We have 11 vehicles which require premium. Well worth it for the driving/riding enjoyment they deliver.
Premium Fuel $1.00 (or more) Higher
- Thread starter john_pifer
- Start date
Patman
Staff member
Bingo! Almost my entire life of driving I have owned cars that needed premium. For a lot of that time I had one that took 87 octane and got great MPG in order to offset the cost of the car that took premium.
The upcharge for premium matters much less when you aren't doing long commutes. Lately I've been spending about $175 per month on gas for both vehicles combined. They both sip premium. The GLI gets 35 mpg plus at 80 mph so it really doesn't get to fill that one with premium. At 300hp it's fun and economical in one package.
Gas is $3.54 here in St. Lawrence County. I didn't dare look at premium.
JHZR2
Staff member
I was under the impression that it was always active.
I can’t see the value of including the component, harness, sw, etc., only to deactivate it.
I similarly don't understand anyone using 87 or lower.
My 2006 Dodge Magnum calls for 89.
Costco and Sam's Club also charge yearly membership dues for their stores. They also raised membership card prices this year.
That's higher than 87.
Patman
Staff member
Why would I put anything else in my Civic? All it needs is 87 so any higher is simply wasting money.
I remember when the typical spread was usually 10 cents between grades. Said something about pricing in the industry not exactly being based on relative costs. I've even heard premium isn't necessarily more to produce. But it can be about rarity and that it's generally more desirable regardless of how much it costs to make.
Some vehicles require it, it is as simple as that. My 09 Lexus requires 91 or higher. Most modern vehicles dont require it, nor do they have any gains from using it.
There are some videos on this subject regarding octane and wear, and LSPI on Youtube.
It was rare to find a car that specified 89, but I’ve heard of a few. Motorcycles definitely.
But the usual reason was when cars suffered from knocking or preignition due to carbon desposits. Especially at a time when cars might have carbs or didn’t have knock sensors. It was really just a bandaid on an issue that should have been fixed.
A number of factors have lead to the ever increasing spread between 87 and 93 gasoline.
#1. Devaluation of the currency.. . That is a part of this circumstance as it is with everything else.
#2. The increased cost of the ingredients in the 93 octane gasoline.. Just like motor oil prices went up a good bit.. Because of a good number increases in the additive packages for them… 93 gasoline suffered the same fate too. There were several substantial increases in those packages from 2019 going forward.
#3. And obviously the businesses themselves have to continue to make money. My step father worked for Amoco oil refinery in Yorktown and the average profit margin they wanted was between 10-12 percent. So of course refineries want to hit their margins too which is a part of this circumstance as well.
As an aside note.. The 04 Toyota RAV we have just had a major and I mean major issue related to the fuel system not operating correctly. $1,300 later and it’s running right again. Ran great when we first got it with 76k miles on it. Then it suddenly got to where it could hardly run at all. Took some serious work to get it right again. Our guy who repaired it told us to run 93 in the RAV as much as possible going forward. Due to having a lot more cleaning agents in 93 vs regular 87. To help get the fuel system running right and cleaner. Which top tier Shell, Exxon or Sunoco plus others have been proven to have much higher level of cleaning agents vs the bare minimum. So.. that what the RAV is getting going forward.
#1. Devaluation of the currency.. . That is a part of this circumstance as it is with everything else.
#2. The increased cost of the ingredients in the 93 octane gasoline.. Just like motor oil prices went up a good bit.. Because of a good number increases in the additive packages for them… 93 gasoline suffered the same fate too. There were several substantial increases in those packages from 2019 going forward.
#3. And obviously the businesses themselves have to continue to make money. My step father worked for Amoco oil refinery in Yorktown and the average profit margin they wanted was between 10-12 percent. So of course refineries want to hit their margins too which is a part of this circumstance as well.
As an aside note.. The 04 Toyota RAV we have just had a major and I mean major issue related to the fuel system not operating correctly. $1,300 later and it’s running right again. Ran great when we first got it with 76k miles on it. Then it suddenly got to where it could hardly run at all. Took some serious work to get it right again. Our guy who repaired it told us to run 93 in the RAV as much as possible going forward. Due to having a lot more cleaning agents in 93 vs regular 87. To help get the fuel system running right and cleaner. Which top tier Shell, Exxon or Sunoco plus others have been proven to have much higher level of cleaning agents vs the bare minimum. So.. that what the RAV is getting going forward.
Patman
Staff member
I’m getting really annoyed with Shell stations in my area now because more and more of them are now pricing their 93 octane at 47 cents PER LITER more than 87! That’s $1.78 more per gallon! Insane! Meanwhile I see more Mobil stations popping up lately and they sell their 93 for ten cents less. So after running my Corvette almost exclusively on Shell for almost two years now, it looks like I will switch to Mobil. It’s too bad that Costco up here has 91 octane instead of 93. My Corvette needs 93 (I notice the difference if I run 91)
SammyChevelleTypeS3
$50 site donor 2023
Yes. We have Shell here who love to rob folks in general and even more for those who want premium.
I been thinking of changing to Exxon depending on their prices. Just mainly based on the Shell sellers greed more than anything.
One can drive less than 20 miles away and get gas far cheaper than what they are charging folks right here.
There is a family here who owns all of the Shell stations and they also inherited the local distributorship. They have ALL the Shell customers in about a 15 mile radius and yet they seem to enjoy screwing over their customers with the absolute highest fuel prices around.
It appears to be just shameless flat out GREED. Plain and simple.
Last edited:
Patman
Staff member
It’s a bummer because I do feel that Shell 93 might just be the best fuel available in terms of its potential to keep the engine running clean. Although Mobil has the Synergy add pack that appears to be extremely good as well. My engine might not know the difference but my wallet will
If you have a car rated for 87 but it solder.
Some older cars rated for 87 but with deposits may get knock on 87, especially in summer
Back in the day when Iived in the upper midwest price diferent between Premium and regular was 15% aka 15 cents.
Back then it was an easy decsions to run premium
Now I own a car that "recommends premium for maximum performance" on the sticker, but I run 90.5 Octane ( US rating) whoch is german 95 Octane.
In cooler temps and at the slight altitude I reside I feel I fine with it.
In summertime when I know I will drive hard I go premium.
Premium (US 93.5) is nearly a dollar more per gallon then the lowest grade available here ( 90.5)
Back then it was an easy decsions to run premium
Now I own a car that "recommends premium for maximum performance" on the sticker, but I run 90.5 Octane ( US rating) whoch is german 95 Octane.
In cooler temps and at the slight altitude I reside I feel I fine with it.
In summertime when I know I will drive hard I go premium.
Premium (US 93.5) is nearly a dollar more per gallon then the lowest grade available here ( 90.5)
