AFTER READING THIS COLUMN, YOU’LL BE able to save a minimum of 25 cents, and in many cases a lot more, not just per tankful, but per gallon of gasoline.
And you don’t have to call some 800 number for “magic pills” or order a “secret report the government doesn’t want you to see” about a 100-mile per gallon carburetor; this “trick” is free.
Unfortunately, diesel fuel buyers can’t benefit from this ploy, which is — simply “pass” on high-test gasoline and stick with the lowest grade of gas your car or truck can guzzle without getting ill.
The truth is that very few unmodified cars will run best only on high octane. Most every car and truck sold in the US will run just fine on “regular,” usually 87 octane, and mid-grade gasoline, usually 89 octane. The highest grade gas sold in California is 91 octane.
John Dinkel, author of the “Road & Track Illustrated Automotive Dictionary,” offers an authoritative word on the subject: “If a carmaker recommends gasoline with a minimum RON (a method of measuring a fuel’s anti-knock abilities) of 91, fuel from a pump with a rating of 87 or higher can be used.”
My point exactly. Dinkel may tell the world’s worst puns, but knows his stuff when it comes to automotive issues.
Pontiac’s all-new 2008 G8 sedan, made in Australia by GM’s Holden division (and called Commodore down in Oz), is available in the U.S. with either a V6 or V8 engine.
Pontiac recommends “regular unleaded” for use in both engines, but also says that “premium (octane gas) maximizes performance”.
Is it worth paying between an extra 25 cents and a dollar-per-gallon in order to access, say, those last 20-or-so horsepower? That’s up to the car’s owner.
Here’s how to determine which grade of gas your car or truck needs: Experiment, just like we all did in junior high science lab, but without trying to blow something up.
If your owner’s manual says use high-octane, and you’ve been filling-up with the premium stuff, simply stop — and try a tankful of the mid-grade. Or even the low-est-octane available.
Here’s the important part: If during or after running a tankful of the low-grade, unlabeled, Ripple-version of gasoline your car or truck starts exhibiting some nasty tendencies which it didn’t on the high-grade, including engine knocking, pinging or even “dieseling” (turning off the ignition doesn’t stop the engine from running for a few seconds) and/or a noticeable drop in acceleration (“bogging down” when you try to pass on the 10 Freeway) or there’s a drop in mileage, using a tankful of high-grade the next time you fill-up will usually cure every one of those problems exhibited on the cheap swill.
There’s nothing wrong, and money to be saved swapping between the high, mid and low grades every tankful.
With the price of gasoline (and diesel, heating oil, jet fuel and anything else made from plastic or other petro-related products) only going up, with perhaps just an occasional and temporary dip, the trick of swapping gas grades might be completely new for you or something you’ve been doing for years.
Our nation’s fearless leader’s only suggestion to lower gas prices has been to recommend rescinding rules which prevented offshore drilling, and to blame the high prices on Democrats.
So, never has the grade of the gas Americans use in their cars and trucks been so important. Not to your car or truck, but to your wallet.
STEVE PARKER created the position of “automotive reporter” and spent a decade on KTLA/TV5 and KCBS/TV2, was awarded two Emmys, and produces and hosts “Car Nut TV” for Time Warner systems in the Coachella Valley and San Diego County. He is a consultant to the NBC automotive show, Whipnotic. Visit and www.SteveParker.com.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 15, 2008. Read the original PDF.