The cost of gasoline is on the rise again. Why you ask? We won´t go into that but there's a good chance that El Niño or Yugo going out of business may be tied into the scenario somewhere. What we will go into is fuel octane versus vehicle duty. With the rising cost of fuel many consumer are switching back to lower octane fuel to help offset the price. This is a more economical way to get you from point A to point B but can lead to costly repairs in some cases.
Higher octane fuels have more additives in them for cleaning and providing your engine with the potential to make more power. A more even and controllable flame front in your engines combustion chamber is what enables it to produce power well beyond the limits of standard unleaded fuel.
Before you fill you gas tank with low grade fuel the vehicle and the conditions under which it will be driven should be considered. Heavy duty towing vehicles should always use a higher grade fuel, without it costly internal engine damage can occur when the engine is under load. Light duty trucks and passenger cars should use a higher grade fuel whenever they are used under load conditions. Extra weight in the vehicle and steeper road grades can put a tremendous power demand on the engine, which makes it vulnerable to internal damage.
Heavy Load: 4-5 passengers with luggage or steeper road grade conditions.
Tests have proven that octane ratings can vary between fuel suppliers so stick to name brand fuels that you can trust. Matching the duty of you vehicle to the level of octane rating, at the gas pump, can save on a costly auto repair bill in the long run.
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We welcome your feedback on these features.