In the United States at least there are 3 grades of unleaded gasoline at most pumps. Does it really matter what grade of gas you use? Can I use the lowest grade one week and the next week get premium if I can afford it? Does it help with milage or does it keep your engine clean? What is the difference?
In: Engineering
The grades of gas have a rating called an octane rating. In very VERY simple terms, this means how hard it is to make that specific gas combust. Higher octane rating means the harder (and subsequently, more controllable) it is to combust.
Premium gas (high octane gas) is harder to combust, which is good when you need gasoline to combust at a very specific moment (like for sports cars). Lower tier gas is cheaper but is easier to combust, which is fine if your car is a simple commute to work vehicle.
Ive seen it thrown around from time to time that lower tier (than the manufacturer recommends) gas, since it can combust earlier than needed (due to its lower octane rating), could damage a car’s engine due to combusting too early. I cant confirm that, but its food for thought.
Speaking SOLELY from my case, Its generally not a good idea to run a vehicle with a grade of gas lower than the manufacturer recommends. My vehicle (2003 dodge ram 1500) will die after running with lower than premium grade gas after about ten minutes. Hope this helps!
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