Gas

[doucy]

[ QUOTE ]
"plus" and "super" have a higher octane rating, which means that they are less prone to detonation (knocking). If your car knocks on regular, or plus, you should use the next higher grade. If it doesn't knock on regular, there's really no benefit to using the higher grades.

[/ QUOTE ]

There will always be knocking unless you are using 100 octane fuel.

Use whatever fuel is recommended for your engine. As another poster said, general rule is that higher octane will get you better gas mileage and more power, but it's usually not worth the increased price.

[arahant]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
"plus" and "super" have a higher octane rating, which means that they are less prone to detonation (knocking). If your car knocks on regular, or plus, you should use the next higher grade. If it doesn't knock on regular, there's really no benefit to using the higher grades.

[/ QUOTE ]

There will always be knocking unless you are using 100 octane fuel.


[/ QUOTE ]
Actually, the 100 is just a standardized measure based on the knocking of a particular compound. Octane rating can be higher than 100.

And many (maybe most?) engines today have all sorts of fancy-ass 'anti-knock' systems. You almost never get knocking in todays cars, but the activation of the system slightly reduces your power.

[CORed]

[ QUOTE ]
I was told that the actual quality of the station is more important than the brand. If it is an old, washed out gas station, then there is a higher chance that their storage tanks are not clean or may have leaks. I assume this would lead to lower quality gas.

[/ QUOTE ]

This sounds correct to me. If a station doesn't clean their tanks regularly, or if they have old steel tanks that are rusting, you are a lot more likely to get cruddy gasoline. I have also heard of unscrupulous gas stations cutting gasoline with natural gas condensate, which will result in a low octane and possibly dirty or unstable mix.

[mjkidd]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
The higher octane content in plus and super also result in a higher amount of energy per unit volume. So you'll get better gas mileage, and have a little bit more power. But the difference in gas mileage is not enough to offset the increase in price.

[/ QUOTE ]

Don't you have to have a specific type of engine to take advantage of that?

[/ QUOTE ]

No. Higher octane gas does more work/unit volume. The type of engine shouldn't really matter.

[BruceZ]

I read a report that said you should avoid buying gas shortly after the truck fills the tanks, as that process stirs up sediment.

[Max Raker]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
The higher octane content in plus and super also result in a higher amount of energy per unit volume. So you'll get better gas mileage, and have a little bit more power. But the difference in gas mileage is not enough to offset the increase in price.

[/ QUOTE ]

Don't you have to have a specific type of engine to take advantage of that?

[/ QUOTE ]

No. Higher octane gas does more work/unit volume. The type of engine shouldn't really matter.

[/ QUOTE ]

I thought the octane rating had more to do with how fast the fuel burns. Higher rating=slower burning