Have you ever wondered what the difference is between the types of gas offered at your neighborhood gas station? Of course you probably always use one, single type. Your car’s owner’s manual probably even spells out for you what type that should be. But who uses those other types, you might wonder.
The folks at Cars.com offer great information and explanations on practically any topic you might wonder about when it comes to your vehicle. Most pumps offer three types of gas from which drivers can choose. These are called grades and typically referred to as regular gas, special gas and premium ga,s or some variation of those names depending on what kind of gas station it is. Regular gas, which is used in the vast majority of vehicles, has the lowest octane rating at 87. This type of gas is the cheapest option. The higher the octane level, the more efficiently your car is supposed to run. Middle range gas types usually have an octane rating of between 87 and 89. Premium types of gasoline have an octane rating of 91 to 93. As previously mentioned, most cars on the road today require regular gas to function. You can use the higher grade gas options in those same cars, and the belief is that you should see some improvement in the fuel efficiency of your vehicle. Some high performance and luxury vehicles actually do require only premium gas. If you put lower grade gasoline into these vehicles that require premium, there will be a noticeable and significant decline in the car’s performance.
Most gas stations also offer diesel fuel at some of the pumps. The difference between diesel and regular types of gas boils down to the type of combustion that happen within the engine of your vehicle when fuel is introduced to the mechanical processes. Diesel fuel is for use with vehicles that have been outfitted with diesel engines which are specifically designed to accommodate the specific chemical reaction caused by diesel fuel. You must never put diesel fuel into a vehicle that takes regular gasoline or regular gasoline into a vehicle built with a diesel engine. If you do mistakenly put the wrong fuel type in your vehicle, it can cause major engine malfunction and it can be a costly problem. You will need to have the fuel tank drained as soon as possible and have the fuel filter changed to remove any of the offensive fuel type.
