I had no idea what these acronyms stood for, and I was born in 1980.
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I haven’t seen a fuel pump which looks like this since the days when Bill Clinton was in the White House. Now, even the Wayne brand fuel pumps from the mid-2000s are going away.
Do more cars require premium fuel now??? I thought most people are opposed to paying extra for premium fuel, so auto makers would avoid making vehicles which require premium fuel (other than low-volume performance models).
I am accustomed to driving economy cars, with a NA 4-cylinder engine, and those don’t require premium fuel, or benefit from using higher-octane fuel.
Auto manufacturers use turbocharged engines to marginally increase gas mileage. This allowed them to keep up with CAFE requirements over the last decade. More power from a smaller engine did the trick. Unfortunately for the consumer, that means recommended or required premium.
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Along with turbos, higher compression ratios are also used to improve efficiency so… premium fuel required.
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It is not a new abbreviation; it has gone unnoticed for 40 years.
The Toyota Grand Highlander turbocharged 4-cylinder engine was certified while using regular gasoline because most Toyota buyers would not choose a vehicle that requires premium fuel.
The same powertrain in the Lexus TX350 (same platform) was certified while using premium gasoline for the horsepower rating and minor fuel economy advantage. The customer won’t benefit from a 0.1 mpg improvement, the manufacture does for CAFE goals.
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People want more power and better mpg. We’ve got entry level cars with 13:1 compression ratios and SUVs/family sedans with 2.5 turbocharged engines making 250 horsepower. Because that’s what people want. The same powerplant can gain 40+ horsepower with nothing but switching to premium fuel and more aggressive tuning.
So I would say yes, there are more cars now that require or benefit from premium fuel than there were 25 years ago.
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Not true. Most turbos do not require premium. Check out the fuel economy guides at fueleconomy.gov. Only about 20% require premium yet turbos are in half of new cars.
I’ve never used premium in my turbos since 1995. Five cars so far. None required it although some required mid grade including my current Mini Cooper S. Those I use mid grade. Rest I used regular
Never had any issues.
Probably because in some areas eg. upstate Wisconsin that’s exactly what it is. Premium is sans ethanol. Used for outboards and snowmobiles.
I wish we had premium non-ethanol, ours comes in at 90 rather than 93 octane.
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You out West? For some reason western states cap out around 90/91. Eastern states get 93. One reason might be the altitude. Don’t need as much octane in higher altitudes.
3 so far for me since 1985. I use premium by choice. The additional cost is acceptable to me. If the car produces more power with premium, great. If not, it just adds a little extra protection.
My Mustang has 11:1 compression. It can use regular from the factory but I choose premium because I tuned it to use premium.
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Whom are you addressing?
To get 93 octane we must buy the “up to” 10% ethanol.
To update when I filled up today, regular is $3.05. Premium is $3.65 non oxy. Mid grade is about $3.30 which is what I use on th3 Acura.
Filled up Saturday, premium (93 octane) a dollar more than regular. Non-ethanol (90 octane), 90 cents more than regular.
Mine will run on 87, but, per the manufacturer, for best performance 91 or higher octane is recommended, hence I use premium 93 octane, TopTier.
If buying gas for lawnmower or boat, truck, which uses 87 octane, might get topped of with the 90 octane non-ethanol.
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In my area (Central NJ), the differential is currently much less than that. Today, Costco is charging $3.19/premium vs $2.63/regular, for a differential of only 56 cents.
Depends on where you are. I’ve seen 93 without ethanol. In Wisconsin, you can find 93 octane gasoline without ethanol.
Agree. If you’ve re-chipped or modified it for more performance then premium is a must.