Regular Gas or Premium?

Your owner's manual may recommend premium gas, but is it really necessary?

Q: Can I use regular gas even though my owner's manual recommends premium?

A: Yes. Regular gas is actually fine for most cars on the road today, since only a small number vehicles (like Cadillac Escalades and Dodge Vipers) have high-compression engines that require premium gas.

As many as 30% of Americans spend an extra 15 to 20 cents a gallon ($100 or more a year) for high octane. Sure, in cars where premium's "recommended," you may get slightly better performance from your car, but the increase is usually too small to justify the higher cost at the pump. If your manual doesn't specify any type of gas, the car was made to run best on regular fuel, and premium won't boost performance one iota.

From Reader's Digest - January 2006

 

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