Regular vs. Premium Gas - Unhaggle Blog

Posted by | February 22, 2012 | Maintenance, Ownership | No Comments
Car Maintenance Tips

Let’s face it; most of us have debated those common car maintenance conundrums with friends and family. I’m sure some of us can recall our dad’s reminding us not to pay for premium gas and remember to warm up your car in the winter. But times change and so do the standards for car maintenance.

Here are some common ones you’ve probably asked yourself before.  Check back for more later.

Regular vs. Premium Gas

Here is what you need to know about the gas that gets you from point A to B. Premium, or high-octane fuel is cleaner as it contains additives not used in regular gas that help clean combustion chambers. If you own a modern vehicle (from last 10 years or so) you will not harm your engine by using regular gas where premium is recommended. However, it can result in a slight decrease in performance and fuel economy.

Before upgraded engine technology and sensors, the use of regular gas in an engine designed for premium gas would result in what is referred to as engine knocking or pinging.  If any part of the air and fuel mixture in the cylinder gets heated and compressed enough, it will explode spontaneously, even before the spark plug ignites it – this causes the knocking.

Even as your car ages, which was originally designed for regular gas it may require a higher octane fuel. Carbon can build up inside the cylinder which will create hot spots that can cause a knock.

Now you know all the facts to make an educated decision.  If you want our opinion, if you can’t afford to put the recommended premium fuel in your car, you probably can barely afford the car itself.

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About Radek Garbowski

Radek is a co-founder at Unhaggle.

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