbs knows gas.
"My wife runs midgrade (89 octane) in her car, and it's a turbocharged engine" meant for 91-octane premium, he says.
Premium ? gasoline having an octane rating 91 or higher ? is just 12.1% of sales this year, down from 13.5% in 2002, when it was 22 cents a gallon cheaper, and well below the modern high of 20.3% in 1994, when it was 49 cents cheaper, according to industry and government data. Despite the allure of premium, once they abandon it, most motorists don't come back, the data suggest.
For every dime increase in the price, sales of premium gas drop 1%, Bob Johnson, general manager of gasoline and environmental services for the 7-Eleven chain, figures, based on data back to 1998.
The main advantage of premium-grade gas is that it allows automakers to advertise a few more horsepower by designing and tuning engines to take advantage of premium's anti-knock properties. But auto engineers generally agree that if you use regular in a premium engine, the power loss is so slight, most drivers can't tell.
"I go back and forth, and I'm hard-pressed to notice" whether there's regular or premium in the tank, says Jeff Jetter, principal chemist at Honda Research and Development Americas. He drives an Acura designed for premium.
Import brands, especially, use premium fuel to distinguish their upmarket models. Most Toyotas, for instance, are designed to run on regular or midgrade, while the automaker's Lexus luxury brand prefers premium. Same with Honda and its Acura luxury line.
"Generally, the more expensive the vehicle, the higher the expectation for performance and the more the customer is willing to pay for fuel," says Pete Haidos, head of product planning for Nissan in the USA.
Actually, the price debate is nearly worthless. At 20 cents more for premium, pumping 20 gallons of it instead of regular would cost $4 more. Annually, that's a difference of $171 for a vehicle that averages 14 miles per gallon ? as some big sport-utility vehicles do ? and is driven 12,000 miles a year.
Gasoline retailers and refiners like high-test because it's more profitable than regular-grade gas is. The retailer paid about 8 cents more for the premium you pay 20 cents more for ? though that margin can swing wildly. Refiners make a few cents a gallon more on premium than on regular when they sell to wholesale distributors.
__________________
08-01-04, 11:23 PM
#3
Originally posted by ntran18
Here's something interesting that I found...
Land Cruiser, Sequoia, Tundra, & LX(Land Cruiser) all use the same identical V8 - 2UZ engine. Only difference is the Lexus owners manual recommends 91 for the LX, where as Toyota recommends 87.
Here's something interesting that I found...
Land Cruiser, Sequoia, Tundra, & LX(Land Cruiser) all use the same identical V8 - 2UZ engine. Only difference is the Lexus owners manual recommends 91 for the LX, where as Toyota recommends 87.
08-02-04, 09:12 AM
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Premium? for what.. As long as I don't hear that knocking sound and my car don't run crappy I'm ok and I've been ok on 87, 89 since I've had Lexus cars which have been for years. Unless you race or something I don't think it really matters.
08-11-04, 04:01 PM
#5
Originally posted by ntran18
Here's something interesting that I found...
Land Cruiser, Sequoia, Tundra, & LX(Land Cruiser) all use the same identical V8 - 2UZ engine. Only difference is the Lexus owners manual recommends 91 for the LX, where as Toyota recommends 87.
Here's something interesting that I found...
Land Cruiser, Sequoia, Tundra, & LX(Land Cruiser) all use the same identical V8 - 2UZ engine. Only difference is the Lexus owners manual recommends 91 for the LX, where as Toyota recommends 87.
08-11-04, 08:02 PM
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isn't it true that it's ok to switch from 87 - 91 but switching from 91 -87 creates a "Engine Ping"?? that's what my dealer told me when i used 91 on my accord before i came to california, but when i got to ca, i wanted to switch to 87. but there was that sound in the engine, which the dealer stated that it's an "engine ping".
Last edited by Rx900; 08-11-04 at 08:04 PM.
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08-12-04, 09:18 PM
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I am an RX owner...so I don't have any dealings with the V8, but I have seen a 3-4 MPG difference when I switched from 87 octane to 91. BTW I use the Chevron Techron gas. A lot of RX/ES owners I have discussed this with on lexusownersclub.com have reported the same results. I made the switch, despite the higer prices, and am not going back!!
Last edited by sgriffith; 08-12-04 at 09:21 PM.
08-14-04, 08:52 PM
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huh, i jst go for the cheapest one. it's like chosing between the most expensive gadget to the cheapest, i go for the good ones that arent the most expensive but fairly good model. same with gas (especially i'm feeding a V8 here!!!)
08-16-04, 10:56 AM
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Here is what I do: I use the lowest grade octane that will NOT cause engine ping.
In my LC, I can use 87 grade fuel with NO engine ping or roughness. The manual recommends 91 but does not mandate it.
Now, here is another perspective: LC are sold throughout the world. In many third world countries they do not sell premium fuel (93). Since Toyota uses the same engine, you would think that these engines will work fine with the lower octane engines. They do!
In my LC, I can use 87 grade fuel with NO engine ping or roughness. The manual recommends 91 but does not mandate it.
Now, here is another perspective: LC are sold throughout the world. In many third world countries they do not sell premium fuel (93). Since Toyota uses the same engine, you would think that these engines will work fine with the lower octane engines. They do!
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