Gas: Is Higher Octane Worth The Cost? - The Definitive Answer... I Think

 

Hello, All! So I thought I'd do a little test and share my results with you as I'm sure most of you drive when you take trips with your GPS. With the continually increasing cost of gas these days and with everyone wanting to get the most out of their dollars, I wanted to figure out if paying for a higher octane gas was really worth the increased cost at the pump for any gains in fuel economy.

First, a little background. I do a lot of driving in my job, averaging around 5,500 KM's (3,400 Miles) per month. I figure about 85% highway and 15% city driving. Average driving speed is about 80 KM/H (50 MPH) and overall speed is around 70 KM/H (45 MPH). I travel all throughout Southern Alberta & Eastern B.C. so there's a good combination of flat highway and mountains. I usually use my cruise control at or just over the speed limit. I am extremely diligent in recording my travel with every fill and have been recording it all in an Excel spreadsheet for the past year and a half (work related) and decided to finally answer this question and figure it all out.

It shouldn't matter (I don't think) but I drive a newer 6 speed manual truck, V6. For a good base of averages I ran with higher octane for 23 tanks of gas versus the regular. I can't think of any other factors, I don't use A/C a lot and it would have been used to varying degrees between both regular and higher octane fills. The "regular" gas I get is usually from Esso at 87 Octane and the higher octane gas I get is again usually from Esso, "Supreme" at 91 Octane.

Okay, enough of the pre-amble... now for the results! I hope I did the correct calculations & conversions from Canadian to U.S. for all you folks in the states... If you find an error, please post it!

"Regular" Gas at 87 Octane
Average $/L: $1.180/Litre ($4.43/Gallon U.S.)
Average Economy: 13.76 L/100 KM's (20.52 MPG)
Average Cost of Gas: $0.16/KM ($0.26/Mile)

"Supreme" Gas at 91 Octane
Average $/L: $1.277/Litre ($4.79/Gallon U.S.)
Average Economy: 12.80 L/100 KM's (22.06 MPG)
Average Cost of Gas: $0.18/KM ($0.29/Mile)

So, what does all this mean? I found that the fuel economy is better with the higher octane by almost 1 Litre per 100 Kilometers (1.5 gallons per mile). On the opposite side though, the cost of gas was greater for the higher octane by $0.02 per kilometer ($0.03 per mile). So, even though I got better fuel economy, it was not worth the increase of cost at the pump. This information is not taking in to consideration any other factors such as the supposed cleaner engine, fewer emissions, etc... Just the bottom line with dollars.

I hope you find this information of interest if nothing else and feel free to comment on any of my findings. Happy and safe driving, no matter where your GPS takes you!

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When I put the higher in

When I put the higher priced gas in my car my trip millage is more. I never thought to see how much it cost difference.

This was several years ago when I worked and it was with an older car than we have now. Now that I don't work and my husband is always driving I can't talk him into putting the higher gas in. Guess it is good that he doesn't listen to me!! grin I will be quiet about it. (I'm sure he will like that.)

--
Mary, Nuvi 2450, Garmin Viago, Honda Navigation, Nuvi 750 (gave to son)

canadianation wrote: Hello,

canadianation wrote:

Hello, All! So I thought I'd do a little test and share my results with you as I'm sure most of you drive when you take trips with your GPS. With the continually increasing cost of gas these days and with everyone wanting to get the most out of their dollars, I wanted to figure out if paying for a higher octane gas was really worth the increased cost at the pump for any gains in fuel economy.

First, a little background. I do a lot of driving in my job, averaging around 5,500 KM's (3,400 Miles) per month. I figure about 85% highway and 15% city driving. Average driving speed is about 80 KM/H (50 MPH) and overall speed is around 70 KM/H (45 MPH). I travel all throughout Southern Alberta & Eastern B.C. so there's a good combination of flat highway and mountains. I usually use my cruise control at or just over the speed limit. I am extremely diligent in recording my travel with every fill and have been recording it all in an Excel spreadsheet for the past year and a half (work related) and decided to finally answer this question and figure it all out.

It shouldn't matter (I don't think) but I drive a newer 6 speed manual truck, V6. For a good base of averages I ran with higher octane for 23 tanks of gas versus the regular. I can't think of any other factors, I don't use A/C a lot and it would have been used to varying degrees between both regular and higher octane fills. The "regular" gas I get is usually from Esso at 87 Octane and the higher octane gas I get is again usually from Esso, "Supreme" at 91 Octane.

Okay, enough of the pre-amble... now for the results! I hope I did the correct calculations & conversions from Canadian to U.S. for all you folks in the states... If you find an error, please post it!

"Regular" Gas at 87 Octane
Average $/L: $1.180/Litre ($4.43/Gallon U.S.)
Average Economy: 13.76 L/100 KM's (20.52 MPG)
Average Cost of Gas: $0.16/KM ($0.26/Mile)

"Supreme" Gas at 91 Octane
Average $/L: $1.277/Litre ($4.79/Gallon U.S.)
Average Economy: 12.80 L/100 KM's (22.06 MPG)
Average Cost of Gas: $0.18/KM ($0.29/Mile)

So, what does all this mean? I found that the fuel economy is better with the higher octane by almost 1 Litre per 100 Kilometers (1.5 gallons per mile). On the opposite side though, the cost of gas was greater for the higher octane by $0.02 per kilometer ($0.03 per mile). So, even though I got better fuel economy, it was not worth the increase of cost at the pump. This information is not taking in to consideration any other factors such as the supposed cleaner engine, fewer emissions, etc... Just the bottom line with dollars.

I hope you find this information of interest if nothing else and feel free to comment on any of my findings. Happy and safe driving, no matter where your GPS takes you!

Thanks man good to know

great info thanks again

great info thanks again

--
A GPS can take you where You want to go but never where you WANT to be.

Higher Octane Gas

I had a mechanic tell me when you use higher octane, the engine runs hotter. He says to only use the lowest octane gas as long as you don't get pre-inition (pinging).

--
Larry - Nuvi 680, Nuvi 1690, Nuvi 2797LMT

Using regular when premium recommended could be costly!

phlatlander, you could be flirting with disaster. My Subaru Legacy SpecB requires premium (91 octane), but I used midgrade (89) for 5 years with no apparent issues. 4 months after the warrantee expired, a valve went. Both heads had to be replaced - the cost was just over $4000. Thankfully, Subaru Canada agreed to pay half of that, even though the warrantee was done. Dealer said it was from not using premium.

Regarding knock: I used to have a Ford Explorer (regular gas recommended) which carried me around for over 300,000km. As it aged, it began knocking more and more on the hills with less power (it's all hills around here). Using midgrade made the knocking go away gave it more pep. A neighbour had a Ford pickup a couple years older - he needed to use premium for the same reason.

Could be

SubieDriver wrote:

phlatlander, you could be flirting with disaster. My Subaru Legacy SpecB requires premium (91 octane), but I used midgrade (89) for 5 years with no apparent issues. 4 months after the warrantee expired, a valve went. Both heads had to be replaced - the cost was just over $4000. Thankfully, Subaru Canada agreed to pay half of that, even though the warrantee was done. Dealer said it was from not using premium.

Regarding knock: I used to have a Ford Explorer (regular gas recommended) which carried me around for over 300,000km. As it aged, it began knocking more and more on the hills with less power (it's all hills around here). Using midgrade made the knocking go away gave it more pep. A neighbour had a Ford pickup a couple years older - he needed to use premium for the same reason.

Carbon build up. The carbon deposits get hot and cause per-ignition and knocking. Leads to less power and engine damage. In the old days of carburetors, some kerosene in the gas would help get rid of the carbon deposits.

VW Dealer Comments -

I asked my VW Service Department about using 87 or 89 octane gas when 91 was recommended. They told me I would be paying more for the 87 or 89 octane in the long run, since the engine would need major repairs sooner than when the 91 octane was used.

I use 91 octane. It just makes sense to me.

I'm actually still alive.

Um... I meant 'the warranty expired', not 'the warrantee expired'.

Octane

The consensus by experts is to use the grade of gasoline the manufacturer recommends!

And note that premium fuel doesn't give you any significant benefits in vehicles that recommend regular fuel, says Consumer Reports. If your car recommends regular, use regular.

See these articles:

http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/the_green_l...

http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistryarticles/a/which-gaso...

--
Nuvi 2797LMT, DriveSmart 50 LMT-HD, Using Windows 10. DashCam A108C with GPS.

My own experience

Back in the late 60's I had a Ford Galaxy with a high performance 390 engine. In Santa Ana I used either Shell or Texaco ethyl gas. Arco or Mobil caused it to "ping" on heavy acceleration. We moved to Mammoth Lakes, altitude of 7000 feet. The car ran great on regular grade, even on the steep grade out of Bishop CA.
Flash forward to today. When we visit the Rockies, I use 87 octane, as reccomended by the owner manual. I won't use the 85.5 that is offered as regular grade.

--
1490LMT 1450LMT 295w

Higher Octane Gas

We only use premium, pure gas in all of our small engine devices. Because the octane level of gas degrades over time, having a higher octane allows us to maintain a good level of octane for the intended uses. As for automobiles, we use 100% gas and get much better gas mileage, in addition to better engine performance. To us, the pure gas and higher octane (for smaller engines) is worth the extra cost.

Octane degradation

panama wrote:

Because the octane level of gas degrades over time

Cite?

--
-Quest, Nuvi 1390T

Tough subject!

Fuel characteristics, composition, and everyday results are a pretty complex topic with a vast amount of misinformation out there (and here!) shock

This is a tough read, but a start on the real info can be found here: http://ethanolrfa.3cdn.net/dd9e74ce1c454a97cc_rbm6bdgh3.pdf

But, since most vehicles today have engine management systems that monitor and greatly reduce knock (detonation), then the only thing left is the info from your mfr that gives you advice on the range of fuel octane it can safely handle. (You can't actually hear ALL levels of "knock", either!).

And, volatility reduces over time in gasoline which can affect knock somewhat, but more-so affects driveability and performance.

As for small engine performance, assuming no typical problems in the fuel system from components sensitive to ethanol, I'd be willing to place a small bet on good results from just using oils formulated/recommended for small engines. Yep, engine oil rather than fuel. Although some fuels have worse detergents than others, which tends to show up quicker in small engines. That's my experience anyway.

--
It's about the Line- If a line can be drawn between the powers granted and the rights retained, it would seem to be the same thing, whether the latter be secured by declaring that they shall not be abridged, or that the former shall not be extended.

...

You will be fine with economy gasoline as long as the engine oil gets changed regularly, I think.

--
Michael (Nuvi 2639LMT)

.

Oil changes have nothing to do with fuel octane.

--
nüvi 3790T | Those who make peaceful revolution impossible, will make violent revolution inevitable ~ JFK

I disagree

Juggernaut wrote:

Oil changes have nothing to do with fuel octane.

The oil price changing has a lot to do with whether or not I can afford the octane. So, oil changes do affect octane.

--
Illiterate? Write for free help.

just dont buy the cheap 3rd

just dont buy the cheap 3rd party no name gas and youll be ok

--
A GPS can take you where You want to go but never where you WANT to be.

Oil Change?

Box Car wrote:
Juggernaut wrote:

Oil changes have nothing to do with fuel octane.

The oil price changing has a lot to do with whether or not I can afford the octane. So, oil changes do affect octane.

Please explain your statement, Box Car. I understand your first statement about price but exactly how does an oil change effect octane?

no difference

Tried 93 in my car and did not see any significant difference so it's back to 87 for the future tanks. It was a noble and expensive experiment, but I had to see if my particular car saw any difference. Given the price differential it would have to be a huge mileage jump to justify the extra outlay of cash.

I was the one to bring up

I was the one to bring up the subject of oil, but it was in reference to small engine performance. Specifically it can cause lifter and valve guide issues if it is the incorrect spec for the engine. It can also exacerbate detonation and deposit formations, which are loosely tied to what some people consider to be fuel octane issues. Octane can help or hurt, but isn't the direct cause.

I've seen this in vehicle engines, but it shows up more quickly and more dramatically in a lot of newer and more leaner running small engines.

--
It's about the Line- If a line can be drawn between the powers granted and the rights retained, it would seem to be the same thing, whether the latter be secured by declaring that they shall not be abridged, or that the former shall not be extended.

good way to keep the engine

good way to keep the engine clean

--
A GPS can take you where You want to go but never where you WANT to be.

all cars can run on alcohol

all cars can run on alcohol orignially. and most cars can be converted to run on it .. would be nice to get rid of the middle east dependency.

--
DriveSmart 50, DriveSmart 60, nuvi 2595, nuvi 3760,

Whew...

SubieDriver wrote:

Um... I meant 'the warranty expired', not 'the warrantee expired'.

I was worried... smile grin

My car does fine on regular.

My car does fine on regular.

Fiat

This car is very economic, but use only premiun, Corolla is economic and use regular,
This are the typical premiun cars
2013 Acura ILX Hybrid
2013 Chevrolet Volt
2013 Dodge Dart Aero
with turbocharged 1.4-liter
2012 Fiat 500 (non-turbo)
2013 Mini Cooper (non-turbo)
2013 Smart ForTwo
2012 Mitsubishi Outlander

Regular vs Premium

On a Canadian channel and the program is "MarketPlace" they did a very scientific test last Friday, Nov. 2nd and the use of premium fuel was totally debunked.

None of your seat of the pants unscientific driving. Several instruments on a dynometer testing station were used. As an example how many HP were needed to drive the identical car at the same speed using regular or premium. IDENTICAL results!

Another was debunked that you get more mileage on premium. Again false!!!

Also and especially if your engine is made to burn regular, using premium actually increases bad emission gasses.

One other fact, one of the experts was a race car driver and his personal car is a Corvette in which he burns regular gas. His comment was that only in race conditions would he feed it premium. But definitely not in daily driving conditions.

Watch the 1/2 hour show yourself!
http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/

--
Nuvi 2797LMT, DriveSmart 50 LMT-HD, Using Windows 10. DashCam A108C with GPS.

Always

Get better milage and runs smoother

high octane

high octane is not worth. read the manual and use the gas the auto maker designate .

Has No Benefit

A recent TV expose, did testing that proved that modern cars do not benefit from high octane gas. The electronics of the car compensated on the performance in ways that ended up with fuel consumption that was virtually identical with low octane gas.

In addition, emission outputs actually increased, because of the engine's attempts to compensate.

All fuel levels have cleaners and the supposed cleaning power touted was really of no benefit.

--
DriveSmart 65, NUVI2555LMT, (NUVI350 is Now Retired)

Broad Brush Is Just That, IMO

GPSgeek wrote:

A recent TV expose, did testing that proved that modern cars do not benefit from high octane gas. The electronics of the car compensated on the performance in ways that ended up with fuel consumption that was virtually identical with low octane gas.

In addition, emission outputs actually increased, because of the engine's attempts to compensate.

All fuel levels have cleaners and the supposed cleaning power touted was really of no benefit.

That's probably accurate for a majority of vehicles and the majority of driving habits, but the pdf in the link I posted above is still worth reading. All fuels are required to have detergents as well as other certain minimums, but some go farther than the minimums. Engine materials, designs, and fuel control methods all vary as well although they all generally appear to do the same thing as an end result. Look for IVD and LAC in Chapter 4 of the pdf link. In any case, if the mfr recommends something higher than 85 or 87 RON it's a good idea to use it unless you're mainly a highway driver and/or you're not going to keep the car as long as you can. ... imo.

--
It's about the Line- If a line can be drawn between the powers granted and the rights retained, it would seem to be the same thing, whether the latter be secured by declaring that they shall not be abridged, or that the former shall not be extended.

For What It's Worth..,,

I don't really care about gas mileage and prefer that my car engine run smoothly. Over the years, I have found that my cars run better with a higher octane gasoline.

--
RKF (Brookeville, MD) Garmin Nuvi 660, 360 & Street Pilot

Waste of money

rkf wrote:

I don't really care about gas mileage and prefer that my car engine run smoothly. Over the years, I have found that my cars run better with a higher octane gasoline.

Unless, of course you drive a vehicle that requires 'super', the science proves you wrong.

--
Currently have: SP3, GPSMAP 276c, Nuvi 760T, Nuvi 3790LMT, Zumo 660T

The science of maximum Fuel

The science of maximum Fuel Economy, the science of minimum Emissions, and the science of maximum Performance are all different and at some point one will conflict with another.

The science does support better engine performance with higher grade (and thus generally higher octane) fuels. That doesn't mean that you will or won't see a difference in fuel economy over a typically measured time period.

That's why this is usually a contentious subject. People always confuse/talk about apples and oranges.

For most vehicles and most driving habits, using fuel higher than the owner's manual recommendation is a waste of money. For some others, using a fuel lower or higher (it is the minimum recommendation usually) can either be a benefit or a detriment. Depends on equipment and average driving condition & style. And your goals.

Why do you think "Your mileage may vary" is used so much?

--
It's about the Line- If a line can be drawn between the powers granted and the rights retained, it would seem to be the same thing, whether the latter be secured by declaring that they shall not be abridged, or that the former shall not be extended.

Higher octane fuel has one

Higher octane fuel has one real purpose. It prevents detonation/knocking under higher combustion temperatures and cylinder pressures. This is for higher end cars, cars with high compression engines or forced induction/boost.

Now, practically speaking, some manufacturers add higher amounts of detergent to their premium fuel offering, which is the only potential benefit of premium fuel to cars not requiring it. I am a car fanatic. I run regular in my truck that calls for it and premium in my supercharged toy.

If you buy gas with reputable stations, there is no reason to buy premium when a car does not call for, period.

--
-Jonathan '00 Mustang GT (built and supercharged) '08 Tundra (workhorse) '02 325i (daily driver)

in the west

That is true at higher elevations in the western US however in the mid west or east coast regular is 87 octane. I do agree with your thinking on mileage however if a higher octane created less emissions you can be sure our friendly EPA would be requiring it.

I always use premium gas and

I always use premium gas and the best oil in my cars and have absolutely no trouble with any of my cars. Cost a little up front but the piece of mind to me is worth it. I have been using amsoil lately and it is the best oil on the market.

--
NickJr Nuvi 3597LMT

premium gas

My mechanic told me years ago to buy the most premium gas that I can buy. Costs more per gallon, but my engine will last longer, and mileage will be slightly better. I have more than 300,000 miles on my Toyota Camry. The tranny went out, but the engine is still good. I got the tranny, and front end repaired, and it runs like new again. Engine uses no more oil than it did when new. BTW, I been using Amsoil for the past 15 years. Dont know if it was the oil, or the gas that made the engine last.

--
Unless you are the lead sled dog, the view never changes. I is retard... every day is Saturday! I still use the Garmin 3590 LMT even tho I upgraded to the Garmin 61 LMT. Bigger screen is not always better in my opinion.

.

Oil is the life-blood of an engine. It's as simple as that.

--
nüvi 3790T | Those who make peaceful revolution impossible, will make violent revolution inevitable ~ JFK

No

Octane is all about knock suppression, nothing more.

It appears that this thread should be about the cost-benefit analysis of various grades of gasoline. There is nothing about knock suppression in this discussion.

How large was the samples that were compared? I hope thousands of miles over the exact same route and driven exactly the same. And weather plays a huge role, particularly temperature.

If you are looking for the lowest cost per mile, then regular is the way to go.

Most if not all modern cars have knock sensors to accommodate various octane ratings and automatically adjust ignition timing. All fuel has to have a certain level of cleaners per federal regulations to maintain emissions.

When a lower octane fuel is used, the engine will not have access to the max timing advance and hence may not make the max power, and will also be unnoticeable. This will only be in play at full throttle.

--
When you are dead, you don’t know that you are dead. It is only difficult for the others. It is the same when you are stupid.

Unless your vehicle requires

Unless your vehicle requires premium octane fuel it is a waste to use it and there should not be any increase in fuel ecnomy by doing so.

--
an94

Higher octane, not setting off sensor

A engine runs the most efficiently when the timing is advanced the highest it can be without pre-detonation, AKA, spark knock, pinging. A higher octane fuel will allow it to run at a more advanced timing, without setting off the knock sensor, equaling, a slightly better mpg.

--
Unless you are the lead sled dog, the view never changes. I is retard... every day is Saturday! I still use the Garmin 3590 LMT even tho I upgraded to the Garmin 61 LMT. Bigger screen is not always better in my opinion.

The consensus by experts.....

The consensus by experts is to use the grade of gasoline the manufacturer recommends! This is what my mechanic has always told me. Nothing higher and nothing lower.

--
With God, all things are possible. ——State motto of the Great State of Ohio

That was then, this is now!

groundhog wrote:

A engine runs the most efficiently when the timing is advanced the highest it can be without pre-detonation, AKA, spark knock, pinging. A higher octane fuel will allow it to run at a more advanced timing, without setting off the knock sensor, equaling, a slightly better mpg.

Back in the days when you could change the timing it was possible to advance or retard the timing. These days the computer will override any possible changes you may affect!

Again as for Regular vs. Premium, experts agree that using Premium is a waste and has no beneficial use in a car designed for regular fuel. Anyone who says that their car little Honda Civic or similar performs better is only fooling themselves.

See these GOOGLE pages for more information!
https://www.google.ca/#q=regular+fuel+vs+premium+fuel

--
Nuvi 2797LMT, DriveSmart 50 LMT-HD, Using Windows 10. DashCam A108C with GPS.

My 2003 Harley Road King

My 2003 Harley Road King motorcycle requires at least 92 octane according to the owners manual, my 2013 Jeep Wrangler's manual suggests using regular, around my neck of the woods that's 87 octane. I'm glad the Road King's gas tank is only 5 gallons.

--
. 2 Garmin DriveSmart 61 LMT-S, Nuvi 2689, 2 Nuvi 2460, Zumo 550, Zumo 450, Uniden R3 radar detector with GPS built in, includes RLC info. Uconnect 430N Garmin based, built into my Jeep. .

Sunoco 260

I had a 1967 BSA custom high compression once that needed Sunoco 260 or it would knock. 96 - 97.5 octane. It made traveling fun, looking for the few places you could fill up.

I've read through the three

I've read through the three pages of posts this far and find this to be a very interesting thread.

I do not have personal data but I can relate some information I've read on another forum.

I own a 2002 VW Eurovan Camper (Winnebago conversion) with a VR6 engine that requires high octane.

Quite a number of VW camper owners did some long term tests and found at the time that with the decrease in performance using the lower octane fuel, that they did not save money versus the cost/performance of using premium.

They did not use the most sophisticated tools in determining this, just a heck of a lot of mixed driving miles by many folks. In the end, if the lower octane will not reveal a significant (if at all) savings, I will continue to reach for the premium fuel as required each time I refill.

Safe motoring,
Rob

--
Maps -> Wife -> Garmin 12XL -> StreetPilot 2610 -> Nuvi 660 (blown speaker) -> Nuvi 3790LMT

It may worth it for long trips

As someone earlier stated, if your car requires then most definitely use it.

An other hand, if your trip requires more than 2 refills then you might see the difference between low octane and high octane in mileage wise.

--
Road Warrior

Regular

I haven't used anything other than regular grade gas since I was a teenager and had my grandfather's gas credit card. Back then I used "Ethyl" which is what the mid-grade gas was called. I paid $0.249 per gallon which was pretty spendy as you could often get regular grade gas for $0.19 per gallon when there was a "gas war" going on at the various stations. Using the mid-grade gas it cost me $2.50 to fill my Volkswagen back then. smile

--
GPSMAP 76CSx - nüvi 760 - nüvi 200 - GPSMAP 78S

Higher octane for higher

Higher octane for higher output sports cars.

manufactures have made it easy by putting your requirements on the fuel door.

Brand > Octane for most people

gadget_man wrote:

Higher octane for higher output sports cars.

manufactures have made it easy by putting your requirements on the fuel door.

Amen. There is no need for 93 in a car calling for 87. It is a waste. People should concentrate on buying a good brand of fuel.

--
-Jonathan '00 Mustang GT (built and supercharged) '08 Tundra (workhorse) '02 325i (daily driver)
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