I always get the highest grade. I get more miles to the dollar that way so it's cheaper. That being said, i don't remember the prices of the low grades exactly. Here in Hobart i just paid $2.95/gallon for the good stuff last weekend. The cheap stuff was probably around $2.65. Around the corner from where i work, near NYC, there was a station that topped out at $3.97 for the high grade and $3.65 for the cheap stuff. When i drove past there last night they were down to about $3.23 and $2.99.

There was a news report about a year ago on the premium grade fuels and if they really are better. The conclusion: They charge more for a diluted detergent additive and give you more octane, which the majority of cars are not made for. They said you are better off getting the cheaper grade (unless your owner's manual states otherwise) and adding your own fuel additive (around 87cents a bottle).

I have never been one to purchase the higher grade fuel, but I am curious now as to how it gives you more miles to the gallon- not that I am doubting you, just curious if you know something I don't.

j razz

In the UK we're paying about 85p per litre (about $1.60 per litre) at the moment. Has been as high as 0.99p ($1.85) this year.

so we've been paying around $7.00 per (US) gallon. Nice. (my maths may be a little off)

Just as well we don't have the same distances to drive.

j razz, actually i said more miles to the dollar, not gallon. But indeed that is because i get more miles to the gallon. On the cheap stuff i tend to get about 31mpg highway 26mpg city and with the expensive stuff i get around 36mpg highway 31 mpg city. Since the expensive stuff is only about 11% more expensive and i get about 16% better milage, i go about 5% farther on each dollar and save money by buying the high grade.

I have no idea about additives or what's in the gas. All i know is how far i drive and how much i put in the tank. It's just simple math from there.

~$2.57 south of Buffalo, NY, USA. Goes up/down depending on where you go exactly. Lucky for me, the local supermarket chain offers you $0.10 off per gallon for every $100 you spend at the store. So... ~once a month I get get for ~$0.40 cheaper. :) I actuatly filled up my tank for less then $30 this week. Haven't done that since.... 3/4 years ago?

gotta say though, it's not the car that kills my gas $$. It's the tractor/chainsay & soon to be snow blower. Those i need to get things done. The car isn't used much, just for going to work & such. one tank can last me ~2 weeks.

In Toronto it's been sliding between $CAD 0.77-0.85 per litre. You do the math. :-)
Tom

what kind of car do you drive? 31/26 sounds about simular to a Ford 500 or Fusion (or simular car from other domestic manufactures). I've found if I drive between 40-45mpg my mpg is ~30 on my tarus.

that's not a bad price. ~$2.85 USD a gallon.

Close. It's my trusty ol' '98 Ford Escort Sport, 5 speed. It's amazing how much better the milage is with a manual transmission. It's a lot more fun* to drive too. :)

*My wife

On the Gold Coast, $1 AUD per litre. Been up to $1.33 this year.

Am I right in thinking an American gallon is about 3.5 litres? And an imperial gallon is about 4.5 litres?

A

Fill my Prius with gear and drive 2-hour round trips at high freeway speeds: 52 mpg.

Love it.

Especially that I can put in a 9 ft. wide roll of greenscreen/backdrop/lightstands, etc., with everything inside the car.

Hammond, Indiana: $2.01/gl.

I think that's about right wolfbass. At least a litre is still a litre (or liter!).
Tom

wolfbass, you're correct on the imperial gallon number.
An American gallon is ~ 3.8 litres.
With the current Canadian/American exchange rate ($1.12), this makes Tom's gas price range (BTW, same range down in the Windsor area) of 77¢ - 85¢ per litre more like (U.S.) $3.28 - $3.62 per gallon.

Mike

Fargo, ND
1.99 with a 5cent off card 2 blocks from my house and that's the lowest in town (it's nice living 2 blocks from the consistantly cheapest gas in town) :)


Dave

nice. :) I got good milage on my old '94 5 speed escort wagon too. :) The 500 & Fusion have the option for 6 speed automatics which really helps the MPG. The fusion lets you choose between 5 speed manual/auto & 6 speed auto. That would be nice (especially with the winters around here!)

16% difference just in the gas? That's a stretch. Especially when dynamometer tests only show a 4% difference in HP from regular to premium.

I'll bet that if someone else tanked your vehicle and you didn't know what fuel was in it, your results would be different.

$2.40 per gallon for premium (my 4Runner requires premium) in Florida last fill-up.

Yeah, I miss my '94 Escort LX. What a great little car. Fun to drive, tight steering... My wife told me I had to get rid of that or my '91 Stealth ES, another wonderful car that gets about 14 miles less per gallon. We had to make room for a mini-van.

Grand Rapids, MI. We're at about $2.25 per Gallon for regular.

How about $1.70 / litre (or 90 pence in the UK).

You don't know how lucky you are in the US...

Worley

I have always used Premium gas. I have four cars (some in semi-states of repair) and do my own service work. The least number of miles any of the cars has is around 289,000 miles. One of them has 340,000 miles.

If the car's engine has a compression ratio of 9.0 to 1 or greater it should be burning gasoline with an octane rating of 92 or higher. Today that means Premium.

You can easily test whether you car needs it or not. Accurately check your gas mileage using the same gas station at least twice using Regular the first time and Premium the second time. Park in the same spot and let the filler gun shut itself off to make it accurate.
If you see a 3mpg or better difference you car should run better and last longer on Premium. All of mine do.

Premium averages around $3.00 a gallon right now. The industry uses "regional pricing" which means that in areas where they feel people make more money they charge more. The New York metropolitan area is one of the higher priced areas in the United States. Some say the prices will go back up after the elections.

With record profits in the past few years the oil industry also enjoys very large TAX BREAKS thanks to the policies of our current government who pass policies to screw the public in favor of large corporations like the oil industry, pharmaseutical indusrtry, and mass media industries. Hopefully there will be SOME checks an balance after this year's elections in November.

John

n19093, i think in my particular case the difference is a lot bigger due to my tiny engine. When i use the low end gas i end up having to downshift a lot more often. Going up a hill in 3rd takes a lot more gas than when i can do it in 5th. And where i live, it's all uphill ... both ways! ;)