What Type of Gas is Right for Your Car?
Now I feel is the best time to post a blog about this subject, simply because of the outrageous prices people are paying all over the world for gas. Just to give some quick insight into it, people are being told to brace for prices to hit $2.34/liter at the pumps in Vancouver, according to a recent news article.
This blog post is probably one of the most important posts that you will read on this site. A lot of people have the problem of not knowing which grade of gas to use for their vehicle, even though in the User’s Manual a specific grade is mentioned. This week’s blog post is a mini deep dive into the different grades of gasoline, and why it’s important to know which grade is ideal for your vehicle. Vroom vroom vroom, let’s go!
Okay, so you pull up to the gas station after you notice the gas light on your dashboard, but now you are sitting there thinking (and probably feeling overwhelmed if you’re a new driver), looking out your window at the three gas grade options you have to choose from. Not to worry! We got you.
Overview
Filling gas (for beginners) can really feel like a numbers game especially when you don’t know much about either of the numbers. Most people might feel inclined to choose the number with the lowest price, but that might not always be a good idea. Unfortunately, this is not one of those places (when it comes to your car) where you can save money all the time.
Octane is not an additive. Instead, the amount of octane depends on how the fuel was refined, basically meaning the higher the octane level, the more expensive it gets. But I think we need to backtrack a little further, or rather explain the process in a little more detail. So here goes!
How It All Works
Under the hood, inside your engine, there exists a very essential part called a piston. A piston is a moving component that helps to move the car forward (in lament terms). Now, for those gearheads out there, this is the part that will make the most sense to you; it is used to transfer the force from the gas which expands in the cylinders to the crankshaft to the wheels.
So how exactly does it force the gas to these parts? Through a little thing called compression. As each piston moves down, it draws air and vaporized gasoline, and slides up to compress it. The spark plug fires, igniting the fuel which forces the piston back down. The power stroke is used to turn the crankshaft, creating a circular motion which eventually catches onto the wheels helping them to turn. The piston moves back up and the whole process starts over again.
When everything works the way it should, the spark plug creates an evenly moving flame that ignites the air-fuel mixture completely. In the instance where it doesn’t work the way it should, the engine ends up damaged. If the engine ignites erratically (also known as detonation), the resulting shock waves cause a knocking or pinging sound which is what causes damage to the engine. In some cases, what is called preignition occurs, which basically means that the fuel may spontaneously combust before the spark plug fires.
A Little Something to Keep in Mind….
So generally speaking, the higher the octane content, the slower the gasoline burns, which helps to provide the ideal even and complete combustion. Lower octane fuel works fine for most engines, however, the higher compression in performance engines leaves them more vulnerable to these issues and therefore require the higher octane levels.
Nowadays, modern engines use knock sensors, which helps to protect the engine against detonation by instructing the cars computer to adjust the timing. Fueling with regular grade in a vehicle that requires premium, you will notice that the acceleration becomes sluggish. Although some vehicles are listed as premium, using 87-octane fuel is a safe alternative, however, the engine will make more horsepower with premium fuel.
On the gas pump you will notice a couple of really important things: the fuel grade represented by the numbers 91, 87, 89, and sometimes 85, the percent of ethanol (we will get into this shortly), and of course the price. Now ethanol is something that is by law (governmentally mandated) required to be present on the pumps for people to see. The federal government mandates that gasoline must contain a minimum of 5% ethanol, but the numbers really do vary by province and territory.
Ethanol is made from plants and is even considered to be a renewable source. The downside? It is highly corrosive and has less energy than gasoline, resulting in a poorer fuel economy. Ethanol-enhanced gasoline is represented by a number, take E10 for example, broken down, it essentially means that the gasoline contains 10 percent ethanol mixed into 90 percent gasoline – a blend that Natural Resources Canada actually says is safe for most engines.
Be on the lookout because in some cases you will find the rare E85, again which is 85 percent ethanol 15 percent gasoline, but only use this gas if your vehicle is labelled “Flex-Fuel” or is of course E85-compatible. These have special seals that can withstand the fuel’s otherwise corresive elements. They also have higher-volume pumps and injectors since the engine relies more on this lower-energy fuel.
Did you know?: All gas in Canada must contain a minimum level of detergent additives to help prevent internal gunk buildup?
Seasons Affect Gas?
Yes they do! Similar to other parts of the car (view our post here about the different summer and winter essentials you need to know about), there are two different gases you should know about for the extreme seasons. Around the wintertime, you may notice an additional button at the pumps marked “Winter Gas”, and just like winter it’s not pretty. Some things to know about winter gas:
- Evaporates quickly
- Which sends harmful emissions into the atmosphere
- Cheaper to refine
- Exists because of federal pollution standards
One other benefit to winter gas? It helps your car to start faster in colder temperatures because of the volatility.
Summer gas on the otherhand is more expensive to produce, takes a lot longer to evaporate – creating less pollution, and interestingly enough, during the summer months, gas stations must sell it exclusively. Switching between gases is not necessary, as many drivers don’t actually do it, but the switch really is only about meeting regulations.
Tips and Tricks for Improving Your Car’s Mileage and Drive Efficiently:
- If your engine makes a rattling or knocking noise, try moving to a higher octane grade
- Drive at the speed limit or below
- Most cars burn gas less efficiently at speeds of 60 mph or higher
- Reduce excess weight
- You would be surprised at how the weight of the junk in your car has a direct correlation to the amount of gas your burn and how quickly
- Extra weight means your engine has to work harder to move the car, reducing your gas mileage
Are you more interested now in an electric vehicle? Yeah, I would be too. Check out our post dedicated to everything there is to know about Electric Vehicles.
Final Thoughts
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