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With all the turbo downsizing nowadays, the next step to reach the epa mpg standards, I do see going premium gas will be mainstream sooner or later. In older cars, with higher compression and same size engines, sometimes I see between 30-40 hp more compared to the regular gas versions. I do see in the future with turbo downsizing, carmakers will keep the same hp figures but make the engine even smaller, and with less torque they might refine or add more gears to their transmissions to make it work.
If let's say, a midsized car, turbo downsized now, gets 32 mpg on regular gas, 200 hp. If it's switched to a smaller engine, still 200 hp, but now it gets 35 mpg but on premium gas, which car is the better deal financial wise, if regular gas is 3.70, premium is 4.00?
Also what is the break even point in terms of mpg, if the regular gas car gets 32 mpg, would the break even point be at least 38 mpg to break even?
Also If there is more demand for premium gas in the future, and they mass produce it, would the price come down and be just 10 cents more than regular? I do see this as the future with mpgs going up and up. Electric cars will take a while due to the lack of lithium.
If your vehicle doesn’t call for premium then you’re just wasting your money.
...not only that, but there are actually fewer BTUs, calories, joules or electron volts (chose your favorite unit of energy) in a gal of premium vs a gal of regular....Regular would pre-detonate in a high compression engine, while premium won't. Hi compession allows you to get more cc's out of the same cylinder size.
HP determines how fast you can go (torque determines how fast you get up to that speed) but since we don't usually drive our cars at redline in top gear, HP doesn't make any real difference in driving, but it makes for good bar-room bragging.
Location: Formerly Pleasanton Ca, now in Marietta Ga
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Quote:
Originally Posted by accord2008
With all the turbo downsizing nowadays, the next step to reach the epa mpg standards, I do see going premium gas will be mainstream sooner or later. In older cars, with higher compression and same size engines, sometimes I see between 30-40 hp more compared to the regular gas versions. I do see in the future with turbo downsizing, carmakers will keep the same hp figures but make the engine even smaller, and with less torque they might refine or add more gears to their transmissions to make it work.
If let's say, a midsized car, turbo downsized now, gets 32 mpg on regular gas, 200 hp. If it's switched to a smaller engine, still 200 hp, but now it gets 35 mpg but on premium gas, which car is the better deal financial wise, if regular gas is 3.70, premium is 4.00?
Also what is the break even point in terms of mpg, if the regular gas car gets 32 mpg, would the break even point be at least 38 mpg to break even?
Also If there is more demand for premium gas in the future, and they mass produce it, would the price come down and be just 10 cents more than regular? I do see this as the future with mpgs going up and up. Electric cars will take a while due to the lack of lithium.
Here in Georgia premium is way more than 30 cents. It’s 50 cents. A few years ago it was more like 20 cents a gallon.
Here in Georgia premium is way more than 30 cents. It’s 50 cents. A few years ago it was more like 20 cents a gallon.
Here in MN it’s 50-70 cents more, and was also about 20 cents few years ago. I haven’t owned a vehicle that hasn’t required it in about 17 years. Premium is competing with diesel on who can be higher lately.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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The owner's manual for my 1974 Nova says to use "Regular leaded or unleaded minimum 93 Octane, no need to use premium." Today, Premium is 92 or 93, back then it was 102 Octane.
The owner's manual for my 1974 Nova says to use "Regular leaded or unleaded minimum 93 Octane, no need to use premium." Today, Premium is 92 or 93, back then it was 102 Octane.
That was tetra ethyl lead gasoline. Engine technology has changed dramatically since 1974. That car had a carburetor and a mechanical ignition system. With fuel injection, electronic ignition system, and knock sensors, you can run 87 octane fuel without the engine knocking. Knocking is premature detonation of the fuel in the cylinder. Higher octane fuel has less energy in it so it avoids detonation as the fuel-air mixture is being compressed by the cylinder. The energy in today’s 93 octane fuel is much lower than leaded gasoline was back in the day.
I have a 6 cyl, heavy vehicle...if I do not us Premium it knocks... After 2 tanks full, that is.
I don't care spending that extra...
also seems to have more power getting on the Interstate.
It is 91 octane in Colorado, USA - 6000+ ft approx.
The owner's manual for my 1974 Nova says to use "Regular leaded or unleaded minimum 93 Octane, no need to use premium." Today, Premium is 92 or 93, back then it was 102 Octane.
Octane ratings were different in 1974. Today it's (Research octane plus Motor octane) divided by 2, or (R+M)/2
The Research Octane number is higher by 8 to 12 points than Motor Octane, and was widely used in the past.
I have a 6 cyl, heavy vehicle...if I do not us Premium it knocks... After 2 tanks full, that is.
I don't care spending that extra...
also seems to have more power getting on the Interstate.
It is 91 octane in Colorado, USA - 6000+ ft approx.
You probably have carbon build up in the engine-- amazing how little it take to sigjificantly change the effective cc's of the engine-ie- a dirty engine is effectively a "high compression engine"
Less O2 at hgh elevations, so you may be running rich if it's a pre-computer vehicle. If it isn't, then I give up.
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