You should simply use what is recommended, end of story. Most cars run regular, so put regular in it if that's what your user manual says. It all comes down to ignition timing, some cars can take advantage of more spark advance and make more power or more efficient power (and these cars will recommend premium). Also, at 13:46 the display shows regular fuel with 7 ppm hydrocarbons (and 6 at 13:38), but when they get into the premium fuel they don't display what the ppm is, just a random display with dyno numbers. Not that premium burns cleaner (that's not it's goal; it has more detergents for engine cleaning and a higher octane rating), but there's no reason to be misleading about it. Why not tell us what the numbers are?
+Engineering Explained and see the co2 nunbers ;) they are different too. most car require regular, premium rarely is required is normally sugested not required ;) that's diferente
TheGrundig81 no, in most if not all high performance engines, save for some direct injection engines high octane or premium fuel is REQUIRED. No iffs ands or buts
User Name To be fair, there's almost always ifs ands and buts. Manufacturers aren't going to pump out cars that break when you use the wrong octane gas. Some people will use regular regardless (and sometimes, though rare, it may be all that's available). Engineers account for this, so when you use a lower octane fuel the ECU retards the timing so you don't have to worry about knock. Now I'm referring to production cars, and you certainly shouldn't drive it like you stole it on lower octane, but generally it will not cause problems. Kit blocks built for performance will generally be tuned for a very specific fuel, and you'll have to alter that tuning if you decide to cheap out.
Engineering Explained I disagree. I worked for a dealership group for several years while in college. We got performance models of various sorts in all the time with torched pistons, rings, valves, etc. Vast majority of the time we would send the fuel out and it was 87 octane. We would finish up with a nice stamp on the customers 8 month old car work order that said claim denied. The only outlier was Subaru. We would get the occasional turbo model that would blow ringlands.
Premium is high octane gas for use in high compression engines to prevent knocking. My BMW has an 11.5 to 1 compression ratio and runs poorly on regular.
+symawd they are doing this for the vast majority of people who do not own a car that requires premium. The point of this video is to show that the cars that just about everyone drives on their daily commute do not need the premium gas and that they are spending extra money that is not required.
kseifful But they make it seem like every car should be using regular. That is not the case. They should have shown the tests both ways. My daily driver recommends premium.
+symawd I think you're missing the point of this video Symawd. They're primarily focusing on cars that require regular fuel and how in some places they recommend putting higher octane gas in cars that won't benefit from it. In cars that require higher octane, it needs higher octane. A car that recommends regular won't benefit. That's the main focus of this, mainly people being ignorant about what they should buy.
Dan P I think you should Do some research before Commenting Stupid Shit. 2014 Nissan maxima engine raito is VQ35DE, Bore 95.5mm, Stroke 81.4mm, Rod Length 144.2mm, Compression Ratio 8.5:1 It even says in the Car Gas cap use premium gasoline
Simple test: put 87 octane in your car and drive it a LITTLE bit harder than you normally would. If the engine feels sluggish or "sleepy" you have to use 89 or higher even if the fuel cap door says you can use 87. My VW fuel door says I can use 87 but I never do that. Last time I tried it, the car snored and refused to move normally. I got passed by 10 year old family sedans on the highway. Waited until it was half empty and topped it off with 93. Everything was back to normal!
All of you still come from another planet . . . Since all of you think your so smart why don't you determine how 8 grams of thorium may power a car for 100 yrs? That would be noteworthy and do it for free so we can all have free energy to fight the slave masters, yes?
In a nutshell, Premium gas simply has a higher octane rating than Regular. Higher octane rating means better detonation resistance, which is useful for engines which have high compression ratios (more than, say, 10:1) or are equipped with turbos or superchargers. If you drive a 'normal' car, regardless of its price, you're probably fine with Regular.
THANK YOU!! I have tried to explain this to people, hence why diesel has an octane of 40 because compression detonates it. Using high octane fuel in a regular vehicle can also create incomplete burn and damage O2 sensors and catalytic converters.
Man people need to educate themselves. High Octane fuel is not for better gas mileage or "cleaner fuel". The higher the compression in the engine, the higher octane needed so detonation will not occur with the low grade and ruin your engine. High compression = higher octane. Look in your manual to see what octane it was designed to use.
yeah it's amazing how many people don't bother to understand how things work.. news reports like this just confuse them further. some engines are designed for premium, typical commuter cars run regular. just run the gas the car is designed for and leave it at that.
yoga teacher probly gonna go buy a tesla, then cry about the erratic weather patterns, lol... we all know by now mining lithium requires mowing down entire mountain ranges, which is where weather is made😉 thats 5th grade earth science...
@@woodworksparadise6036 she don't need cars she needs bicycle. Its good for both the environment and also her physical health. Or use public transport.
High compression performance engines need higher octane. Higher octane prevents pre-detonation, keeps the mixture from just exploding under higher compression advanced timing. The man with the Corvette, yes engine management will allow for use of regular gas by retarding the timing and changing the fuel timing and rail pressure but the performance also went out the window because the engine is de-tuned. The econo-box used in the test does not need it, in fact a normal V8 Mustang does not need premium, try to get performance from a Mustang GT500KR on regular though. in 1972 I had a 1956 Chevy that I was real proud of, engine started off a 327 CID small block Chevy, with Corvette heads, bore increased 0.060", TRW popup pistons @ 11.5:1 compression ratio, don't remember the grind (lift, duration and overlap) of the cam but she idled at 1100 RPM sounding like 400 RPM. She would have PUKED on what they call premium now, but the common car on the road today (not hot rods or performance cars) have no use for high octane gas.
Eldor Luedtke It's worth mentioning that a lot of "econo-box" cars these days have turbo charged eco options. Those need higher octane fuel to appreciate the fuel efficiency benefits of said lower displacement turbo engines. It often makes me wonder if the fuel economy improvements are worth the increase in fuel price.
Eldor Luedtke What did the 'Corvette' guy say? He said for 'regular driving' regular is fine'...and I assume he upgrades to a higher octane for racing on a track. (as you know, the 'Vette' has different driver-controlled settings for engine performance, so obviously under 'max power' settings, he'd use a 'hotter' fuel)
Eldor Luedtke Not when the turbo is only there because the engine is so pathetic without it. Going back to Ford as an example, they manufacture a 1L 3-cylinder turbo charged Fiesta. That's about as econo-box as you can get :P
Gerry Nightingale Yes, and performance was lost, my point. Premium gas is not hotter, it resist pre detonation better. Regular gas has as much energy as premium but would explode making that ping or clatter in high compression high performance engines.
Check your car's manual (or inside your gas door) if it says: Regular = Premium NOT needed Premium Recommended = Premium NOT needed Premium Only = Premium needed
Exactly my Lexus recommends 91 octane or higher but you can use regular if absolutely needed but not recommended. I’ve ran my car on regular and it ran horrible. It’s not good for your knock sensors to run regular if your car recommends premium as the pistons won’t burn all of the fuel that is being injected!!
Higher octane is made for higher compression engines. These engines also knock sensors to compensate for poorer gas. You don't need premium gas on most daily drivers. If you put regular gas into a high compression high output engine it will have less performance. Basically high octane self ignites at a high compression. I hope this helps.
I had a 1993, a 2001, and a 2006 Ford Taurus. Those cars would ping like crazy on the highway if I didn't use premium. Except for the Fords, and having had more than 20 cars in my lifetime, I always used regular gas. Don't get me wrong, those Fords were some of the most reliable cars that I've ever owned.
ford taurus v8... the sleeper car. its fast but it looks like a soccer mom car. i have to agree with you on this side. some car do required premium gas. not all cars is the same. it depend on the ecu and the compression of the piston i believe. i have experience of witness, friends car that required 91 and put in 87, it would ping specially on a hotter days. ecu, normally would change its timing to reduce its pinging if the knock sensor detect it. thats how people feel its losing performance since the timing either retard or advance to protect the engine from ping. this show didnt even bother poping its gas cap to show what rating of octane its required. cars that required 91 can used the middle 89 one and be fine.
@BlueRice a v8 taurus was an SHO and would have required premium of a certain octane that engine was special built as the "performance " engine for them. It was a special built motor for Ford by Yamaha
DarkKnight500. Some cars recommend regular....but high test, higher octane will help keep your fuel injectors clean...:-). Doesn't hurt to load up every now and then...:-)
Yeah but they might be lying too and telling u to put super clean gas in when obviously its messing with the environment from burning pieces of gas coming out of the gas pipe. Do not read the manual. Go get a professional person to do a test on the car and see what u need. Simple
The octane requirement of an engine has mostly to do with the compression ratio of engine. It's not going to help to put higher octane in than necessary. It will harm an engine with higher compression to put not enough octane in.
I know from personal experience that my vehicle runs better (quicker acceleration, improved performance, improved mspg by 5 miles) since I switched to premium gas two years ago. Two years is a better test than a 10 minute one. Regular is the manufacturer's recommended fuel for my vehicle.
+Doug Vandegrift exactly, its about the octane rating for knock prevention. At least here in the US there are standards to adhere to for consumer fuels.
+Doug Vandegrift no no no... If you engine is not built for performance than you do not need to put a higher octane fuel in it. Even if it says to put a higher octane in. The more air to fuel ratio (say a turbo / supercharger) than yes you should put in a higher octane because then engine will be under more load and it will cause less wear on the motor (Higher octane = cleaner burn). But if you're engine is naturally aspirated, more than likley you will not need a higher octane. Of course there are some exceptions for some vehicles.
Justin Dahl I'm just saying you should always put in what your car's manual specifies. I have a Mustang GT and it recommends 88 octane or higher but to not go any lower even in higher altitudes. It also specifies that there's no need to put in higher octane as this will not increase efficiency or performance. Yes I agree most vehicles only need lowest unleaded gas and no plus or premium but the manual will specify as such. Putting in premium every now and again really doesn't add any benefit. In short know your octane number and stick close to it.
That's a common misconception about fuel octane levels. High octane (basically 97 onwards) burns more evenly, meaning that you get a more even combustion in each cylinder, making your car accelerate smoother, and runs more efficiently.
@@miahstalings8572 once a year sure, if you drive your car once a week... the more you use your car, the dirtier the oil gets. So this one year rule of yours won't work for everyone, just change it on the recommended mileage number's. Or just take the extra 30 seconds and check the oil yourself and judge when to change it. It's not that hard to tell if oil is bad, so everyone can do this.
He didn't ask why it was made available for sale, he asked why it was being "sold"(marketed) to people who don't need it, people who need something else.
@@skoronesa1 true, but some vehicles, like my own, do require high octane gas, in Germany all of their gas is 90 and up, so it makes sense that their engines are built for it
@@KRAMITDFROG correct 👍 pre-ignition, or "knock" is when the fuel ignites before the spark plug ignites it. This "detonation" is very damaging to internal engine parts and can cause catastrophic engine failure. Higher octane fuels resist this detonation because they have a higher ignitability rate, AKA flash point but when they do ignite they do so with more energy. Guys all this info can be found via a 10-minute Google search. I could assume that the Civic in the video was producing higher emissions due to unburned fuel, AKA hydrocarbons. Simply put, there was so little air and fuel in the combustion chamber, it was hard for the ignition system to completely burn the higher octane fuel. Now take a high-performance vehicle where the air-and-fuel is very densely packed via boost or high compression, suddenly that air-and-fuel mixture is very easy to get ignited under heat and pressure. Now that mixture pre-ignites AKA detonates. Thus the need for a higher octane fuel. Keep in mind as the boost, compression and power goes up, so does the need for higher octane fuel! Infact, some very high performance street engines that guys have modified for performance, (high compression pistons, aftermarket cam, free flowing cylinder heads, hot tunes, advanced ignition timing, big turbo, injectors or large carb etc) need E85 which is equivalent to 103-105. Furthermore, some race engines run on C16 116 race gas! That is simply not needed on your mom's 96 Honda Accord Automatic however, and since most people drive average cars, that's the point they're trying to make most people do not need premium fuel.
Петър Баджаков that’s assuming people own race cars. Luxury vehicles also run off premium. Such as Cadillacs Lincoln’s Jaguars and Buick’s. You might notice loss of horsepower in a sports vehicle but what about heavier luxury models that aren’t necessarily meant to go vroom vroom skurt skurt?
Петър Баджаков i totally understand about the silence. I love a fast vehicle don’t get me wrong, but I love the feel of a land yacht. I love pressing my foot on the gas and hearing no sound. I enjoy people asking if my car is on when I stop at a red light because of how silent it is. I’ve never been a fan of foreign luxury. I stick to American luxury even if it isn’t the most flashy. I feel like I’m an old geezer when it comes to vehicles. I like heavy and slow. But that’s never stopped me from admiring a Japanese car. I have a soft spot for 1g crx’s and 3g Civics.
Depends on the vehicle for sure. For example my Camaro SS uses a V8 engine and If I were to put regular gas the performance and MPG would decrease on it. On top of that I will probably hear knocking noises in the engine. IF your car requires or even is recommended it usually is correct according to the owners manual.
Higher octane fuels are for engines with higher compression. Put low grade fuel in a high compression engine and you can get pre detonation. Fill your car with what the manufacturer requires. Most cars are designed to run off low grade fuels. Some suggest mid grade. Most all high end require premium fuel.
True. I have a budget Hyundai and the manual says to use regular octane gas, and only regular octane. Apparently higher octane fuels can damage the engine.
Allen, is this why some cars have engine knocks? I noticed on my Harley, that if I put in regular, under acceleration stress (I am gunning it) I will get knocks and hesitation at times. When I put in premium, I do not get that at all. Now the engine I have is an older 1999 Screaming Eagle, so it is considered higher performance. So is predetonation causing a "misfire" at the wrong time resulting in knocks/pings? So the regular gas is detonating in the cylinder before the pistons go top dead center? (Is that the right term???)
Gerald Burgos you now have a higher compression engine if you did pistons that raised your compression ratio. Your 1999 Harley does not have an ECM that can adjust your engines timing. It is an AIR cooled engine also that doesn’t have the ability to run at a more constant temperature. You get higher octane gas at lower altitude. Thin air at high altitude can use less octane which means less engine or no predetonation. You can run Shell, Exxon, Chevron, Texaco, etc gas and be more assured of the octane ratings. My Harley is modified at 10.0:1 compression ratio. Gas at convenient stores and especially Valero gas causes engine knock which can put a hole in your piston. The single best thing you can do is install an adjustable ignition. My favorite is Daytona Twin Tec model TC88 on my ‘01 FLHR. You can set it up for 10 different run conditions. I travelled from sea level to 10,000 feet of altitude in Colorado and just dialed in a preset curve to eliminate knocking. Another excellent one is from S&S that can detect engine knock and adjust timing. I used one of these but it did not work well. I now feel this was due to the HSR 42 flat side Mikuni card that can rattle. I also have a high lift short duration cam with heavy valve springs that knocks a little bit. The rocker shafts were very noisy on mine until I installed rocker locks. www.amazon.com/ROCKOUT-Rocker-Products-001-inserts/dp/B014O6XOZS. This was after I tried the S&S ignition. The tapping noise is so quiet now. The guy I sold my S&S ignition to has no problems and it works PERFECT on his engine. I also tried the Screaming Eagle ignition but it didn’t give me results I wanted.
The majority of motorcycle engines, as well as any small performance engines, make incredible power for their size and weight. To do this, they need incredibly high compression ratios, so much so that motocross racers pay in excess of $20 per gallon for high octane fuel. Considering this, I would say it is highly likely that you are experiencing pre detonation from low octane fuel.
I agree but in my experience in running low powered cars and high powered cars the premium gas in Europe at least works better no matter what type of car you use it in.
This is the most ill-informed news report that I have ever watched in my life. It's laughable. You have to understand what knock is. The octane number (87,89,91,93) is simply the fuels ability to resist knock which is another term for pre-ignition or detonation. This is typically caused by either advanced ignition timing or high compression ratio. Most turbo-charged engines for example absolutely require premium or they will knock and cause damage to the pistons and other components. Regular (87) is the most widely used fuel in America however and using premium in a car that only needs regular (87) will not help anything. In fact the higher the octane you go the less energy there is per volume of fuel so in a car that only needs regular (87) you would use slightly more premium (93) gas to achieve the same power output that you could achieve using lower octane fuel. Feel free to do your own research because this whole video is useless, Engineering Explained has some great videos explaining the terms i've mentioned in this comment.
Good point besides the fact that shell v-power nitro+ doesn't contain any ethanol, thus boosting its energy per volume. 91 octane with no ethanol has ROUGHLY and I say ROUGHLY 4% more energy per volume than 91 octane E10 (10% ethanol blended gasoline). I personnaly use 91 octane from Ultramar here in my town there is a pump where it's specified wich fuel is blended and wich isnt and that specific location pumps 91 octane no ethanol (2ZZGE with 11:1 C/R engine with 91 octane recommended by manufacturer)
WTF??? You say the video is "ill informed" meaning the information in it is incorrect...and yet...the video demonstrates precisely what you say is correct.
I just tried to say what you said. But if I did. I’d get everyone confused. You should do the video. This guy in the video trying to explain hasn’t any clue.
+Qiuyuan Chen That's the octane number, a measure of a fuel's ability to resist "knocking" or self-combustion. It has nothing to do with the purity or cleanliness of the fuel. Some fuels can rate over 100 on the octane scale.
+Ilusionista Cule thanks,I knew it. However, that explains public needs some basic scientific ideas. If I don't get wrong, Hydrogen is around 135 based on RON.
That's what I'm saying. The people at the manufacturing company assembled the car, engineered the car, and knows what's best for the car. The manual should override any other recommendation given by other people.
I used to work for gas stations, people asked me this question all time which is better (Which is the better gasoline). ONLY USE the gas that the Manufacturer Manual tells you to use, Most cars do not need premium fuel. And That MIDGRADE fuel you pay is actually Premium Fuel & Regular Fuel being mixed TOGETHER and then sent to your car thru the nozzle. It is NOT stored in its separate fuel tank underground like most people think it is.
Some cars do require premium and that's a fact. I had a subaru wrx turbo and now have a subaru forester xt turbo and they both say premium is required or recommended. In my wrx I accidentally put regular in it, my car was knocking, hesitating, and slow acceleration. As soon as I was able to put premium back in, all those symptoms went away. My forester says recommended unlike my wrx which said required. I have used regular and premium in my forester. The acceleration is noticeably quicker with premium, and according to the on board computer the mileage is better with premium. So do your stupid study over, and use cars that actually require premium, and try to tell me that it doesn't make a difference.
tong po Higher cylinder compression causes the fuel to explode sooner and faster. It can be described as more of a flash than a burn and the power of the explosion can be gone before the power stoke is complete. The higher the pressure the faster it burns. Premium fuel is designed to burn slower, so it'll still be burning all the way through the power stroke. In fact, before knock sensors could control timing it was common to still have unburned fuel left during the exhaust stroke. Normal cars with normally lower compression burn regular fuel just fine since the compression is matched to the octane. The reason your Subaru had problems is because the regular fuel burned up before it got done pushing the piston; multiple explosions at the beginning causing the knock and burning off before pushing the piston all the way causing low power.
tong po I think most turbo vehicles are required or recommended to use premium. The way I think about it is, the mileage increase from the turbo evens out the cost for premium.
tong po wich is true ive checked everywhere asked almost every gear head i know and any mechanicwho knew and they said the same thing for some cars it works beter and for some it dosent
Maybe because she has to travel very long distances everyday? Would you ride a bike say 40 km on a winter day when it’s -20 and snowing? I somehow doubt it!
1:51 The whole video could've been over there. USE WHAT YOUR CAR RECOMMENDS! This video is made for, "regular people with regular cars" in which case, yes, y'all don't need premium. But stop making it sound like a scam...
Did you also watch the actual expert's testimony who drives a corvette and puts in regular? Last I checked a corvette isn't a regular car and he's using regular gas (even though it says on his gas cap "Premium only" and as such the video probably did need to be longer to explain why he does so and the research and testimony of experts on the affects of regular vs premium gas on vehicles.
Dylan k - it didn't say premium only it said premium recommended. Some (not all) premium only cars will have detonation issues if you use regular(some do not have knock sensors). Premium recommended cars do have knock sensors and will pull timing when run on regular if they start to have detonation (pre ignition) issues.
Street48 - horsepower numbers do increase, but if they wanted to measure that they should have done a wide open throttle test to see the max numbers. Otherwise you're just measuring how much horsepower it takes to spin the dyno drum and all of the losses involved in doing so (tire deformation, friction, etc)...
***** Ignition timing has a lot to do with horsepower. The more you can advance the timing, the more complete the burn - the more efficient/powerful the engine is.
There's a Gas Station close to me, and I spoke to the driver of a Tanker Truck who comes in every week to fill all the pumps. He told me no matter which kind you choose, it's all the same Fuel. All you're really deciding is Which Price to Pay. If you prefer the higher prices, you're not doing anything for your car. All your doing is making the Fuel Companies Celebrate because You Fell For It!
FeldwebelWolfenstool ahahaha, as if minimum wage workers would know the chemical formulation of the gas stations they work at. It's like people walking into retail stores like Walmart, Best Buy, Target thinking they're talking to rocket scientists when they ask a question about a product. All they do is bullshit you, read the box, and sound confident so you feel satisfied. aha.
misterfunnybones You rarely need Jet B. I have a small reserve for my Chinook and Concorde if we ever get a day where it's -40 or below or I have to fly in arctic climates. Frankly, I prefer taking the Space Shuttle for longer-range distances.
Y’all should actually do data logging to test octane rating effects on your vehicles. Pull the data directly from the ECU, ECM, or DME. Get details like IAT’s, Ignition timing per cylinder, EGT’s, etc.. There also should have been some forced induction vehicles used in these tests.
All cars that have computers maybe won’t show the difference because it was set in the computer how many miles per gallon you will get, compare to old cars that don’t have computer.
You have more to worry about than just the octane number you also need to either have high strength valves and seats to run modern gas in an old car or buy an additive like zinc to lubricate the older valve train components. Why do we have to do this ? the oil companies removed the lead lubricant that was needed for the emissions problems.
FYI for those who didn't know, engines have what's called a compression ratio, so for example an engine with a 1:9 compression ratio is designed to be used with 90 octane gas and if you fill it up with premium it will run hotter because higher octane gas burns better, but if you have a 1:12 engine which is designed for high octane fuel and you put regular in there, it will run really sluggishly because the engine will not run properly, you can't just say that premium gasoline is bad for your car, it depends what is your car designed for...
Lower octane gas burns better actually. Higher octane gas is just regular gas with delay added so the fuel doesn't ignite too early in the compression stroke of the piston. Cars built for premium using regular will have the gas igniting too soon in the engine. Cars built for regular but using premium are just throwing money away.
@@larryhouse3776 I think that might be a bit misleading to say lower octane "burns better" on account that diesel fuel has a very low octane rating, and yet gasoline/petrol is much more flammable. I don't imagine there's much difference in flammability between 87 and 91 octane fuel, but 91 will definitely resist detonation during the compression stroke better, as you expressed. Otherwise, I entirely agree with you.
11:30 This is 87 percent clean. This is 89 percent clean. This is 91 percent clean.... The Sega Genesis is 16 bit, the 3DO is 32 bit, but the Atari Jaguar is 64 bit.
Skrapeg0at it has got nothing to do with "clean" all sorts are pure gasoline. But what it differs is the chemical chain-length of the carbohydrates. So the more "cracked" shorter chained molecules You got in gasoline the earlier the gas inflames itself before the piston reached maximum upper point of compression which means the lower power You can require from the machine performancewise. That's why most European tuning-stages don't work properly with US-gasoline
Here's something they don't say in this video. Using a grade of gas that is different than what your manual recommends will void your engine warranty. I think that alone is a good enough reason to use premium if it is recommended for your vehicle.
I have a 2015 Honda civic and switched to premium and found I also get better mileage between 5% and 8% depending on the type of drives I make. It not a huge difference but it means I dont have to wait in line at the pump as often. Same result with my Lexus RX 300
There is a difference between recommended and required. My 2016 WRX recommended premium. Which means I can get away with lower octane for regular daily driving. I upgraded to a 2019 WRX STI and it says premium required. The same owner's manual is used for both cars. The language used in the manual is clear about what fuel needs to be used.
octane rating used to refer to the percentage of eight carbon chain hydrocarbons in fuel, which burn slower than typical 6 chain hydrocarbons. Modern fuels use other additives to slow the burn rate, so octane rating refers to the rate of fuel burn. Slower burn means less detonation in high compression engines. Premium fuel just burns slower. One way to increase octane rating is add ethanol, and some premium fuels do this. if you want truly clean burning fuel, use E85, but you need a FlexFuel motor to do this.
+okleydokley explaine me why i was wrong, u said the same thing except that u did a mistake and said six carbon chains, but gasoline is made of heptane and isooctan
As a mechanic i wrote to Petro Canada reguarding Ethonol in the fuel. The industry has had so much problems due to that and no one wants to admit to it. However i did get a response from Petro Canada stating that their High test does not contain ethonol. That is the only good thing i could say for high test. I have never put it in any thing I have owned. Higher octane burns slower and will increase HC and is worse for the enviroment so. As well ethonol makes a mess of engines. GM has had many published problems with their flex fuel due to this.
Even then Ethanol causing issues depends on the particular car, the materials used in fuel system components, how often the car is driven/refueled, how the ECU or carburetor is tuned, etc etc etc. Most cars on the road today won't have issues with ethanol unless they sit for months without running, usually you only see problems with ethanol as a fuel in cars made before the 90s, and even then it depends on the conditions the car is put through. As someone that tunes Bosch ECUs and wrenches on a lot of cars both at work and in my free time, Ethanol is oftentimes beneficial if used properly, and in a performance application, it's great for both making a lot of power (by having a significantly higher octane and much faster rate of expansion during combustion, allowing for timing to be advanced significantly, and producing less heat, at the cost of taking on water easily, requiring a richer fuel mixture to burn properly as opposed to gas, and having properties that make starting an engine in really cold weather quite difficult without a fuel tank and fuel filter heater. It definitely did leave a huge mark though when it was first introduced.
Higher compression motors, such as in turbo charged sports cars, should use higher octane. Also, sport motorcycles often have 11-13:1 compression and should use high octane fuel. If you use low octane on such motors you could experience detonation or "knock," and eventual engine failure.
Premium(Higher Octane) is for high compression engines to prevent premature detonation only. Save your money and only buy regular gasoline if you have a regular joe car. Period.
Higher octane gasoline is only beneficial if you have a high-compression engine. For example, American muscle cars from the 1960s and early 1970s usually had a 10:1 or higher compression ratio. When the "smog era" started in about 1972, the compression ratios of engines dropped down to about 8:1, and run fine on regular gas. These days the computerized engine management systems can adjust the timing on the fly even on high-compression engines so that you don't get "pinging" (detonation) with regular gas, but you'll also get reduced performance, because the altered timing isn't ideal for best performance. The only thing the octane rating indicates is how resistant the gasoline is to compression-induced detonation, i.e., higher octane gasoline can be compressed more before spontaneously igniting. You want the spark from your spark plugs to ignite the gasoline/air mixture, not the compression. If it's being ignited by compression then it's happening prematurely, which reduces performance, can cause damage over time, and makes a "pinging" sound.
If your compression is that high and your timing is so far advanced 91 octane will not cut it, you need aviation gas, have fun at the pump at your airport.
MaximRecoil, I could not agree more. I have three new vehicles, all with recommendations for 91 or higher octane. Two run just fine on regular gas but one, a Lincoln Navigator runs sluggish and gets worse gas mileage on regular. Of course it also depends on where you get your gas. But, I have a 1969 Pontiac Bonneville convertible with a 428 cubic inch 4-barrel which doesn't self-tune and it knocks and pings like crazy on regular and takes a couple of tanks of premium to get it to stop.
a car engine requires a certain "octane rating" to reform efficiently. High performance, naturally aspirated enginges require "high octane" to avoid self-destruction. Newer computer controlled cars can detect "knock" (destructive pre-ignition), and alter the engines timing advance to stop the pre-ignition. Horsepower and efficiency are lost. Also "lead additives" were introduced to minimize metal-to-metal wear; valve seats and stems. "High octane" gas normally costs noticeably more.
I would not put lower octane gas then what the manufacturer recommends however I agree that adding higher octane to a car that doesn't need it won't make much of a difference at all
They also leave out the fact that simply switching the gas and running the test isn't enough. The computer doesn't just automatically adjust to the premium gas.
6:35 Is this guy seriously giving car advice to others when he says "Regular, always"? That's completely false. It depends on the engine. The difference between regular and premium is the octane level. The more octane, the harder it is for fuel to detonate (higher octane can withstand higher compression rates). Higher compression allows the engine to get more energy out of a single droplet of fuel. That's where the notion of premium is better for fuel economy and engine power comes from. But if the engine isn't designed to compress at those high rates, there's no benefit in using premium. Here's how you decide whether to use premium or regular, and it's free. The car manual. Automakers will tell you the type of fuel their vehicles need. They will not lie to you. Why? Because they get no financial benefit from you using either fuel type. Hope this helps.
I doubt most people that own cars which require premium fuel aren't sitting around watching CBC. Don't burn the same kind of gas a Toyota Prius uses if you drive a Koenigsegg.
8:16 he said he would use premium in race track or something. but regular for drive around. That is the point. Only when high rev, premium can do earlier ignition angle than the regular fuel without engine knocking, which give you more power. Actually, I know a lot of racer using E85 for more power, since the octane rating is 105. You won't reach that high rev when daily drive.
kauigirl808 Sorry for the late reply. The statement you made is false. Modern cars are actually lasting significantly longer. Studies done by data companies, presented by CNET on Cars, have shown that the average car age is 11 years.
Ze Jin Up until this point , engines didn't have the ability to vary its compression ratio (Infiniti just unveiled new technology to enable the engine to have different compression ratios). Putting premium in a car that doesn't need it is pointless and has no benefit. Your friend is most likely experiencing the placebo effect. He/she thinks they're getting more performance because they're using more expensive gas. It's not true.
was in a hit-and-run car accident 2 yrs ago so to give me a chance to type. I'm now just learning how to talk... sorry. The Florida pool pump motor bearing repair guy approved ! that was good info
i tested full tank of each gas, it was about the same, i paid less for reg, but got better miles with premium, since the same dollar for miles i get premium. you do the test,
Whatever the owners manual says in regard to fuel grade and oil grade along with oil change intervals are the holy grail for that vehicle, and the key to minimizing engine wear for long engine life.
Agree on gas. Oil change interval recommendations are too short. I use amsoil synthetic and change oil every 25,000 miles or 1 year. 287k on the engine and still gets 37mpg.
@@fknmonty I'm pretty passionate about this topic because we have all been mislead by the status quo. I've done a 3rd party oil analysis through Blackstone Laboratories at 25k and the oil was "Good for continued use." Hard facts and number there. Amsoil recommends 25k for their signature series oil for "normal service," though most of their filter are 15k. Amsoil has also done fleet testing on Las Vegas taxi cabs with these extended drain intervals with great outcomes.
@@7joshallen7 what kinds of vehicles where used in the study. If their n/a small engines it makes sense. But if they're not n/a or bigger engines you just can't do that.
These guys don't know anything about fuel.... octane rating is the RESISTANCE to DETONATION... 87 octane is the lowest which means it has the least amount of resistance to detonation, 91 is a higher octane which means it was a higher resistance to detonation from 87, 93 octane is a higher octane which means it has a higher resistance to detonation from 91.... a normal everyday car, NO performance, NO high compression, just your everyday car (toyota corolla, honda accord, ford escort, chevy lumina, etc) will do just fine on 87 octane... a higher performance car like a V8 Mustang, corvette, V8 camaro with larger motors with higher HP and high compression need slightly higher octane fuel like 91 octane... a highly modified car with a TURBOcharger or Supercharger or Nitrous require high octane like 93 or higher when under BOOST or when injecting the nitrous when under wide open throttle... When these motors or cars are NOT under boost or under nitrous injection, they can run 87 octane just fine like every other normal car, but when under boost or nitrous, THEN you need the high octane... A turbocharger or supercharger force extra air into the motor which increases combustion temperature which increases the chance of DETONATION or pre-ignition of the air/fuel mixture... This is why higher octane is needed under these circumstances... either that or seriously have to re-tard timing to compensate... Don't use what is recommended because these manufactorers are in the pockets with the oil companies... BASIC CAR USE 87, HIGHER PERFORMACE CAR 91, TURBO / SUPERCHARGER / NITROUS.. USE 93 OR HIGHER
Nick Pol: and its worse in the hot summer time... when its 95F outside and your sitting in heavy traffic and your engine is running hotter than normal, your a/c in on... Your heat soaking that motor... That extra heat causes mild detonation... None of which will hurt your motor because its just idle ...
You Tube Thank you for pointing this out was starting to think I was crazy. I drive a car with a turbo and switched to 89 octane because of a money crunch, didn't take long to realize I actually get way better milage using 93 than 89 and save money using what's recommend for my car.
My first Audi I own said to put 91 in . So my first time filling it up I put 91 in, ran great, smooth , etc. My wife later on in the week took the car and had to put gas in it. The following morning I took the car out and I noticed the car acting kind of sluggish just didn't feel the same at all. I had asked my wife questions and then asked her about the gas and she had put in 87 regular. So next time around filled it up with 91 and YEP what a freakin difference ! Back to normal ! Powerful no sluggish feel nothing. I respect what these people are trying to do but all in all it really does matter what you put in your car.
A lot of people have said it above, but octane rating is about resistance to combustion under compression. So with a turbo in your 1.8T (maybe 2.0T if you're a newish Audi fan) you need that extra resistance to premature "lighting of the gas". The 87 was igniting before your piston had squished it down fully, so was causing engine knock (basically, unproductive or counterproductive burning of fuel within its cylinder). Vorsprung durch Technik!
Did you watch the video. It said to put in what the manufacturer recommends!!!! In your car you said it recommends 91. Most cars don't need anything higher than 87.
I have a new Subaru Crosstrek and I was somewhat disappointed with the acceleration. I considered selling the car with only 2k on it until I filled the tank with premium. I noticed a huge difference in how it shifts and accelerates.
No cars.....How about a bicycle? In my country, there's more bikes than people, and many people (including me and my husband) use their bikes to go to work. over 95% of schoolgoing children and even university students use bikes to get to school/uni.
Julie It depends on the country. When I lived in Madrid, absolutely, we would walk or use public transportation for everything. Had a nice car that we would never use for anything besides getting groceries (only once a week). Now I live in Canada and having a car is a MUST. The city is spread over hundreds of kilometers. Though it takes me only 5 minutes to get to my local supermarket by car, it would take 20 minutes by bike, and I wouldn't be able to carry all my groceries for the week. It's actually less energy efficient.
Thanks for your input, Dennis, but I do believe your logic with regard to grocery shopping is flawed. You cán do your groceries if it's only 20 minutes by bike. That simply is better for the environment ánd saves you time in the gym. There are plenty of ways to be able to transport sufficient amounts. That said, Canada is one of those countries lacking sufficient infrastructure for bikes, as well as have an undesirable organisation of resources within cities (convenience stores vs. actual proper shops, focus on car infrastructure, etc.). We do our groceries once a week as well, by bike, and even the other shopping in the city across the river from our village. Most people do that here, though the elderly tend to use e-bikes nowadays. Obesity rates are linked to high car usage and food waste, which both are detrimental for the environment.
they claim no discernable difference but then at 8:20 he says "if I were to go to a race track I would put premium". That's after him claiming there is no difference between premium and regular.
Jake Guerra he said he puts regular in his vette to drive around town but if he went to a track then he’d put premium in it. I’ll just run premium all the time 👌🏻
I would be interested to know how ethanol containing gasoline effects mileage and power. In the USA, most fuels contain a percentage of ethanol, which is known to be destructive to rubbers and other materials, and causes fuels to be hygroscopic (absorb moisture), which personally has caused the steel uncoated interior of my ZX-1100 motorcycle to corrode. The only fuel NOT containing ethanol are certain advertised premium grades, which I only run to avoid the ethanol. Marketplace: please investigate ethanol in fuel. BTW, as others have mentioned, asking almost high school graduate fuel attendants their opinion is poor form since they are hardly credentialed experts.
The best thing to do is get the ethanol out of gasoline, yes I know the farmers who get subsidies from the government are going to hate me but your wallet and engine will be lot happier with better performance.
Agreed hell i believe non ethanol get Better mpg tham ethanol gas.. plus ethanol does not have long shelf life. Then when u have it sit in a tank of a car not driven regularly it will leave moisture in tank.Ever look in a tank that has sit with ethanol in it for a long periods..omg
@@brianwinter1453 Absolutely correct! Ethanol blended gasoline can undergo phase separation if it sits for too long, resulting in a fuel that is lower in octane than originally blended. Enough of the enviro hippies and enviro police!
I did a test of premium vs regular to see if I got better mileage with premium. I got better mileage with premium. I recorded how many miles I got for six tank-fulls of each type of gas. The premium gas gave me 107 percent of the mileage I got with the regular gas.
I noticed a big difference with fuel consumption when I tried both 87 and 89 octane on a new Toyota Corolla I rented recently while exploring different places in BC. With the regular 87 octane gas, my fuel tank went from full to empty really fast unlike with 89 octane which lasted a lot longer.
+dregsta its pretty much the same. its because canada uses a different standard to USA, and Europe does in Europe etc (where we use metric as well I might add LOL) We use RON Research Octane Number (RON). RON is determined by running the fuel in a test engine with a variable compression ratio under controlled conditions, and comparing the results with those for mixtures of iso-octane and n-heptane. in canadia they use MON Motor Octane Number (MON), is determined at 900 rpm engine speed instead of the 600 rpm for RON.[1] MON testing uses a similar test engine to that used in RON testing, but with a preheated fuel mixture, higher engine speed, and variable ignition timing to further stress the fuel's knock resistance. Depending on the composition of the fuel, the MON of a modern pump gasoline will be about 8 to 12 octane lower than the RON, but there is no direct link between RON and MON. Pump gasoline specifications typically require both a minimum RON and a minimum MON in America they now use the AKI index Anti-Knock Index (AKI), and often written on pumps as (R+M)/2). It may also sometimes be called the Posted Octane Number (PON). In the end the fuels remain about the same Vs other countries and their respective numbers. Supreme in Canadia is the same as 98 octane in Europe and 91 in US of A Side note. Canadia is about to shift to the AKI index as well.... Sigh lets all just get along and use Metric system and the RON. world peace achieved!
+jack black Canada isn't "just about to shift to the AKI as well". It has been using AKI (RON+MON/2) for many years. Certainly as long as I have been driving and that is 39 years.
Surprise - the 1.4L Turbo in the Cruze actually DOES see a gas mileage increase when operating in the hot summer months where heat can cause knock to occur, meaning an occasional premium top-up isn't a bad idea.
Cruzes (turbo) run better on premium and also has a popular tune that requires it. So yeah, the cruze I used to own is the only vehicle I ever regularly bought premium for.
+Alan Fox scientists found out that octane ( 8 carbons chain) has the highest compression pressure before it spontaneously ignite; as the result, car with smaller chamber volume can get the same power as bigger engine if the smaller engine has a higher compression pressure. So if the engine ( normal in high performance car such as infinity, lexus, bmw.....) has high compression ratio, it needs high octane gas to prevent premature ignition. Putting high octan gas in a regular engine , let's say a chevy cruze in this video, will not do anything. However, if you put a lower octane gas in high performance engine will cause pre-mature ignition and causes knocking. do some research about it and you will see.
Unless you're testing your truck with professional equipment in a controlled setting, the improvements you think you're seeing are just placebo effects. You can disregard my entire comment if you have a F150 with one of their Ecoboost motors.
Darn it, I can FEEL the extra power when I accelerate on premium. Engine does not need to revv high when I am passing someone on the interstate. So yes, I like premium and I will keep using premium.
Donald Sanchez in the UK our standard fuel is 95oct our premium is 99, I ride bikes I noticed a difference between the 2 it was very slight though just me though
My manual tells me to fart in my gas tank and I've notice my mileage has improve. But it also depends on what u eat. Sushi = 87oct fast foods = 89oct Mexican foods = 91oct.
Why does the “expert” say there is no reason to use premium. Then 4 seconds later says “if I were to take my car to the race track I would use premium” there has to be some type of benefit then??
Some cars ''recommend'' premium fuel for the best blend of performance/fuel efficiency but you can use regular fuel. The engine will adapt to the regular fuel, but you will get less performance/fuel economy. A car the ''requires'' premium fuel must use high octane. Should one use regular fuel in a car that requires premium, the engine can/may suffer costly repairs. What Mark is saying for his Corvette, is he uses regular gas for day to day driving, but would put premium is he took his car to a race track. Hope this helps.
z lariviere20 YOU have owned. It's different for people all around the world that can only afford mid sized sedans and smaller cars with not much power! It's just like I'm saying "20% of the world speaks Chinese" and you're saying "90% of Americans speak English"
yes i did say "i have owned" so i did make that clear so why are you pointing out the obvious. i simply made a meaningless comment about my personal experience with cars i have owned and nothing else so your response really makes no sense without injecting words into my comment that simply aren;t there or even implied
I raced dirt bikes for years. 85cc 2 stroke, and 250cc 2 stroke. Never ran 87, (bad experience with it). But mostly 93 and on race day 105 i believe it was. Anyway, you could really tell the difference. lil more pep out of the good stuff, and smells better :)
This is also why some road racing 2 strokes (the higher compression ones) run on avgas (aeroplane petrol) available from your local airport. They simply won't run on low octane, if you do you could hole the piston.
I have been using Premium Gas since day 1 in my 2013 Toyota Sienna and with current mileage of over 248K, my van still runs like brand new. I have never spent money on buying fuel cleaning additives and each time my vehicle gets ignition service, the technicians always say that my spark plugs were not very dirty as they were expecting them to the level of dirty based on vehicle age and mileage. So far I have only changed Spark Plugs once. With over 11 years on road, my vehicle has never given me any issues due to gasoline but I have tested regular grade gasoline 4 times and yes my accelerator tells me the difference. The vehicle has slow pick up and I put more pressure on the accelerator when using regular gasoline. I put only Premium Gasoline in all of my vehicles and they run brand new regardless of their age, size and mileage. I don’t think I will agree to this video for negating premium gasoline.
The problem with this video is the type of vehicle they are testing. I can tell right away in the performance of my Audi, Porsche or Toyota when I put the cheaper gas. It is sluggish, shakes and knocks. If the vehicle does not require 91 gas than you will not see a difference, however if the vehicle requires it; that is a different story.
+rocker85675 not true. With my old accord premium made a difference in performance and fuel efficiency. I track my fuel usage with fuelley. The required fuel from Honda was 86.
They should not have used the chevy cruze it has flex fuel IE: the onboard computer actually adjusts the injectors depending on what type of fuel is being used.
Yeah, those cars are higher compression. They need it or the fuel will ignite before TDC. Also, Flex Fuel won't make a difference. ANY car will efficiently run gas with a higher than recommended octane rating.
My car takes premium gas, I experimented with putting in a lower grade gas, and I actually felt a significant decrease in power as well as a louder engine. Gas mileage was slightly less than with premium. My take is it honestly depends on the car because my brothers Hyundai turbo says it needs premium but he's been putting in regular for the 5 years he's had it now and nothing has changed, performance, loudness and mileage all stayed the same
I haven't noticed any difference in my performance as a runner - as I have been eating the EXACT same foods - for the past 5 years .... ( why would I expect a change? ) ... but yet - why does it sound silly when I say it - but NOT - when you state. ... ( haven't noticed any difference in performance since ( he has not ) changed any type of fuel he has been using in his car - since he first got it )
@@tsvandyke you’re comparing biology and machine? Um .. every car and human body requires different things. People change their diets and their cars. Especially the human body changes with time so many make adjustments. It’s your subjective opinion what works for you as it is for anyone else. It’s a terrible argument that you’re comparing your damn diet to fuel intake lol
I did the same and noticed similar. I had an older but decent car, I remember experimenting and seeing no difference. Then I got a different car, did regular for years until price kept going up and I was driving more. Someone mentioned premium helps mileage and I started it. Next thing I knew, I was filling up half the time.. my cars mileage isn’t great but that did help. I also feel city traffic vs. highway traffic makes a difference. Some are very passionate over this and from what most mechanics say, it doesn’t do the harm people say it does. I don’t think it’s worth people screaming over what they feel is better for the engine when people who have spent decades in shops stand by that unless you’re driving a nicer model, it won’t harm the car.
4:45 switching from regular to premium gas - takes time for the engine to advance the timing. The engine wont advance the timing until it sees less knock for enough time. Also, need an engine with a high enough compression ratio. Using premium makes a small difference in improving power and mpg but costs a lot more than regular in some cars. In my V8 4Runner, 93 octane might get 14 mpg vs 13 mpg with regular but costs about $0.60 to $1 more per gallon. So, a 5% increase in mpg for about 30% more cost. Using regular gas in a performance car will require the knock sensors to work more.
octane level is a rating given to fuels for their ignition temperature. a fuel with a lower ignition temperature will be given a lower rating. high temperature race engines or performance turbo applications produce a lot of horsepower or heat. Having a fuel that ignites at a lower temperature could be dangerous in those kind of environments. Because it might not burn when the spark plug ignites but maybe when the intake valve is still open (causing damage). but in normal naturally aspirated commuter cars, 87 or lower is A OK. :D side note. putting a higher octane fuel in a car that recommends 87 could cause the engine to over work the ignition system trying to burn gas that takes a higher tamp to burn, causing sub optimal performance or degradation to the ignition system components. during these changes the engine could run rich or miss fire all together. (in extreme theoretical cases.)
+Tony Samson The only relation I can think of is two things. E85 burns cooler which I don't think he knows and higher cylinder pressure can create hotter temps. Never have I heard this one before though.
13:33 for the regular they show HC ppm, but for the v-power they dont show it.... seems tad sketch aaaaaand 5:39, on the premium it shows 13 more distance than the regular.....
Very true and at 7:30 Mark Whintons stops on the left screen when he says stop but on the right screen when he SAYS stop he is still traveling at high way speed yet gets 2/10ths better improvement and then says there is no difference ... and he is a superior court witness? Good call Ravens4life
MrNotorius5500 Of course, very lucrative business for a scamming indian. Some have even been caught putting water instead of gasoline in the big main holding tank
+EndlessFunctionality yeah, everyone wants water in the bottom of their tank! water sinks to the bottom you silly fuck, the tanks are dipped twice a day and the results are logged, if there is an unacceptable amount of water in the tank the supplier will not deliver !! the gas is delivered on credit and not paid for in full at time of delivery !
Octane is the flash point. Lower octane has a lower flash point. If you burn 87 in a high compression motor it will actually detonate earlier from the heat created during the compression stroke.
It's the CBC, take everything they say with a grain of salt. My wife drives a Cadillac SRX. Only takes 91 or higher octane. Anything lower and the check engine comes on...
Jim Bob you say that but I have seen different. Might have been because it was a lower compression engine, but it happened in that car, counterintuitive as it sounds
I used to keep close tabs on these numbers in my vehicle. After substantial records. I determined that using premium compared to regular got me an extra 20 to 30 miles per tank. Since I don't like going to the gas station, I opted to pay the extra few dollars a tank to get that extra 20 to 30 miles. I trade the extra few dollars for my time. I always reset my trip odometer at the filling station, and keep an eye on my consumption. I don't keep records anymore, but I notice the difference in mileage per tank. This video did not change my mind. Using premium still gets me more miles between fill-ups.
My 2014 Mercedes-Benz C250 1.8 liter 4 cylinder turbo and my 2018 Mercedes-Benz C300 2.0 liter 4 cylinder turbo both specifically require 91 octane Premium gasoline according to the owner’s manual. The MB factory warns that filling up with anything less than 91 octane will result in damage to the engine by detonation and will void the new car warranty! Use the correct grade of gasoline according to the manufacturer’s requirements!
***** the corvette guy prob. noticed the semi truck that delivers the fuel to gas stations and noticed there isnt 3 trucks,not 3 tanks? lol,idots dont realize the gas is the same and its up to the driver of the truck to add the octane to each tank,and my friend who was 1 of these drivers told me he never added anything.lol only true idiots would fall for this scam
***** first off the show is based in canada and im american so i cant speak for the diff. that may apply,but.....you do know that about 98% of bottled water you buy is nothing but tap water put in a bottle right? you do realize that when something thats marked as organic means 1 thing and 1 thing only,it was grown from dirt? it in no way implies its natural,no more than a bottle of water marked with some fancy french name.you do realize that what you said as an answer is that you "trust" the gas companies to add octane to fuel,be it added at a refinery or at the station,is just dumb? sure,just trust the insurance companys to rate the safety of a car too,lol.you know why the original hummer was discontinued by g.m.? because it would cost to much to meet the insurance companys safety standards LOL!!. the hummer was an armored truck,bullet proof,same as the military used.but.....,it didnt have an airbag LOL! when a company is out to make a profit,they do so by feeding off idiots like the woman driving the honda in this video,and she then blames the companys for her pure stupid? lol
+Atticaz I know a ECU tuner, he shared some of his findings. He had a Seat Leon Cupra 2,0 TFSI in the shop, the owner had 95 octane in the tank (EU rating) The first measurement was 213 HP (it's rated at 240 HP). He sent the customer home again, to return after running it empty and filling with 98 octane a few times. New measurement with 98 in the tank and stock ECU = 251 HP. That's a difference you can feel, i hate that this clip nearly didn't talk about this. Small turbocharged engines are getting more and more common.
17:00 This made me cringe. The interviewer gave him a hard time but the vice president explained well. Octane is an anti-knock rating. Cars that recommends higher octane typically has higher compression. Higher compression creates more heat and higher octane fuels are better at not igniting itself. Yes cars can change timing to prevent knocking but this should be looked as a extra layer of protection than a feature to save you money. For some cars, your engine will still knock even with changed timing. Which causes damage and could void warranty. There's a reason your car fuel cap or manual recommends a certain fuel, its so your car can be at its normal tune. And with the "myth" about fuel cleaning your engine, there are some stations that has better detergents than others. Some premium gas may have more additives than regular. The additives shouldn't be noticeable straight away, instead it should help your engine being cleaner in the long run. And how much improvement it could do entirely depends on the station and/or fuel you choose. So in conclusion, do your homework and figure out what your car recommends then stick to it. Unless if you really want to spend extra if you know that your getting more additives, which I don't think its worth. Its better to go buy additives from like STP and pour it with your fuel occasionally.
Really my vehicle is turbo charged hence not high compression runs best on higher octane or should i say produces more bhp on 99 octane,normal petrol is95 ron in the uk not that weak piss over in the US
I've had my 2010 mercedes e 350 for 3 years the first 6 month's of ownership I used premium but then I started using regular till this day I've had zero problems outta my engine no knocks, no pings, nothing car drives fine with no problems if you clean your fuel system from time to time you won't get those problems period
If your car starts knocking and was build this century your car is defective and needs a new knock sensor. Your ecu will regulate the ignition to always stay below detonation limits. It will trade some power and efficienty in order to prevent engine damage, always. Any car will run perfectly on any fuel thats for sale. If higher octane gas is recomended in the mamual your car will only give listed maximum output with that fuel. But if you are just driving around town or on the highway you don't need the extra performance. Unless you are towing something or are a street racer you don't need the premium.
Every performance car I had always required premium and when I traveled in states w/ gas stations that had only regular available, I felt like I was driving a Toyota Corolla with no performance during that time instead of my car that performed quick and responsive on premium. Read what it says on your gas lid and put that kind of gas in your car that it says, pretty simple!
I use 94 octane in my lawnmower and snowblower never had an issue for starting. Used it for year's of course I use a stabilizer to keep gas for a while.
That test doesn’t do anything it’s gonna require the same amount of force to turn the wheels no matter what gas you put in it. If they’d ran the test till it was empty with both and then compared the time it would be legit
You should simply use what is recommended, end of story. Most cars run regular, so put regular in it if that's what your user manual says. It all comes down to ignition timing, some cars can take advantage of more spark advance and make more power or more efficient power (and these cars will recommend premium).
Also, at 13:46 the display shows regular fuel with 7 ppm hydrocarbons (and 6 at 13:38), but when they get into the premium fuel they don't display what the ppm is, just a random display with dyno numbers. Not that premium burns cleaner (that's not it's goal; it has more detergents for engine cleaning and a higher octane rating), but there's no reason to be misleading about it. Why not tell us what the numbers are?
+Engineering Explained They sell fear mongering not actual facts. If your car recommends premium fuel USE IT. It requires it for a reason.
+Engineering Explained and see the co2 nunbers ;) they are different too.
most car require regular, premium rarely is required is normally sugested not required ;) that's diferente
TheGrundig81 no, in most if not all high performance engines, save for some direct injection engines high octane or premium fuel is REQUIRED. No iffs ands or buts
User Name To be fair, there's almost always ifs ands and buts. Manufacturers aren't going to pump out cars that break when you use the wrong octane gas. Some people will use regular regardless (and sometimes, though rare, it may be all that's available). Engineers account for this, so when you use a lower octane fuel the ECU retards the timing so you don't have to worry about knock. Now I'm referring to production cars, and you certainly shouldn't drive it like you stole it on lower octane, but generally it will not cause problems. Kit blocks built for performance will generally be tuned for a very specific fuel, and you'll have to alter that tuning if you decide to cheap out.
Engineering Explained I disagree. I worked for a dealership group for several years while in college. We got performance models of various sorts in all the time with torched pistons, rings, valves, etc. Vast majority of the time we would send the fuel out and it was 87 octane. We would finish up with a nice stamp on the customers 8 month old car work order that said claim denied.
The only outlier was Subaru. We would get the occasional turbo model that would blow ringlands.
Premium is high octane gas for use in high compression engines to prevent knocking. My BMW has an 11.5 to 1 compression ratio and runs poorly on regular.
My infinti runs like a mfker on pem and runs even better on reg I can hit 160 quick
and that dash will let you know right away
Windston you are 100 percent correct
I think you just use what's recommended in your owners manual for warranty purposes. Don't pay for higher grade unnecessarily.
Mark will have us all with blown engines. Don’t listen to “mark” (who looks like he’s from street fighter) listen to your Manuel
They should have done this with a car that requires premium too. Then they would see why it exists.
+symawd they are doing this for the vast majority of people who do not own a car that requires premium. The point of this video is to show that the cars that just about everyone drives on their daily commute do not need the premium gas and that they are spending extra money that is not required.
kseifful But they make it seem like every car should be using regular. That is not the case. They should have shown the tests both ways. My daily driver recommends premium.
+symawd I think you're missing the point of this video Symawd. They're primarily focusing on cars that require regular fuel and how in some places they recommend putting higher octane gas in cars that won't benefit from it. In cars that require higher octane, it needs higher octane. A car that recommends regular won't benefit. That's the main focus of this, mainly people being ignorant about what they should buy.
+kseifful My 2014 Maxima only gets 91 it will never see 87. Actually I tried 87 my car ran Horrible.
Dan P I think you should Do some research before Commenting Stupid Shit. 2014 Nissan maxima engine raito is VQ35DE, Bore 95.5mm, Stroke 81.4mm, Rod Length 144.2mm, Compression Ratio 8.5:1 It even says in the Car Gas cap use premium gasoline
Simple test: put 87 octane in your car and drive it a LITTLE bit harder than you normally would. If the engine feels sluggish or "sleepy" you have to use 89 or higher even if the fuel cap door says you can use 87. My VW fuel door says I can use 87 but I never do that. Last time I tried it, the car snored and refused to move normally. I got passed by 10 year old family sedans on the highway. Waited until it was half empty and topped it off with 93. Everything was back to normal!
Asking the guy who pumps your gas to go into the science of gas is like asking the trash man for medical advice.
lol, noteworthy
really?lol
professing themselves to be wise they became fools.
All of you still come from another planet . . . Since all of you think your so smart why don't you determine how 8 grams of thorium may power a car for 100 yrs? That would be noteworthy and do it for free so we can all have free energy to fight the slave masters, yes?
Do you mean to tell me there are no science majors out there, gosh, this is pitiful. We are in the middle of an ideological war.
In a nutshell, Premium gas simply has a higher octane rating than Regular.
Higher octane rating means better detonation resistance, which is useful for engines which have high compression ratios (more than, say, 10:1) or are equipped with turbos or superchargers.
If you drive a 'normal' car, regardless of its price, you're probably fine with Regular.
Most of the world is so ignorant to this information it drives me crazy lol
THANK YOU!! I have tried to explain this to people, hence why diesel has an octane of 40 because compression detonates it. Using high octane fuel in a regular vehicle can also create incomplete burn and damage O2 sensors and catalytic converters.
BasementEngineer I use 91 here in California
That's exactly what it is... For cars that are used regular fuel, stay with regular fuel. For your wallet and the environment.
This sums up this entire video. I wish more people understood this concept.
Man people need to educate themselves. High Octane fuel is not for better gas mileage or "cleaner fuel". The higher the compression in the engine, the higher octane needed so detonation will not occur with the low grade and ruin your engine. High compression = higher octane.
Look in your manual to see what octane it was designed to use.
yeah it's amazing how many people don't bother to understand how things work.. news reports like this just confuse them further. some engines are designed for premium, typical commuter cars run regular. just run the gas the car is designed for and leave it at that.
finally the first person who knows something. Octane is simply the resistance to detonation.
+TheTomahawkninja Well said.
+Tony Samson The only 100 octane around here is 100LL Avgas.
+DoubleRRHonda lol I'm around 100LL all day every day
The way Yoga teacher potrayed herself she shouldn't own a fuel car.
yoga teacher probly gonna go buy a tesla, then cry about the erratic weather patterns, lol... we all know by now mining lithium requires mowing down entire mountain ranges, which is where weather is made😉 thats 5th grade earth science...
@@woodworksparadise6036 she don't need cars she needs bicycle. Its good for both the environment and also her physical health. Or use public transport.
@@humayunkabir5837 Who Cares About The Environment
She Should Get An Electric Car
@@humayunkabir5837 Bicycles Are Trash And Useless
High compression performance engines need higher octane. Higher octane prevents pre-detonation, keeps the mixture from just exploding under higher compression advanced timing. The man with the Corvette, yes engine management will allow for use of regular gas by retarding the timing and changing the fuel timing and rail pressure but the performance also went out the window because the engine is de-tuned. The econo-box used in the test does not need it, in fact a normal V8 Mustang does not need premium, try to get performance from a Mustang GT500KR on regular though.
in 1972 I had a 1956 Chevy that I was real proud of, engine started off a 327 CID small block Chevy, with Corvette heads, bore increased 0.060", TRW popup pistons @ 11.5:1 compression ratio, don't remember the grind (lift, duration and overlap) of the cam but she idled at 1100 RPM sounding like 400 RPM. She would have PUKED on what they call premium now, but the common car on the road today (not hot rods or performance cars) have no use for high octane gas.
Eldor Luedtke It's worth mentioning that a lot of "econo-box" cars these days have turbo charged eco options. Those need higher octane fuel to appreciate the fuel efficiency benefits of said lower displacement turbo engines. It often makes me wonder if the fuel economy improvements are worth the increase in fuel price.
Eldor Luedtke What did the 'Corvette' guy say? He said for 'regular driving' regular is fine'...and I assume he upgrades to a higher octane for racing on a track. (as you know, the 'Vette' has different driver-controlled settings for engine performance, so obviously under 'max power' settings, he'd use a 'hotter' fuel)
MrGencyExit64 Eccono-box cars do not, once the turbo goes on that insult goes. I remember a turbo four in a Mustang that beat stock 302 for that year.
Eldor Luedtke Not when the turbo is only there because the engine is so pathetic without it. Going back to Ford as an example, they manufacture a 1L 3-cylinder turbo charged Fiesta. That's about as econo-box as you can get :P
Gerry Nightingale Yes, and performance was lost, my point. Premium gas is not hotter, it resist pre detonation better. Regular gas has as much energy as premium but would explode making that ping or clatter in high compression high performance engines.
Check your car's manual (or inside your gas door) if it says:
Regular = Premium NOT needed
Premium Recommended = Premium NOT needed
Premium Only = Premium needed
Even in premium recommended cars, lower octane gas will have the engine pull timing, and fuel economy and performance will drop.
Exactly my Lexus recommends 91 octane or higher but you can use regular if absolutely needed but not recommended. I’ve ran my car on regular and it ran horrible. It’s not good for your knock sensors to run regular if your car recommends premium as the pistons won’t burn all of the fuel that is being injected!!
I don’t know why I’m watching this video. I drive a diesel full size truck.
Higher octane is made for higher compression engines. These engines also knock sensors to compensate for poorer gas. You don't need premium gas on most daily drivers. If you put regular gas into a high compression high output engine it will have less performance. Basically high octane self ignites at a high compression. I hope this helps.
Mine says 87 or higher so I’m not really sure if using the premium would give my car a good cleaning
I put premium electricity in my Tesla. When I used regular I saw a lot more lightning bolts
😂🤣🤣🤣
We get it, you have a Tesla. You a vegan, too? Anything else you wanna brag about while you're at it?
Your revolting!
@Robert Marshall brah
That was funny
I had a 1993, a 2001, and a 2006 Ford Taurus. Those cars would ping like crazy on the highway if I didn't use premium. Except for the Fords, and having had more than 20 cars in my lifetime, I always used regular gas. Don't get me wrong, those Fords were some of the most reliable cars that I've ever owned.
What did the owners manual specify? If it specified low grade and you had to use high grade the car had a problem you should have fixed.
ford taurus v8... the sleeper car. its fast but it looks like a soccer mom car. i have to agree with you on this side. some car do required premium gas. not all cars is the same. it depend on the ecu and the compression of the piston i believe. i have experience of witness, friends car that required 91 and put in 87, it would ping specially on a hotter days. ecu, normally would change its timing to reduce its pinging if the knock sensor detect it. thats how people feel its losing performance since the timing either retard or advance to protect the engine from ping. this show didnt even bother poping its gas cap to show what rating of octane its required.
cars that required 91 can used the middle 89 one and be fine.
@BlueRice a v8 taurus was an SHO and would have required premium of a certain octane that engine was special built as the "performance " engine for them. It was a special built motor for Ford by Yamaha
READ YOUR OWNERS MANUAL!!! Whatever the manufacturer recommends is what you should go with.
DarkKnight500 Correct!!!
DarkKnight500. Some cars recommend regular....but high test, higher octane will help keep your fuel injectors clean...:-). Doesn't hurt to load up every now and then...:-)
@@DebbieTomkoSUNSHINE No!!!
Yeah but they might be lying too and telling u to put super clean gas in when obviously its messing with the environment from burning pieces of gas coming out of the gas pipe. Do not read the manual. Go get a professional person to do a test on the car and see what u need. Simple
@@DebbieTomkoSUNSHINE this couldn't be any more wrong, have fun with a blown motor.
The octane requirement of an engine has mostly to do with the compression ratio of engine. It's not going to help to put higher octane in than necessary. It will harm an engine with higher compression to put not enough octane in.
Pre detonation knocking
now that is the right answer.
@Justin But a necessity in some cars like a Honda Civic Si unless you go very easy on the go pedal.
@@marcryvon What does your OWNER’S MANUAL say?
I know from personal experience that my vehicle runs better (quicker acceleration, improved performance, improved mspg by 5 miles) since I switched to premium gas two years ago. Two years is a better test than a 10 minute one. Regular is the manufacturer's recommended fuel for my vehicle.
Here's the answer, put in the gas which octane number is suggested from your automobile manufacturer. Nothing more, nothing less.
+Doug Vandegrift exactly, its about the octane rating for knock prevention. At least here in the US there are standards to adhere to for consumer fuels.
+Doug Vandegrift no no no... If you engine is not built for performance than you do not need to put a higher octane fuel in it. Even if it says to put a higher octane in. The more air to fuel ratio (say a turbo / supercharger) than yes you should put in a higher octane because then engine will be under more load and it will cause less wear on the motor (Higher octane = cleaner burn). But if you're engine is naturally aspirated, more than likley you will not need a higher octane. Of course there are some exceptions for some vehicles.
Higher octane =cleaner burn? You can't be serious. I think it's time to mute this post.
***** You've obviously never read up on octanes. Hahahahaha
Justin Dahl I'm just saying you should always put in what your car's manual specifies. I have a Mustang GT and it recommends 88 octane or higher but to not go any lower even in higher altitudes. It also specifies that there's no need to put in higher octane as this will not increase efficiency or performance. Yes I agree most vehicles only need lowest unleaded gas and no plus or premium but the manual will specify as such. Putting in premium every now and again really doesn't add any benefit. In short know your octane number and stick close to it.
If you're concerned about your engine being"dirty," just make sure you do an oil change regularly.
That's a common misconception about fuel octane levels. High octane (basically 97 onwards) burns more evenly, meaning that you get a more even combustion in each cylinder, making your car accelerate smoother, and runs more efficiently.
@@jonathanjoestar__ only if your car actually can use it tho, so if it says "reccomended regular" then higher wont do anything
No once a year! Read your manual hunny. Maker of car say so!
@@miahstalings8572 once a year sure, if you drive your car once a week... the more you use your car, the dirtier the oil gets. So this one year rule of yours won't work for everyone, just change it on the recommended mileage number's. Or just take the extra 30 seconds and check the oil yourself and judge when to change it. It's not that hard to tell if oil is bad, so everyone can do this.
Not only oil...make sure that your fuel injectors are clean also :)
"Why are they selling a type of gas that we don't need?". It's because high performance cars exist.
not to mention every motorcycle ive rode takes 90+ octane fuel...
He didn't ask why it was made available for sale, he asked why it was being "sold"(marketed) to people who don't need it, people who need something else.
@@skoronesa1 free choice, waste money if you wanna but I need high octane, they don't
+CareyJ714 I am ok with people intentionally wasting their money, it's their money. I am not ok with lying to people to get them to waste their money.
@@skoronesa1 true, but some vehicles, like my own, do require high octane gas, in Germany all of their gas is 90 and up, so it makes sense that their engines are built for it
Higher octane is for high compression engines it’s prevents knocking
yeah and what about diesels? I know premium diesels fuels makes less grime.
@@pifoeko4580 usually premium diesel fuels resist "gelling". Gelling is where diesel fuel begins to freeze due to extreme cold.
I have a high compression jdm block lol
Not just high-compression, but higher boost as well. Higher boost is similar to having a higher-compression engine, however.
@@KRAMITDFROG correct 👍 pre-ignition, or "knock" is when the fuel ignites before the spark plug ignites it. This "detonation" is very damaging to internal engine parts and can cause catastrophic engine failure. Higher octane fuels resist this detonation because they have a higher ignitability rate, AKA flash point but when they do ignite they do so with more energy. Guys all this info can be found via a 10-minute Google search. I could assume that the Civic in the video was producing higher emissions due to unburned fuel, AKA hydrocarbons. Simply put, there was so little air and fuel in the combustion chamber, it was hard for the ignition system to completely burn the higher octane fuel. Now take a high-performance vehicle where the air-and-fuel is very densely packed via boost or high compression, suddenly that air-and-fuel mixture is very easy to get ignited under heat and pressure. Now that mixture pre-ignites AKA detonates. Thus the need for a higher octane fuel. Keep in mind as the boost, compression and power goes up, so does the need for higher octane fuel! Infact, some very high performance street engines that guys have modified for performance, (high compression pistons, aftermarket cam, free flowing cylinder heads, hot tunes, advanced ignition timing, big turbo, injectors or large carb etc) need E85 which is equivalent to 103-105. Furthermore, some race engines run on C16 116 race gas! That is simply not needed on your mom's 96 Honda Accord Automatic however, and since most people drive average cars, that's the point they're trying to make most people do not need premium fuel.
They should have done the test with a vehicle that runs off premium and then put in regular. I feel like this was approached back asswards
@Mickiii P shlingo mingo bagingo
Exactly
Петър Баджаков that’s assuming people own race cars. Luxury vehicles also run off premium. Such as Cadillacs Lincoln’s Jaguars and Buick’s. You might notice loss of horsepower in a sports vehicle but what about heavier luxury models that aren’t necessarily meant to go vroom vroom skurt skurt?
Петър Баджаков i totally understand about the silence. I love a fast vehicle don’t get me wrong, but I love the feel of a land yacht. I love pressing my foot on the gas and hearing no sound. I enjoy people asking if my car is on when I stop at a red light because of how silent it is. I’ve never been a fan of foreign luxury. I stick to American luxury even if it isn’t the most flashy. I feel like I’m an old geezer when it comes to vehicles. I like heavy and slow. But that’s never stopped me from admiring a Japanese car. I have a soft spot for 1g crx’s and 3g Civics.
They're testing for the mom and dad out there, not for people revving performance cars
Depends on the vehicle for sure. For example my Camaro SS uses a V8 engine and If I were to put regular gas the performance and MPG would decrease on it. On top of that I will probably hear knocking noises in the engine. IF your car requires or even is recommended it usually is correct according to the owners manual.
"We're testing regular and premium"
plus : "Am I a joke to you?"
Haha thats a good one
Plus 89 Octane
Higher octane fuels are for engines with higher compression. Put low grade fuel in a high compression engine and you can get pre detonation. Fill your car with what the manufacturer requires. Most cars are designed to run off low grade fuels. Some suggest mid grade. Most all high end require premium fuel.
True. I have a budget Hyundai and the manual says to use regular octane gas, and only regular octane. Apparently higher octane fuels can damage the engine.
Allen, is this why some cars have engine knocks? I noticed on my Harley, that if I put in regular, under acceleration stress (I am gunning it) I will get knocks and hesitation at times. When I put in premium, I do not get that at all. Now the engine I have is an older 1999 Screaming Eagle, so it is considered higher performance. So is predetonation causing a "misfire" at the wrong time resulting in knocks/pings? So the regular gas is detonating in the cylinder before the pistons go top dead center? (Is that the right term???)
Gerald Burgos you now have a higher compression engine if you did pistons that raised your compression ratio. Your 1999 Harley does not have an ECM that can adjust your engines timing. It is an AIR cooled engine also that doesn’t have the ability to run at a more constant temperature. You get higher octane gas at lower altitude. Thin air at high altitude can use less octane which means less engine or no predetonation. You can run Shell, Exxon, Chevron, Texaco, etc gas and be more assured of the octane ratings. My Harley is modified at 10.0:1 compression ratio. Gas at convenient stores and especially Valero gas causes engine knock which can put a hole in your piston. The single best thing you can do is install an adjustable ignition. My favorite is Daytona Twin Tec model TC88 on my ‘01 FLHR. You can set it up for 10 different run conditions. I travelled from sea level to 10,000 feet of altitude in Colorado and just dialed in a preset curve to eliminate knocking. Another excellent one is from S&S that can detect engine knock and adjust timing. I used one of these but it did not work well. I now feel this was due to the HSR 42 flat side Mikuni card that can rattle. I also have a high lift short duration cam with heavy valve springs that knocks a little bit. The rocker shafts were very noisy on mine until I installed rocker locks. www.amazon.com/ROCKOUT-Rocker-Products-001-inserts/dp/B014O6XOZS. This was after I tried the S&S ignition. The tapping noise is so quiet now. The guy I sold my S&S ignition to has no problems and it works PERFECT on his engine. I also tried the Screaming Eagle ignition but it didn’t give me results I wanted.
The majority of motorcycle engines, as well as any small performance engines, make incredible power for their size and weight. To do this, they need incredibly high compression ratios, so much so that motocross racers pay in excess of $20 per gallon for high octane fuel. Considering this, I would say it is highly likely that you are experiencing pre detonation from low octane fuel.
I agree but in my experience in running low powered cars and high powered cars the premium gas in Europe at least works better no matter what type of car you use it in.
This is the most ill-informed news report that I have ever watched in my life. It's laughable. You have to understand what knock is. The octane number (87,89,91,93) is simply the fuels ability to resist knock which is another term for pre-ignition or detonation. This is typically caused by either advanced ignition timing or high compression ratio. Most turbo-charged engines for example absolutely require premium or they will knock and cause damage to the pistons and other components. Regular (87) is the most widely used fuel in America however and using premium in a car that only needs regular (87) will not help anything. In fact the higher the octane you go the less energy there is per volume of fuel so in a car that only needs regular (87) you would use slightly more premium (93) gas to achieve the same power output that you could achieve using lower octane fuel. Feel free to do your own research because this whole video is useless, Engineering Explained has some great videos explaining the terms i've mentioned in this comment.
What this guy said ^
Good point besides the fact that shell v-power nitro+ doesn't contain any ethanol, thus boosting its energy per volume. 91 octane with no ethanol has ROUGHLY and I say ROUGHLY 4% more energy per volume than 91 octane E10 (10% ethanol blended gasoline).
I personnaly use 91 octane from Ultramar here in my town there is a pump where it's specified wich fuel is blended and wich isnt and that specific location pumps 91 octane no ethanol (2ZZGE with 11:1 C/R engine with 91 octane recommended by manufacturer)
91 the best one I drove more miles with 91
WTF??? You say the video is "ill informed" meaning the information in it is incorrect...and yet...the video demonstrates precisely what you say is correct.
I just tried to say what you said. But if I did. I’d get everyone confused. You should do the video. This guy in the video trying to explain hasn’t any clue.
“Gas prices are high” shows $1.30 as high price
Everyone living in 2021 🥴
That price is $1.30 per Liter about $5.20 per gallon
@@BetaTester-ke5ob yeesh nevermind 💀
Kelly its $3.07 per gallon Regular gas in South Florida. 😓
@@alinafstrmom7725 $3.99 IN CALIFORNIA
It's $4.05 gallon in southern California!
And thats the cheapest grade, (regular). In resort areas it's as high as $4.95 gallon, ridiculous!
Oct 2021
Are you kidding me??! CBC keeps their logo up when it sits right over data their program is showing the viewer????
I already wondered why didn't they just stick the logo in the middle of the video, it's not that much more from where they put it already!
It's a news channel
Just use WHATEVER your owners manual says.
Same with oil changes...engineers who built the cars know better and the info is in the manual...gotta do ur homework
That 87 percent clean, 89% and 91% really laugh me off.
wtf66611 hahaha that's racist
Qiuyuan Chen HA HA People really need to learn stuff or else you will get scammed!
+Qiuyuan Chen That's the octane number, a measure of a fuel's ability to resist "knocking" or self-combustion. It has nothing to do with the purity or cleanliness of the fuel. Some fuels can rate over 100 on the octane scale.
+Ilusionista Cule thanks,I knew it. However, that explains public needs some basic scientific ideas. If I don't get wrong, Hydrogen is around 135 based on RON.
+Qiuyuan Chen I use 87 in my Euro Spec Alfa Spider. Now i will have to change the fuel filter more often ! LOL!
There's a thing called "owner's manual" where they literally tell you what your car is tuned to use best, and you should use
That's what I'm saying. The people at the manufacturing company assembled the car, engineered the car, and knows what's best for the car. The manual should override any other recommendation given by other people.
@@TonyKimtheamusementparkfan agree with you totally best reference is car manual
@@TonyKimtheamusementparkfan they been referencin the owners manual alot if you have seen the other videos
Just Put The Plus Octane 89
Haha ur picture of Jeff
I used to work for gas stations, people asked me this question all time which is better (Which is the better gasoline). ONLY USE the gas that the Manufacturer Manual tells you to use, Most cars do not need premium fuel. And That MIDGRADE fuel you pay is actually Premium Fuel & Regular Fuel being mixed TOGETHER and then sent to your car thru the nozzle. It is NOT stored in its separate fuel tank underground like most people think it is.
So does it work the other way around... if I pay for 87 octane am I also getting premium and regular out the nozzle?
chief tp which ones, do you know?
Some cars do require premium and that's a fact. I had a subaru wrx turbo and now have a subaru forester xt turbo and they both say premium is required or recommended. In my wrx I accidentally put regular in it, my car was knocking, hesitating, and slow acceleration. As soon as I was able to put premium back in, all those symptoms went away. My forester says recommended unlike my wrx which said required. I have used regular and premium in my forester. The acceleration is noticeably quicker with premium, and according to the on board computer the mileage is better with premium. So do your stupid study over, and use cars that actually require premium, and try to tell me that it doesn't make a difference.
tong po They said that in the video
tong po yup that guy in spike hair is dem ess, specially mustang they start ticking if cheap gas use
tong po Higher cylinder compression causes the fuel to explode sooner and faster. It can be described as more of a flash than a burn and the power of the explosion can be gone before the power stoke is complete. The higher the pressure the faster it burns. Premium fuel is designed to burn slower, so it'll still be burning all the way through the power stroke. In fact, before knock sensors could control timing it was common to still have unburned fuel left during the exhaust stroke. Normal cars with normally lower compression burn regular fuel just fine since the compression is matched to the octane. The reason your Subaru had problems is because the regular fuel burned up before it got done pushing the piston; multiple explosions at the beginning causing the knock and burning off before pushing the piston all the way causing low power.
tong po I think most turbo vehicles are required or recommended to use premium. The way I think about it is, the mileage increase from the turbo evens out the cost for premium.
tong po wich is true ive checked everywhere asked almost every gear head i know and any mechanicwho knew and they said the same thing for some cars it works beter and for some it dosent
Why doesn’t Mother Earth yoga instructor use a bicycle to travel? 🤦♂️
J Wim 🤣
if she lived in europe or asia she probably would, compared to massive spread out canada lol
Shes a poser 😂
because she probably cant bike long distances like 10miles+ everyday
Maybe because she has to travel very long distances everyday? Would you ride a bike say 40 km on a winter day when it’s -20 and snowing? I somehow doubt it!
This lady is walking around kissing trees and then immediately starts up her car to go for a drive lol.
Agree, such a hypocrite!
Lmao
@@boywarrick o 8
Putting premium in a Honda Civic🤣😂
@@meyou3772 imagine 😂
1:51 The whole video could've been over there. USE WHAT YOUR CAR RECOMMENDS! This video is made for, "regular people with regular cars" in which case, yes, y'all don't need premium. But stop making it sound like a scam...
Bladed Angel hey it’s the one and only!!!
So right
By the way, you make great videos.
Did you also watch the actual expert's testimony who drives a corvette and puts in regular? Last I checked a corvette isn't a regular car and he's using regular gas (even though it says on his gas cap "Premium only" and as such the video probably did need to be longer to explain why he does so and the research and testimony of experts on the affects of regular vs premium gas on vehicles.
Dylan k - it didn't say premium only it said premium recommended.
Some (not all) premium only cars will have detonation issues if you use regular(some do not have knock sensors). Premium recommended cars do have knock sensors and will pull timing when run on regular if they start to have detonation (pre ignition) issues.
Not recommended but required. A Highlander recommends 89 but needs 87. We put 87 in that car. A Mercedes Benz requires 91.
For a two stroke engine or a high performamce engines, premimum is spposed to stop pre-ignition and detonation.
Surly the horse power numbers would be the same, why would it take less horse power to do the same work?
SW6 horsepower number do increase with higher octane but not by much. High performance Engine use Premium 91 for a better compression ratio.
Street48 - horsepower numbers do increase, but if they wanted to measure that they should have done a wide open throttle test to see the max numbers. Otherwise you're just measuring how much horsepower it takes to spin the dyno drum and all of the losses involved in doing so (tire deformation, friction, etc)...
dre04mach Exactly, full throttle would have shown a increase in HP if there was any.
***** Ignition timing has a lot to do with horsepower. The more you can advance the timing, the more complete the burn - the more efficient/powerful the engine is.
dre04mach If you advance too much then it will lose power.
There's a Gas Station close to me, and I spoke to the driver of a Tanker Truck who comes in every week to fill all the pumps. He told me no matter which kind you choose, it's all the same Fuel. All you're really deciding is Which Price to Pay. If you prefer the higher prices, you're not doing anything for your car. All your doing is making the Fuel Companies Celebrate because You Fell For It!
I once pissed in my fuel tank. Got an additional 5MPG.
If you pooped in it you would have gotten an additional 10MPG.
You were probably drunk at the time and all the alcohol helped resist detonation. Next time try spirits instead of beer.
Dougman
Dougman I put methanol in once. I destroyed my fuel system.
were you drunk? i did it drunk and i got an extra 25 mpg.
I can't decide between using Jet A-1 fuel or Jet B. Now where did I put my keys to my Gulfstream G650...
+misterfunnybones Try AVGAS 100LL
misterfunnybones nice profile pic
misterfunnybones ...ask the pump attendant...
FeldwebelWolfenstool ahahaha, as if minimum wage workers would know the chemical formulation of the gas stations they work at. It's like people walking into retail stores like Walmart, Best Buy, Target thinking they're talking to rocket scientists when they ask a question about a product. All they do is bullshit you, read the box, and sound confident so you feel satisfied. aha.
misterfunnybones
You rarely need Jet B.
I have a small reserve for my Chinook and Concorde if we ever get a day where it's -40 or below or I have to fly in arctic climates.
Frankly, I prefer taking the Space Shuttle for longer-range distances.
8:30 yes. They adjust the timing, which can change performance significantly
Y’all should actually do data logging to test octane rating effects on your vehicles. Pull the data directly from the ECU, ECM, or DME. Get details like IAT’s, Ignition timing per cylinder, EGT’s, etc.. There also should have been some forced induction vehicles used in these tests.
They should have tested on an older carbureted vehicle as well.
yes,in some cars it is in the manual that premium is recommended,but not in all,indeed in some it actually can cause damage to the vehicle
The old carbureted cars would tell the truth. No electronics whatsoever. I tried the premium on my lawnmower! :-)
All cars that have computers maybe won’t show the difference because it was set in the computer how many miles per gallon you will get, compare to old cars that don’t have computer.
You have more to worry about than just the octane number you also need to either have high strength valves and seats to run modern gas in an old car or buy an additive like zinc to lubricate the older valve train components. Why do we have to do this ? the oil companies removed the lead lubricant that was needed for the emissions problems.
FYI for those who didn't know, engines have what's called a compression ratio, so for example an engine with a 1:9 compression ratio is designed to be used with 90 octane gas and if you fill it up with premium it will run hotter because higher octane gas burns better, but if you have a 1:12 engine which is designed for high octane fuel and you put regular in there, it will run really sluggishly because the engine will not run properly, you can't just say that premium gasoline is bad for your car, it depends what is your car designed for...
higher octane means cooler combustion temps, not hotter. thats why high compression/turbo motors need premium: to resist knock. not rocket science.
mustang ecoboosts get like 35 more horse power with 93 i think. At least that is what my friends book says lol
Lower octane gas burns better actually. Higher octane gas is just regular gas with delay added so the fuel doesn't ignite too early in the compression stroke of the piston. Cars built for premium using regular will have the gas igniting too soon in the engine. Cars built for regular but using premium are just throwing money away.
@@larryhouse3776
I think that might be a bit misleading to say lower octane "burns better" on account that diesel fuel has a very low octane rating, and yet gasoline/petrol is much more flammable. I don't imagine there's much difference in flammability between 87 and 91 octane fuel, but 91 will definitely resist detonation during the compression stroke better, as you expressed. Otherwise, I entirely agree with you.
@@SonOfNone"burns easier" is probably a better way to word it in terms of how it works in the engine and how octane is relevant to compression ratio.
11:30
This is 87 percent clean. This is 89 percent clean. This is 91 percent clean....
The Sega Genesis is 16 bit, the 3DO is 32 bit, but the Atari Jaguar is 64 bit.
You do realize this isn't 1995?
Skrapeg0at it has got nothing to do with "clean" all sorts are pure gasoline.
But what it differs is the chemical chain-length of the carbohydrates.
So the more "cracked" shorter chained molecules You got in gasoline the earlier the gas inflames itself before the piston reached maximum upper point of compression which means the lower power You can require from the machine performancewise.
That's why most European tuning-stages don't work properly with US-gasoline
Here's something they don't say in this video. Using a grade of gas that is different than what your manual recommends will void your engine warranty. I think that alone is a good enough reason to use premium if it is recommended for your vehicle.
Jax The Reaper they did say at one point in this video that this doesn't pertain to vehicles whose manufacturer requires higher grade gasoline.
Mike Myers they did say that plus there’s that very little bit of gas coming out of tail pipes hurting the environment
I have a 2015 Honda civic and switched to premium and found I also get better mileage between 5% and 8% depending on the type of drives I make. It not a huge difference but it means I dont have to wait in line at the pump as often. Same result with my Lexus RX 300
There is a difference between recommended and required. My 2016 WRX recommended premium. Which means I can get away with lower octane for regular daily driving. I upgraded to a 2019 WRX STI and it says premium required. The same owner's manual is used for both cars. The language used in the manual is clear about what fuel needs to be used.
Octane is simply the resistance to detonation. End of story.
Finally someone else understands!
octane is the percent of isooctane, end of story.
octane rating used to refer to the percentage of eight carbon chain hydrocarbons in fuel, which burn slower than typical 6 chain hydrocarbons. Modern fuels use other additives to slow the burn rate, so octane rating refers to the rate of fuel burn. Slower burn means less detonation in high compression engines. Premium fuel just burns slower. One way to increase octane rating is add ethanol, and some premium fuels do this. if you want truly clean burning fuel, use E85, but you need a FlexFuel motor to do this.
+okleydokley explaine me why i was wrong, u said the same thing except that u did a mistake and said six carbon chains, but gasoline is made of heptane and isooctan
Right! And all modern cars don't needs anti-knocking fuels..
As a mechanic i wrote to Petro Canada reguarding Ethonol in the fuel. The industry has had so much problems due to that and no one wants to admit to it. However i did get a response from Petro Canada stating that their High test does not contain ethonol. That is the only good thing i could say for high test. I have never put it in any thing I have owned. Higher octane burns slower and will increase HC and is worse for the enviroment so. As well ethonol makes a mess of engines. GM has had many published problems with their flex fuel due to this.
*ethanol
Even then Ethanol causing issues depends on the particular car, the materials used in fuel system components, how often the car is driven/refueled, how the ECU or carburetor is tuned, etc etc etc. Most cars on the road today won't have issues with ethanol unless they sit for months without running, usually you only see problems with ethanol as a fuel in cars made before the 90s, and even then it depends on the conditions the car is put through. As someone that tunes Bosch ECUs and wrenches on a lot of cars both at work and in my free time, Ethanol is oftentimes beneficial if used properly, and in a performance application, it's great for both making a lot of power (by having a significantly higher octane and much faster rate of expansion during combustion, allowing for timing to be advanced significantly, and producing less heat, at the cost of taking on water easily, requiring a richer fuel mixture to burn properly as opposed to gas, and having properties that make starting an engine in really cold weather quite difficult without a fuel tank and fuel filter heater. It definitely did leave a huge mark though when it was first introduced.
Higher compression motors, such as in turbo charged sports cars, should use higher octane. Also, sport motorcycles often have 11-13:1 compression and should use high octane fuel. If you use low octane on such motors you could experience detonation or "knock," and eventual engine failure.
Premium(Higher Octane) is for high compression engines to prevent premature detonation only. Save your money and only buy regular gasoline if you have a regular joe car. Period.
Higher octane gasoline is only beneficial if you have a high-compression engine. For example, American muscle cars from the 1960s and early 1970s usually had a 10:1 or higher compression ratio. When the "smog era" started in about 1972, the compression ratios of engines dropped down to about 8:1, and run fine on regular gas. These days the computerized engine management systems can adjust the timing on the fly even on high-compression engines so that you don't get "pinging" (detonation) with regular gas, but you'll also get reduced performance, because the altered timing isn't ideal for best performance.
The only thing the octane rating indicates is how resistant the gasoline is to compression-induced detonation, i.e., higher octane gasoline can be compressed more before spontaneously igniting. You want the spark from your spark plugs to ignite the gasoline/air mixture, not the compression. If it's being ignited by compression then it's happening prematurely, which reduces performance, can cause damage over time, and makes a "pinging" sound.
If your compression is that high and your timing is so far advanced 91 octane will not cut it, you need aviation gas, have fun at the pump at your airport.
@@morganmiller39 Or E85, which is becoming more readily available, has a octane rating of around 105, and usually costs less than regular.
MaximRecoil, I could not agree more. I have three new vehicles, all with recommendations for 91 or higher octane. Two run just fine on regular gas but one, a Lincoln Navigator runs sluggish and gets worse gas mileage on regular. Of course it also depends on where you get your gas. But, I have a 1969 Pontiac Bonneville convertible with a 428 cubic inch 4-barrel which doesn't self-tune and it knocks and pings like crazy on regular and takes a couple of tanks of premium to get it to stop.
MaximRecoil thank you for your insightful comment.
asside from octane rating, is premium a "cleaner" guess or less ethanol?
a car engine requires a certain "octane rating" to reform efficiently. High performance, naturally aspirated enginges require "high octane" to avoid self-destruction. Newer computer controlled cars can detect "knock" (destructive pre-ignition), and alter the engines timing advance to stop the pre-ignition. Horsepower and efficiency are lost. Also "lead additives" were introduced to minimize metal-to-metal wear; valve seats and stems. "High octane" gas normally costs noticeably more.
I would not put lower octane gas then what the manufacturer recommends however I agree that adding higher octane to a car that doesn't need it won't make much of a difference at all
George Parker
Eli buuwe yeah my 528i bmw says clear as day on the gas cap and manual "Minimum 91 octane".
George Parkermi
They also leave out the fact that simply switching the gas and running the test isn't enough. The computer doesn't just automatically adjust to the premium gas.
6:35 Is this guy seriously giving car advice to others when he says "Regular, always"? That's completely false. It depends on the engine. The difference between regular and premium is the octane level. The more octane, the harder it is for fuel to detonate (higher octane can withstand higher compression rates). Higher compression allows the engine to get more energy out of a single droplet of fuel. That's where the notion of premium is better for fuel economy and engine power comes from. But if the engine isn't designed to compress at those high rates, there's no benefit in using premium.
Here's how you decide whether to use premium or regular, and it's free. The car manual. Automakers will tell you the type of fuel their vehicles need. They will not lie to you. Why? Because they get no financial benefit from you using either fuel type.
Hope this helps.
Dennis Xu Actually they can benefit. Cars lifetime won't last as long and people have to upgrade their car more often.
I doubt most people that own cars which require premium fuel aren't sitting around watching CBC. Don't burn the same kind of gas a Toyota Prius uses if you drive a Koenigsegg.
8:16 he said he would use premium in race track or something. but regular for drive around. That is the point. Only when high rev, premium can do earlier ignition angle than the regular fuel without engine knocking, which give you more power. Actually, I know a lot of racer using E85 for more power, since the octane rating is 105. You won't reach that high rev when daily drive.
kauigirl808 Sorry for the late reply.
The statement you made is false. Modern cars are actually lasting significantly longer. Studies done by data companies, presented by CNET on Cars, have shown that the average car age is 11 years.
Ze Jin
Up until this point , engines didn't have the ability to vary its compression ratio (Infiniti just unveiled new technology to enable the engine to have different compression ratios). Putting premium in a car that doesn't need it is pointless and has no benefit. Your friend is most likely experiencing the placebo effect. He/she thinks they're getting more performance because they're using more expensive gas. It's not true.
was in a hit-and-run car accident 2 yrs ago so to give me a chance to type. I'm now just learning how to talk... sorry. The Florida pool pump motor bearing repair guy approved ! that was good info
They needed to go more into depth on ethanol in gas. That too is a minefield.
i tested full tank of each gas, it was about the same, i paid less for reg, but got better miles with premium, since the same dollar for miles i get premium. you do the test,
Exact same results I have gotten in every vehicle I have had for the last 40 years...
I don't know about 87 vs 91 but I do not I get best mileage on regular gas at Chevron vs regular gas at a mom & pop gas station
15:53 we need more honest people like this working at gas stations! Love this man!
regula!!!
Whatever the owners manual says in regard to fuel grade and oil grade along with oil change intervals are the holy grail for that vehicle, and the key to minimizing engine wear for long engine life.
Agree on gas. Oil change interval recommendations are too short. I use amsoil synthetic and change oil every 25,000 miles or 1 year. 287k on the engine and still gets 37mpg.
@@7joshallen7 bro no, what is wrong with you
@@7joshallen7 maybe it's just your car. Most cars cannot do that
@@fknmonty I'm pretty passionate about this topic because we have all been mislead by the status quo. I've done a 3rd party oil analysis through Blackstone Laboratories at 25k and the oil was "Good for continued use." Hard facts and number there. Amsoil recommends 25k for their signature series oil for "normal service," though most of their filter are 15k. Amsoil has also done fleet testing on Las Vegas taxi cabs with these extended drain intervals with great outcomes.
@@7joshallen7 what kinds of vehicles where used in the study. If their n/a small engines it makes sense. But if they're not n/a or bigger engines you just can't do that.
These guys don't know anything about fuel.... octane rating is the RESISTANCE to DETONATION... 87 octane is the lowest which means it has the least amount of resistance to detonation, 91 is a higher octane which means it was a higher resistance to detonation from 87, 93 octane is a higher octane which means it has a higher resistance to detonation from 91....
a normal everyday car, NO performance, NO high compression, just your everyday car (toyota corolla, honda accord, ford escort, chevy lumina, etc) will do just fine on 87 octane...
a higher performance car like a V8 Mustang, corvette, V8 camaro with larger motors with higher HP and high compression need slightly higher octane fuel like 91 octane...
a highly modified car with a TURBOcharger or Supercharger or Nitrous require high octane like 93 or higher when under BOOST or when injecting the nitrous when under wide open throttle... When these motors or cars are NOT under boost or under nitrous injection, they can run 87 octane just fine like every other normal car, but when under boost or nitrous, THEN you need the high octane...
A turbocharger or supercharger force extra air into the motor which increases combustion temperature which increases the chance of DETONATION or pre-ignition of the air/fuel mixture... This is why higher octane is needed under these circumstances... either that or seriously have to re-tard timing to compensate...
Don't use what is recommended because these manufactorers are in the pockets with the oil companies...
BASIC CAR USE 87, HIGHER PERFORMACE CAR 91, TURBO / SUPERCHARGER / NITROUS.. USE 93 OR HIGHER
my benz is is supposed to be filled with 93. I cheap out and pump 91.
Thats fine as long as your not pushing it too hard...
You absolutely right!
Nick Pol:
and its worse in the hot summer time... when its 95F outside and your sitting in heavy traffic and your engine is running hotter than normal, your a/c in on... Your heat soaking that motor... That extra heat causes mild detonation... None of which will hurt your motor because its just idle ...
You Tube Thank you for pointing this out was starting to think I was crazy. I drive a car with a turbo and switched to 89 octane because of a money crunch, didn't take long to realize I actually get way better milage using 93 than 89 and save money using what's recommend for my car.
My first Audi I own said to put 91 in . So my first time filling it up I put 91 in, ran great, smooth , etc. My wife later on in the week took the car and had to put gas in it. The following morning I took the car out and I noticed the car acting kind of sluggish just didn't feel the same at all. I had asked my wife questions and then asked her about the gas and she had put in 87 regular. So next time around filled it up with 91 and YEP what a freakin difference ! Back to normal ! Powerful no sluggish feel nothing. I respect what these people are trying to do but all in all it really does matter what you put in your car.
A lot of people have said it above, but octane rating is about resistance to combustion under compression. So with a turbo in your 1.8T (maybe 2.0T if you're a newish Audi fan) you need that extra resistance to premature "lighting of the gas". The 87 was igniting before your piston had squished it down fully, so was causing engine knock (basically, unproductive or counterproductive burning of fuel within its cylinder). Vorsprung durch Technik!
lesson learned OT my wife done the same thing in our lexus so i make sure it has gas in it so she wont screw up again :)
Did you watch the video. It said to put in what the manufacturer recommends!!!! In your car you said it recommends 91. Most cars don't need anything higher than 87.
Owen Turner Audi is trash either way
I have a new Subaru Crosstrek and I was somewhat disappointed with the acceleration. I considered selling the car with only 2k on it until I filled the tank with premium. I noticed a huge difference in how it shifts and accelerates.
Silly woman. If you want to care for the environment you shouldn't drive a car...
Julie v
She should be driving a prius lmao
No cars.....How about a bicycle?
In my country, there's more bikes than people, and many people (including me and my husband) use their bikes to go to work. over 95% of schoolgoing children and even university students use bikes to get to school/uni.
Julie It depends on the country. When I lived in Madrid, absolutely, we would walk or use public transportation for everything. Had a nice car that we would never use for anything besides getting groceries (only once a week).
Now I live in Canada and having a car is a MUST. The city is spread over hundreds of kilometers. Though it takes me only 5 minutes to get to my local supermarket by car, it would take 20 minutes by bike, and I wouldn't be able to carry all my groceries for the week. It's actually less energy efficient.
Thanks for your input, Dennis, but I do believe your logic with regard to grocery shopping is flawed. You cán do your groceries if it's only 20 minutes by bike. That simply is better for the environment ánd saves you time in the gym. There are plenty of ways to be able to transport sufficient amounts. That said, Canada is one of those countries lacking sufficient infrastructure for bikes, as well as have an undesirable organisation of resources within cities (convenience stores vs. actual proper shops, focus on car infrastructure, etc.).
We do our groceries once a week as well, by bike, and even the other shopping in the city across the river from our village. Most people do that here, though the elderly tend to use e-bikes nowadays.
Obesity rates are linked to high car usage and food waste, which both are detrimental for the environment.
It's $6+ per gallon now over here on Los Angeles California
they claim no discernable difference but then at 8:20 he says "if I were to go to a race track I would put premium". That's after him claiming there is no difference between premium and regular.
He predicted a difference on the mileage too. He seemed to come off that there's a difference but it's not significant enough to worry about.
Jake Guerra he said he puts regular in his vette to drive around town but if he went to a track then he’d put premium in it.
I’ll just run premium all the time 👌🏻
I would be interested to know how ethanol containing gasoline effects mileage and power. In the USA, most fuels contain a percentage of ethanol, which is known to be destructive to rubbers and other materials, and causes fuels to be hygroscopic (absorb moisture), which personally has caused the steel uncoated interior of my ZX-1100 motorcycle to corrode. The only fuel NOT containing ethanol are certain advertised premium grades, which I only run to avoid the ethanol. Marketplace: please investigate ethanol in fuel.
BTW, as others have mentioned, asking almost high school graduate fuel attendants their opinion is poor form since they are hardly credentialed experts.
The best thing to do is get the ethanol out of gasoline, yes I know the farmers who get subsidies from the government are going to hate me but your wallet and engine will be lot happier with better performance.
I agree
Agreed hell i believe non ethanol get Better mpg tham ethanol gas.. plus ethanol does not have long shelf life. Then when u have it sit in a tank of a car not driven regularly it will leave moisture in tank.Ever look in a tank that has sit with ethanol in it for a long periods..omg
@@brianwinter1453 Absolutely correct! Ethanol blended gasoline can undergo phase separation if it sits for too long, resulting in a fuel that is lower in octane than originally blended. Enough of the enviro hippies and enviro police!
Especially if you still have a car that sill has a carburetor because overtime the ethanol will break down the fuel lines in a carbureted car
I did a test of premium vs regular to see if I got better mileage with premium. I got better mileage with premium. I recorded how many miles I got for six tank-fulls of each type of gas. The premium gas gave me 107 percent of the mileage I got with the regular gas.
Your test is the way to prove which gas is better.
Car in the test?
7% more mileage 20%+ more cost
Exactly. What compression ratio did this engine have?
I noticed a big difference with fuel consumption when I tried both 87 and 89 octane on a new Toyota Corolla I rented recently while exploring different places in BC. With the regular 87 octane gas, my fuel tank went from full to empty really fast unlike with 89 octane which lasted a lot longer.
you canadians don't know what gas is best, here in america moonshine is the best gas for your car
+Zach Diaz american gas is soo much better than Canadian. Please vote trump and annex us please!
haha
+dregsta its pretty much the same. its because canada uses a different standard to USA, and Europe does
in Europe etc (where we use metric as well I might add LOL) We use RON Research Octane Number (RON). RON is determined by running the fuel in a test engine with a variable compression ratio under controlled conditions, and comparing the results with those for mixtures of iso-octane and n-heptane.
in canadia they use MON Motor Octane Number (MON), is determined at 900 rpm engine speed instead of the 600 rpm for RON.[1] MON testing uses a similar test engine to that used in RON testing, but with a preheated fuel mixture, higher engine speed, and variable ignition timing to further stress the fuel's knock resistance. Depending on the composition of the fuel, the MON of a modern pump gasoline will be about 8 to 12 octane lower than the RON, but there is no direct link between RON and MON. Pump gasoline specifications typically require both a minimum RON and a minimum MON
in America they now use
the AKI index Anti-Knock Index (AKI), and often written on pumps as (R+M)/2). It may also sometimes be called the Posted Octane Number (PON).
In the end the fuels remain about the same Vs other countries and their respective numbers. Supreme in Canadia is the same as 98 octane in Europe and 91 in US of A
Side note. Canadia is about to shift to the AKI index as well.... Sigh
lets all just get along and use Metric system and the RON.
world peace achieved!
+jack black Canada isn't "just about to shift to the AKI as well". It has been using AKI (RON+MON/2) for many years. Certainly as long as I have been driving and that is 39 years.
+Zach Diaz MY TRUCK RUNS ON BUDWEISER
Premium fuel is for premium cars. Not Chevy Cruzes. Lmao
Surprise - the 1.4L Turbo in the Cruze actually DOES see a gas mileage increase when operating in the hot summer months where heat can cause knock to occur, meaning an occasional premium top-up isn't a bad idea.
Works best for turbo engines..
Cruzes (turbo) run better on premium and also has a popular tune that requires it. So yeah, the cruze I used to own is the only vehicle I ever regularly bought premium for.
Lmao
Unless it has a turbocharger, which some Cruzes do.
reason for higher octane is for higher compression ratio.
+Tuan Nguyen What about a low compression ratio car?
+Alan Fox scientists found out that octane ( 8 carbons chain) has the highest compression pressure before it spontaneously ignite; as the result, car with smaller chamber volume can get the same power as bigger engine if the smaller engine has a higher compression pressure. So if the engine ( normal in high performance car such as infinity, lexus, bmw.....) has high compression ratio, it needs high octane gas to prevent premature ignition. Putting high octan gas in a regular engine , let's say a chevy cruze in this video, will not do anything. However, if you put a lower octane gas in high performance engine will cause pre-mature ignition and causes knocking. do some research about it and you will see.
+Alan Fox i bet you if the guy take his Corvette and test it, he will see the output different.
Thank you for the insight.
I drive an old beat up car so I will save money and buy the cheap gas.
It takes a couple of fill ups for the difference to show not dran the gas and then put different gas
Premium does improve performance, noticably even, if you have a higher output engine. My truck's performance improves quite nicely.
Rabid Bear No, you THINK your car is improving its performance
Unless you're testing your truck with professional equipment in a controlled setting, the improvements you think you're seeing are just placebo effects.
You can disregard my entire comment if you have a F150 with one of their Ecoboost motors.
Darn it, I can FEEL the extra power when I accelerate on premium. Engine does not need to revv high when I am passing someone on the interstate. So yes, I like premium and I will keep using premium.
Donald Sanchez in the UK our standard fuel is 95oct our premium is 99, I ride bikes I noticed a difference between the 2 it was very slight though just me though
People it called Placebo effect. People think when going to maintenance the car or truck drive better but its not. Premium is nonsense.
Its written in the owners manual what fuel you should use, a cruise is not the car to test premium, use a sports car insted and see the differense
My manual tells me to fart in my gas tank and I've notice my mileage has improve. But it also depends on what u eat.
Sushi = 87oct fast foods = 89oct Mexican foods = 91oct.
@14:00 Premium Gas is NOT getting Burned and therefore, not adding power and not adding mileage nor improve fuel efficiency
Why does the “expert” say there is no reason to use premium. Then 4 seconds later says “if I were to take my car to the race track I would use premium” there has to be some type of benefit then??
crazytaw1 he doesn't have a regular car dude!
Carlos Paulino I don’t know what you mean?
Some cars ''recommend'' premium fuel for the best blend of performance/fuel efficiency but you can use regular fuel. The engine will adapt to the regular fuel, but you will get less performance/fuel economy. A car the ''requires'' premium fuel must use high octane. Should one use regular fuel in a car that requires premium, the engine can/may suffer costly repairs. What Mark is saying for his Corvette, is he uses regular gas for day to day driving, but would put premium is he took his car to a race track. Hope this helps.
LostintheVoid11 very nice explanation! :)
Someone need to run a smug test on the expert's Vette. It may be exceeding Federal standards.
News flash, not everybody on the road drives a boring FWD naturally aspirated straight 4 econobox.
Even then, a civic SI requires premium lmao
Will Ferland 70% of all gas cars require regular
60% of the cars i have owned required premium. go figure.
z lariviere20 YOU have owned. It's different for people all around the world that can only afford mid sized sedans and smaller cars with not much power! It's just like I'm saying "20% of the world speaks Chinese" and you're saying "90% of Americans speak English"
yes i did say "i have owned" so i did make that clear so why are you pointing out the obvious. i simply made a meaningless comment about my personal experience with cars i have owned and nothing else so your response really makes no sense without injecting words into my comment that simply aren;t there or even implied
I raced dirt bikes for years. 85cc 2 stroke, and 250cc 2 stroke. Never ran 87, (bad experience with it). But mostly 93 and on race day 105 i believe it was. Anyway, you could really tell the difference. lil more pep out of the good stuff, and smells better :)
What does your bike's manual recommend?
This is also why some road racing 2 strokes (the higher compression ones) run on avgas (aeroplane petrol) available from your local airport. They simply won't run on low octane, if you do you could hole the piston.
If it's a proper race engine there is no manual, just ask the engine tuner/builder.
I have been using Premium Gas since day 1 in my 2013 Toyota Sienna and with current mileage of over 248K, my van still runs like brand new. I have never spent money on buying fuel cleaning additives and each time my vehicle gets ignition service, the technicians always say that my spark plugs were not very dirty as they were expecting them to the level of dirty based on vehicle age and mileage. So far I have only changed Spark Plugs once. With over 11 years on road, my vehicle has never given me any issues due to gasoline but I have tested regular grade gasoline 4 times and yes my accelerator tells me the difference. The vehicle has slow pick up and I put more pressure on the accelerator when using regular gasoline. I put only Premium Gasoline in all of my vehicles and they run brand new regardless of their age, size and mileage. I don’t think I will agree to this video for negating premium gasoline.
Gallo 12 or Gallo 24.. I JUST DONT KNOWWW!!!
Josue rodriguez Only a few will know what you are talking about. lol
Josue rodriguez i didn't now pizza companies made car motors
"I didn't know pizza shops deal in engines" RIP Paul Walker
Hahaha
+Josue rodriguez
Gallo 24, obviously...
The problem with this video is the type of vehicle they are testing. I can tell right away in the performance of my Audi, Porsche or Toyota when I put the cheaper gas. It is sluggish, shakes and knocks. If the vehicle does not require 91 gas than you will not see a difference, however if the vehicle requires it; that is a different story.
yeah as usual the news report only confuses the issue further
pretty sure the octane rating methods have just changed over time. 93 is premium.
+rocker85675 not true. With my old accord premium made a difference in performance and fuel efficiency. I track my fuel usage with fuelley. The required fuel from Honda was 86.
They should not have used the chevy cruze it has flex fuel IE: the onboard computer actually adjusts the injectors depending on what type of fuel is being used.
Yeah, those cars are higher compression. They need it or the fuel will ignite before TDC. Also, Flex Fuel won't make a difference. ANY car will efficiently run gas with a higher than recommended octane rating.
My car takes premium gas, I experimented with putting in a lower grade gas, and I actually felt a significant decrease in power as well as a louder engine. Gas mileage was slightly less than with premium. My take is it honestly depends on the car because my brothers Hyundai turbo says it needs premium but he's been putting in regular for the 5 years he's had it now and nothing has changed, performance, loudness and mileage all stayed the same
I haven't noticed any difference in my performance as a runner - as I have been eating the EXACT same foods - for the past 5 years .... ( why would I expect a change? ) ... but yet - why does it sound silly when I say it - but NOT - when you state. ... ( haven't noticed any difference in performance since ( he has not ) changed any type of fuel he has been using in his car - since he first got it )
@@tsvandyke you’re comparing biology and machine? Um .. every car and human body requires different things. People change their diets and their cars. Especially the human body changes with time so many make adjustments. It’s your subjective opinion what works for you as it is for anyone else. It’s a terrible argument that you’re comparing your damn diet to fuel intake lol
I did the same and noticed similar. I had an older but decent car, I remember experimenting and seeing no difference. Then I got a different car, did regular for years until price kept going up and I was driving more.
Someone mentioned premium helps mileage and I started it. Next thing I knew, I was filling up half the time.. my cars mileage isn’t great but that did help. I also feel city traffic vs. highway traffic makes a difference.
Some are very passionate over this and from what most mechanics say, it doesn’t do the harm people say it does. I don’t think it’s worth people screaming over what they feel is better for the engine when people who have spent decades in shops stand by that unless you’re driving a nicer model, it won’t harm the car.
How old is your car
@@chi2capcorn 2010 Volkswagen GTI
4:45 switching from regular to premium gas - takes time for the engine to advance the timing. The engine wont advance the timing until it sees less knock for enough time. Also, need an engine with a high enough compression ratio. Using premium makes a small difference in improving power and mpg but costs a lot more than regular in some cars. In my V8 4Runner, 93 octane might get 14 mpg vs 13 mpg with regular but costs about $0.60 to $1 more per gallon. So, a 5% increase in mpg for about 30% more cost.
Using regular gas in a performance car will require the knock sensors to work more.
octane level is a rating given to fuels for their ignition temperature. a fuel with a lower ignition temperature will be given a lower rating. high temperature race engines or performance turbo applications produce a lot of horsepower or heat. Having a fuel that ignites at a lower temperature could be dangerous in those kind of environments. Because it might not burn when the spark plug ignites but maybe when the intake valve is still open (causing damage). but in normal naturally aspirated commuter cars, 87 or lower is A OK. :D
side note. putting a higher octane fuel in a car that recommends 87 could cause the engine to over work the ignition system trying to burn gas that takes a higher tamp to burn, causing sub optimal performance or degradation to the ignition system components. during these changes the engine could run rich or miss fire all together. (in extreme theoretical cases.)
+Tony Samson I wonder where he got temperature from.
+Tony Samson The only relation I can think of is two things. E85 burns cooler which I don't think he knows and higher cylinder pressure can create hotter temps. Never have I heard this one before though.
13:33 for the regular they show HC ppm, but for the v-power they dont show it.... seems tad sketch
aaaaaand 5:39, on the premium it shows 13 more distance than the regular.....
Very true and at 7:30 Mark Whintons stops on the left screen when he says stop but on the right screen when he SAYS stop he is still traveling at high way speed yet gets 2/10ths better improvement and then says there is no difference ... and he is a superior court witness? Good call Ravens4life
I guess in Canada, all the gas station attendants are Curries too.
MrNotorius5500
Of course, very lucrative business for a scamming indian.
Some have even been caught putting water instead of gasoline in the big main holding tank
I've heard about that. This is why I try to stay away from these "hodgie marts" as I have come to call them.
+EndlessFunctionality yeah, everyone wants water in the bottom of their tank! water sinks to the bottom you silly fuck, the tanks are dipped twice a day and the results are logged, if there is an unacceptable amount of water in the tank the supplier will not deliver !! the gas is delivered on credit and not paid for in full at time of delivery !
What ever you say Patel
you're an ignorant moron.
Thanks for making this video this was a great video and I wake up for me and for a lot of other people
Premium is only needed for high comoressi8n engines, and anything with a turbo or super charger.
incorrect. depends on compression ratio, not if it has turbo or supercharger. look at engine specs. don't assume
I think the higher octane is more critical on high compression engines and when the timing needs to be spot on. It doesn't ignite too soon.
Octane is the flash point.
Lower octane has a lower flash point.
If you burn 87 in a high compression motor it will actually detonate earlier from the heat created during the compression stroke.
I wonder what type of gas wankel rotary engines need (the kind inside an rx-7 or 8)?
@@OmarDelawar mazda says premium
If I put regular in my wrx sti and drive it like a sports car should be driven it will blow up because of detonation, premium prevents this.
It's the CBC, take everything they say with a grain of salt. My wife drives a Cadillac SRX. Only takes 91 or higher octane. Anything lower and the check engine comes on...
I had a 2016 Cruze you could watch the gas mileage get better with better gas.
The mechanic in this show lol Wtf is he suppose to act like he knows nothing about cars
Jim Bob you say that but I have seen different. Might have been because it was a lower compression engine, but it happened in that car, counterintuitive as it sounds
Jim Bob good engines to blow up. Best engine I’ve seen abused was a bmw engine.
I used to keep close tabs on these numbers in my vehicle. After substantial records. I determined that using premium compared to regular got me an extra 20 to 30 miles per tank. Since I don't like going to the gas station, I opted to pay the extra few dollars a tank to get that extra 20 to 30 miles. I trade the extra few dollars for my time. I always reset my trip odometer at the filling station, and keep an eye on my consumption. I don't keep records anymore, but I notice the difference in mileage per tank. This video did not change my mind. Using premium still gets me more miles between fill-ups.
So it’s a wash then, you’re paying the same amount in the end and it’s better for your car
I recommend just using the fuel your car make recommends
I have tried 92 95 98 i do 92 long term, its all the same.
Unless you have a performance car and go.drag race 92 is ok
My 2014 Mercedes-Benz C250 1.8 liter 4 cylinder turbo and my 2018 Mercedes-Benz C300 2.0 liter 4 cylinder turbo both specifically require 91 octane Premium gasoline according to the owner’s manual. The MB factory warns that filling up with anything less than 91 octane will result in damage to the engine by detonation and will void the new car warranty! Use the correct grade of gasoline according to the manufacturer’s requirements!
I totally agree, this video is a bit misleading.
If its turbo its almost automatic 91 recommended especially euros! Really this video should be removed or edited
I got a 2004 Mercedes so what tape of gas I sure use
@@mattiewilliamstemple4206 diesel is fine
They mention that several times in the video. Using the recommended octane. Lol.
Try putting 87oct into a turbocharged direct injected car and do some spirited driving. Lol
***** the corvette guy prob. noticed the semi truck that delivers the fuel to gas stations and noticed there isnt 3 trucks,not 3 tanks? lol,idots dont realize the gas is the same and its up to the driver of the truck to add the octane to each tank,and my friend who was 1 of these drivers told me he never added anything.lol only true idiots would fall for this scam
***** first off the show is based in canada and im american so i cant speak for the diff. that may apply,but.....you do know that about 98% of bottled water you buy is nothing but tap water put in a bottle right? you do realize that when something thats marked as organic means 1 thing and 1 thing only,it was grown from dirt? it in no way implies its natural,no more than a bottle of water marked with some fancy french name.you do realize that what you said as an answer is that you "trust" the gas companies to add octane to fuel,be it added at a refinery or at the station,is just dumb? sure,just trust the insurance companys to rate the safety of a car too,lol.you know why the original hummer was discontinued by g.m.? because it would cost to much to meet the insurance companys safety standards LOL!!. the hummer was an armored truck,bullet proof,same as the military used.but.....,it didnt have an airbag LOL! when a company is out to make a profit,they do so by feeding off idiots like the woman driving the honda in this video,and she then blames the companys for her pure stupid? lol
+triggernutsy1 Please explain how you add octane? I know this is 100% bullshit, but I am just wondering how you believe this.
+triggernutsy1 Any tanker has different compartments for different carrying. Canada or not, jackass.
+Atticaz I know a ECU tuner, he shared some of his findings. He had a Seat Leon Cupra 2,0 TFSI in the shop, the owner had 95 octane in the tank (EU rating) The first measurement was 213 HP (it's rated at 240 HP). He sent the customer home again, to return after running it empty and filling with 98 octane a few times. New measurement with 98 in the tank and stock ECU = 251 HP. That's a difference you can feel, i hate that this clip nearly didn't talk about this. Small turbocharged engines are getting more and more common.
Description notes this was broadcast Nov 2, 2012, one clip shows : $133.9 / L . I bought a couple days ago Jan 25, 2024 $144.9
17:00 This made me cringe. The interviewer gave him a hard time but the vice president explained well. Octane is an anti-knock rating. Cars that recommends higher octane typically has higher compression. Higher compression creates more heat and higher octane fuels are better at not igniting itself. Yes cars can change timing to prevent knocking but this should be looked as a extra layer of protection than a feature to save you money. For some cars, your engine will still knock even with changed timing. Which causes damage and could void warranty. There's a reason your car fuel cap or manual recommends a certain fuel, its so your car can be at its normal tune. And with the "myth" about fuel cleaning your engine, there are some stations that has better detergents than others. Some premium gas may have more additives than regular. The additives shouldn't be noticeable straight away, instead it should help your engine being cleaner in the long run. And how much improvement it could do entirely depends on the station and/or fuel you choose. So in conclusion, do your homework and figure out what your car recommends then stick to it. Unless if you really want to spend extra if you know that your getting more additives, which I don't think its worth. Its better to go buy additives from like STP and pour it with your fuel occasionally.
Really my vehicle is turbo charged hence not high compression runs best on higher octane or should i say produces more bhp on 99 octane,normal petrol is95 ron in the uk not that weak piss over in the US
I've had my 2010 mercedes e 350 for 3 years the first 6 month's of ownership I used premium but then I started using regular till this day I've had zero problems outta my engine no knocks, no pings, nothing car drives fine with no problems if you clean your fuel system from time to time you won't get those problems period
Lucky, my 02 S500 will knock and sputter with 87
@Tony Samson I agree 100% his cylenders are gonna be misfiring
If your car starts knocking and was build this century your car is defective and needs a new knock sensor.
Your ecu will regulate the ignition to always stay below detonation limits.
It will trade some power and efficienty in order to prevent engine damage, always.
Any car will run perfectly on any fuel thats for sale.
If higher octane gas is recomended in the mamual your car will only give listed maximum output with that fuel. But if you are just driving around town or on the highway you don't need the extra performance.
Unless you are towing something or are a street racer you don't need the premium.
Every performance car I had always required premium and when I traveled in states w/ gas stations that had only regular available, I felt like I was driving a Toyota Corolla with no performance during that time instead of my car that performed quick and responsive on premium. Read what it says on your gas lid and put that kind of gas in your car that it says, pretty simple!
I use 94 octane in my lawnmower and snowblower never had an issue for starting. Used it for year's of course I use a stabilizer to keep gas for a while.
That test doesn’t do anything it’s gonna require the same amount of force to turn the wheels no matter what gas you put in it. If they’d ran the test till it was empty with both and then compared the time it would be legit