Gasoline Grades & Prices
By KrazyKlingon
@KrazyKlingon (5005)
United States
December 13, 2006 11:05am CST
Most gas stations usually have three grades of gas.
87 Octane - Unleaded
89 Octane - Unleaded Plus
93 Octain - Super / Ultimate
Some gas stations only have two grades, that being:
87 Octane (Unleaded)
93 Octane (Super or Ultimate)
In my area, the standard seems to be with every gas station I have used or driven past is that the Super/Ultimate (93) is 30 cents more per gallon than the regular Unleaded (87), so in a sense, it's 5 cents per octane level in comparison.
Ironically, I have been told by various mechanics, including the dealer where I obtained my car that if I try using the super/ultimate (93) gas, it is "too rich" for the engine to handle. Also, taking a look at the "middle" grade at every gas station I have used or passed, the "middle" grade .
Doing the math, this seems to be awkward. The "middle" grade (89) is usually 20 cents more than the regular (87) & 10 cents lower than the Super/Ultimate (93). It seems that if one chooses to use the "middle" grade (89) gas, it turns out to be 10 cents per extra octane (making it 2.5 cents from that grade to the super/Ultimate (93) gas).
So, I am wondering, who else is silly enough to do this? This is assuming that using the "middle" grade gas was desired by the driver. Here is what I do. Knowing the capability of my fuel tank & the gas guage on my dashboard, I would fill halfway with regular unleaded (87), & then the other half of the way with Premium/Super/Ultimate (93). Despite the walking back & forth to pay twice (in which walking is supposed to be healthy anyway), I am, overall, actually getting 90 octane, & I'm only paying 15 cents more per gallon instead of that 20 cents.
Just a quick disclaimer here: The original idea was not mine. I saw it decades ago on ... I think it was 20/20. It was intended as a joke, but at the same time, it is the sensible thing to do.
3 people like this
5 responses
@funnysis (2619)
• United States
15 Dec 06
Sadly enough I do that certain engines run better on the higher octane gas then the lower,if you put the middle grade in a 469 hemmy then the engine will not perform as it should where as if you put the high grade into a boss 302 then that motor will not perform right.So it all depends on what your engine calls for and if it calls for the higher octane I say use it if you want the best perfomance frome your motor,because if the motor isn't working right then you are using more gas then you need.
2 people like this
@KrazyKlingon (5005)
• United States
15 Dec 06
The car I'm using right now used to belong to my mother. That's the car that cannot take the 93 octane gas. It does pretty well with the 87 octane, but from what I understand, the higher the octane a car can use, the better if i want to keep my engine clean.
Before that, I used to drive this 1984 "poor man's caddillac" (really an oldmobile that usually needed caddillac parts) & I was only able to get decent performance using 93 octane gas. Well, nowadays, as comfy & sturdy the car is, the only way to repair it is replace engine.
2 people like this
@KrazyKlingon (5005)
• United States
3 Jan 07
Well, sometimes, if the car has a nice, efficient engine, using a higher octane gas than what you need would be somewhat wasteful in that you're paying more for it, & it's not necessary. Octane is supposed to stop the gasoline from igniting at a piston too prematurely by raising the required temperature needed to ignite it. This can also cause an increase of engine temperature, & cause more premature ignition of the gasoline, & well, doesn't seem to sound like a healthy chain reaction.
2 people like this
@GardenGerty (157615)
• United States
13 Dec 06
No, we do not do that. We generally can get a midgrade with ethanol for the same price or slightly lower than the 87 octane. In addition to that, my husband has been exploring different fuel additives. Our main car has gone from 25 mpg to 40-45 mpg. He uses something he gets in the parts store sometimes, but for the most part he uses a product that he distributes. If you are interested, his myLot name is Finlander60, and he would link you to his website. Request him as a friend.
@KrazyKlingon (5005)
• United States
14 Dec 06
I also responded to a couple of his topics. In my area, the lowest priced gas station that I usually go to only has regular unleaded (87) & premium (93). In this case I would have to get half & half.
2 people like this
@villageanne (8553)
• United States
27 Feb 07
We were told to use the lower grade in our car from the dealer also. Lately we have been having the check engine light come on in our car. It is only a 2006 model. We have had it to the garage several times and they keep saying that we are getting dirty fuel and we should switch the gas station that we use. We have found that the higher in price the gas gets, the more trouble we have with gas. are they watering it down to make money???
1 person likes this
@KrazyKlingon (5005)
• United States
27 Feb 07
I don't think they are purposely watering down gasoline, as that is against the law. If the wrong person comes by & gets gas & discovers it watered down, well, I'd hate to be the gas station owner. However - if for some reason, the gasoline sits around long enough, it does seem to lose its potency. I call it "losing its poof" ...
@scarlet_woman (23465)
• United States
15 Mar 07
LOL that's a great idea-but i don't think the gas stations around here would let you do that.they'd probably freakout.
it shouldn't matter,since you're paying for it,but..
1 person likes this
@KrazyKlingon (5005)
• United States
15 Mar 07
If it's a gas station that you pay for the gas & fill up yourself, they most likely won't care. However, if you're paying in cash, it means running back & forth twice to pay the attendant for the filling halfway & then again to fill the rest of the way with the other grade.
