We’ve all seen octane ratings at the fuel pump, and based on the numbers, it’s easy to think the higher number is better. From lowest to highest, the types of gasoline are regular, mid-grade, and premium. You may have even heard that fueling your car with premium gasoline or gasoline with a higher octane rating will improve performance and even get you more miles per gallon. However, this is only true for high-performance vehicles and luxury cars, and you should check your owner’s manual before fueling up to make sure you’re choosing the right one for your car.
The reality is that most modern day vehicles run on regular gasoline, and that is all they need. Some drivers may swear that they can feel a difference when buying premium gasoline, mid-grade gasoline, or even E85 gas. However, the truth is that most modern cars come with engine computers that can adjust their settings for various kinds of fuel, so that’s just a myth. The other myth that’s going around is that gasoline with a higher octane rating can also clean your engine.
Are there any benefits to using premium gasoline?
So will you see any notable improvements from filling your car from a higher grade of gas? Not really, no. Sports cars and vehicles with turbocharged engines may require premium gasoline, but buying premium gasoline for a vehicle that runs on regular doesn’t really add any benefit. It won’t magically make your car faster or more efficient. It definitely won’t make it run cleaner. If anything, it just costs more than regular gasoline, and the only magic you’ll see is how quickly your money disappears.
As for that myth about higher octane fuel cleaning your engine? That is false. This isn’t even the purpose of an octane rating. The only real reason some drivers may think about switching to premium is if they experience knocking coming from their engine. However, engine knocking doesn’t mean you should switch to premium gasoline. Most of the time, it’s not a big deal, and a little knocking won’t harm your engine. Of course, if you hear persistent knocking, you should probably take your car in for maintenance in case there’s some real engine damage happening.