The Case for Premium Gas

Let's take a look at gas prices from a few years back, and current prices. Notice that the difference between gas grades remains the same: ten cents. Back in the day, a ten cent difference meant almost a tenth of your total gas purchase, but as we're hitting 4 dollars a gallon, it really doesn't matter much anymore.

I'd heard that premium gas was better for your car, and it would give you better gas mileage, so i decided to give it a try. My tank takes about 15 gallons, and when filled with regular gas, it gives me approximately 300 miles to the tank (20 mpg). Using the price from the Mobil picture, a full tank of regular gas would cost me $52.50, or 17 cents per mile driven. When I filled my tank with premium gas ( for 57 dollars), apart from getting a smoother-running engine, i got about 360 miles to the tank. This translates to 15 cents per mile driven. The added gas efficiency made the switch to premium gas worthwhile. Now, if I had done those calculations with the old prices, it wouldn't have been such a big advantage-- they both come out the same: 6 cents per mile driven.

So for 4.50 extra, I can have a cleaner running engine, and save money in the long run. I'm switching to premium.

Tags: Premium, gasoline, really expensive commuting, yearning for the good old days, death to OPEC

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