# Premium gas better for cold weather start? **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Tags:** gmc, 2500\ **Created:** [December 26, 2017, 10:07pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/premium-gas-better-for-cold-weather-start/110655 "2017-12-26T22:07:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![badbearing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/badbearing/32/10683_2.png) [@badbearing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/badbearing)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2017, 10:07pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/premium-gas-better-for-cold-weather-start/110655/1 "2017-12-26T22:07:54Z")
Will a higher octane gasoline help cold weather start ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2017, 10:20pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/premium-gas-better-for-cold-weather-start/110655/2 "2017-12-26T22:20:59Z")
No, it will not. IIRC, premium gas combusts at a _higher_ temperature than “regular” gas, so it is possible that switching to higher octane gas–in a vehicle that does not require it–could be counterproductive. I suspect that your truck has some type of mechanical… issues… and the octane of the gas that you put into the tank cannot overcome mechanical issues. ---
**Author:** ![badbearing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/badbearing/32/10683_2.png) [@badbearing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/badbearing)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2017, 10:50pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/premium-gas-better-for-cold-weather-start/110655/3 "2017-12-26T22:50:14Z")
It starts, I was just curious. Thank you ---
**Author:** ![RandomTroll](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/randomtroll/32/12184_2.png) [@RandomTroll](https://community.cartalk.com/u/RandomTroll)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2017, 11:35pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/premium-gas-better-for-cold-weather-start/110655/4 "2017-12-26T23:35:44Z")
You can buy ‘starter fluid’ (ether) in a spray can for starts on cold (say 0° or colder) days. ---
**Author:** ![badbearing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/badbearing/32/10683_2.png) [@badbearing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/badbearing)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2017, 11:48pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/premium-gas-better-for-cold-weather-start/110655/5 "2017-12-26T23:48:16Z")
I don’t even like using ether on diesel let alone gas. They become addicted. I had a junk battery. It got to -20 and the battery froze. ---
**Author:** ![COROLLAGUY1](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/corollaguy1/32/7575_2.png) [@COROLLAGUY1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/COROLLAGUY1)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2017, 11:46am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/premium-gas-better-for-cold-weather-start/110655/6 "2017-12-27T11:46:10Z")
I used to put a bottle of gas line antifreeze in the tank…that was 30 years [ago.In](http://ago.In) your case, get a new battery and it will start right- up. ---
**Author:** ![badbearing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/badbearing/32/10683_2.png) [@badbearing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/badbearing)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2017, 11:56am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/premium-gas-better-for-cold-weather-start/110655/7 "2017-12-27T11:56:19Z")
I do It did You must be psychic ---
**Author:** ![B.L.E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/848f3c/32.png) [@B.L.E](https://community.cartalk.com/u/B.L.E)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2017, 12:33pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/premium-gas-better-for-cold-weather-start/110655/8 "2017-12-27T12:33:01Z")
Octane rating has nothing to do with a fuel’s flash point. Flash point is the lowest temperature at which ignitable vapors exist above a pool of liquid. For gasoline, that’s around minus 40 F. Butane is often blended into gasoline during the winter months in order to lower the flash point and make cold weather starting easier. Alcohol and nitro has a high flash point, that’s why you see people squirting a shot of gasoline into the injectors at the drag strip while they are cranking an alcohol or fuel car. I used to use lighter fluid to get my model airplane engines to start in cold weather. Just a drop or two into the intake and it would light right off with a flip of the prop. Without lighter fluid, getting it to start in cold weather was an exercise in frustration, with me often just borrowing someone else’e electric starter to spin the engine up. I was too pig headed to get an electric starter and the car battery needed to run it. ---
**Author:** ![badbearing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/badbearing/32/10683_2.png) [@badbearing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/badbearing)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2017, 12:42pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/premium-gas-better-for-cold-weather-start/110655/9 "2017-12-27T12:42:14Z")
Ahh, very good! Thank you ---
**Author:** ![GorehamJ](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/gorehamj/32/24103_2.png) [@GorehamJ](https://community.cartalk.com/u/GorehamJ)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2017, 2:17pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/premium-gas-better-for-cold-weather-start/110655/10 "2017-12-27T14:17:26Z")
I agree with the crowd here. Premium won’t help with cold starts, and likely won’t do anything else better than regular fuel in that vehicle either. [Here’s why I say so, if interested](http://bestride.com/research/buyers-guide/premium-fuel-is-costing-you-hundreds-per-year-with-no-real-benefit). If the cold is severe, a block heater or battery heater is a common thing in the Norther New England area. ---
**Author:** ![badbearing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/badbearing/32/10683_2.png) [@badbearing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/badbearing)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2017, 2:25pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/premium-gas-better-for-cold-weather-start/110655/11 "2017-12-27T14:25:35Z")
That’s it? Because a block heater is common? ---
**Author:** ![Triedaq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Triedaq](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Triedaq)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2017, 2:39pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/premium-gas-better-for-cold-weather-start/110655/12 "2017-12-27T14:39:45Z")
A modern car in any shape at all should start in sub-zero weather. My 1971 Ford Maverick and my 1978 Oldsmobile Cutlass sat outside and I started both cars when the temperature was -22 F (22 degrees below zero). That was in the days of the carburetors. I did nothing special-- just made sure the spark plugs were in good shape, the battery tested out o.k. and I kept the gas tank at least half full. I did add a can of gasoline antifreeze (Heet) to prevent fuel line freezing. The Maverick had the old distributor point ignition. With today’s gasoline, there probably isn’t a need for gas line antifreeze. The electronic ignition and fuel injection should make today’s engines easy to start in sub-zero weather. ---
**Author:** ![COROLLAGUY1](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/corollaguy1/32/7575_2.png) [@COROLLAGUY1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/COROLLAGUY1)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2017, 2:45pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/premium-gas-better-for-cold-weather-start/110655/13 "2017-12-27T14:45:22Z")
My 19 year old Corolla started right up this morning at -20 as it always did. 10 year old battery and no block heater. ---
**Author:** ![badbearing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/badbearing/32/10683_2.png) [@badbearing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/badbearing)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2017, 2:49pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/premium-gas-better-for-cold-weather-start/110655/14 "2017-12-27T14:49:19Z")
It started at -20 with a new battery. I was just curious about the gas thing. It’s TBI it didn’t want to fire right up. If I remember right, with fuel injection you can give it just a little throttle in those -20 conditions??? ---
**Author:** ![COROLLAGUY1](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/corollaguy1/32/7575_2.png) [@COROLLAGUY1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/COROLLAGUY1)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2017, 3:20pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/premium-gas-better-for-cold-weather-start/110655/15 "2017-12-27T15:20:06Z")
The first second after start-up is when engine wear happens.The oil at the bottom of the sump needs time to lubricate the engine in extreme cold weather. This is why people use block heaters ---
**Author:** ![badbearing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/badbearing/32/10683_2.png) [@badbearing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/badbearing)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2017, 3:22pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/premium-gas-better-for-cold-weather-start/110655/16 "2017-12-27T15:22:25Z")
I am Aware ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2017, 3:24pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/premium-gas-better-for-cold-weather-start/110655/17 "2017-12-27T15:24:02Z")
> [@Triedaq](#): > > A modern car in any shape at all should start in sub-zero weather. +1 However, that presupposes that the vehicle in question has been properly maintained and that it has a reasonably-strong battery. You and I would take those precautions, but not everyone seems to be pro-active, unfortunately. ---
**Author:** ![CROSSBOLT](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/crossbolt/32/9780_2.png) [@CROSSBOLT](https://community.cartalk.com/u/CROSSBOLT)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2017, 3:35pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/premium-gas-better-for-cold-weather-start/110655/18 "2017-12-27T15:35:08Z")
No throttle on startup with EFI! Confuses the little brain in the computer. Maybe flooded procedure might work but EFI systems usually work better without the old style start combinations left over from the carburetor days. Like it has been said, if it does not pop right off it means something is not quite right. Usually low voltage while cranking in cold weather. Karl ---
**Author:** ![badbearing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/badbearing/32/10683_2.png) [@badbearing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/badbearing)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2017, 4:09pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/premium-gas-better-for-cold-weather-start/110655/19 "2017-12-27T16:09:01Z")
Im sure I read somewhere you can give it just a little throttle ---
**Author:** ![badbearing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/badbearing/32/10683_2.png) [@badbearing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/badbearing)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2017, 4:09pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/premium-gas-better-for-cold-weather-start/110655/20 "2017-12-27T16:09:32Z")
And yes, it could use a tune-up [Next page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/premium-gas-better-for-cold-weather-start/110655.md?page=2)