What do you think? Is premium a ploy designed to add to Big Oil coffers? Or, do you think it’s a “must” for all high-compression engines, no matter what we said? Want to chime in with a second opinion on something else we said? (It wouldn’t be the first time. But you probably already kno…

Easy to see for yourself sirs. Go get a high-compression car that says “premium gas only,” and fill it with 87 octane. Watch your power go through the floor as the ECU desperately retards the timing to keep the engine from tearing itself up :wink: Or get an older one without a computer that does th…

Well premium is a ploy my the oil marketing companies. Even the name “premium” is part of the game. They infer, in every way possible that “premium” is “better” than regular. However premium in a car that does not need it is at best a waste of money. How many times have you seen tthe adds that i…

ive had some vehicles that wouldnt run right on anything less and some that only run right on reg,depends on the vehicle.so their is a difference.

It all depends on the car. Read the owner’s manual to find out what you should use. If the manual specifies premium only, don’t use anything less. (In an emergency, you can put in a little bit of regular just to get to the nearest station that sells premium.) If the manual recommends premium, but …

The reason many cars use premium is for higher performance. Putting regular in a car that calls for premium is the wrong answer. You may damage the engine and will certainly loose performance. The right answer to save money is to look for a car that runs on regular like a Honda Fit our most non-per…

My pet peeve is that the octane level of regular, mid and premium varies from state to state. My owner’s manual says to use 86 octane gas. In Colorado where I live, regular is 85 so I have to buy mid-grade which is 87. In Michigan, where I grew up, Regular is 86 so I could use regular if I lived the…

Dear Sir, ALL cars built for sale in the U.S. Have had some form of “ignition retard” and have since the 1990’s. Some as early as the early 1980’s. (Even Chrysler K-Cars!) Check it out!

Don’t forget that there are two methods of measuring octane and they don’t give the same numbers. Generally in the US the posted number is the simple average of the two methods.

O.K. Start by takeing any basic automotive engine course and pay a lot of attention to the parts that talk about compression, power, timing advace, and detonation. Then try rewriting this little fable of ypurs.

Premium versus Regular

The Show

Joseph_E_Meehan July 31, 2007, 11:19am 4

“premium gas only,” …the ECU desperately retards the timing

I don’t believe that the cars specifying premium only have the retard timing feature, only those that “recommend” it do that.

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Premium versus Regular

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