What the heck is up with this lately? It used to be that you paid an extra 0.10/gal for midgrade and 0.20/gal for premium. Now that's up to 0.20 for mid and 0.40 for premo. I've even seen stations with a 0.70 or 0.80 upcharge on premo. I could understand that when gas prices were pushing $4/gallon, but they're hovering around $2/gal now.
When the heck are they going to drop prices back to sanity levels?
My preferred brand is now .10 and .30. But I haven't ran premium since I bought my civic, so not an issue for me anymore.
Around here mid grade is usually .20 more than regular. I haven't looked at premium so I couldn't tell you what that is, the bike calls for mid grade so that's what I run. I haven't seen the .10/.20 pricing since I left Ohio nine years ago.
Been watching the same premium price differential rises here. Several of my vehicles call for premium and do indeed run quite differently on it, so I too get to enjoy the pain.
I have to fill the disco up tonight.. it only takes premium.. I will let you know what they are doing here in NJ later
This is why i retarded the timing in my wagon a bit more. So i can run 89 instead of 93 and it not spark knock.
Filled up w/ 91 this morning, didn't even look. Need it, get it.
The place I get mine, the premium is ethanol free. Maybe that accounts for a larger delta from regular unleaded?
3 of my 4 vehicles require the expensive stuff, so I rarely look at the price difference.
Yeah, I'm not going to skimp with the S2000. 9000rpm is too fun to keep it below 6000.
I've noticed it too. Half my fleet runs on premium only. The cheapest place to get premium around here is Sam's Club. Historically, it has been about 17 cents a gallon cheaper than anywhere else for premium, while the regular price is maybe a penny cheaper or the same price.
I'd been noticing it here in Chicago. I only fill up about 2 gallons at a time though; usually my wife fills up on the way home from work at Costco which is the cheapest often enough that we don't bother paying attention to the prices.
TSX manual calls for premium, so that's what we put in it. We could probably run regular or midgrade in it, but it is about a $300 difference a year (if that).
The FRS is the first and last vehicle I will buy that is meant to run on high test.
In reply to mtn:
2 gallons? Why bother?
CONSPIRACY THEORY: A lot of newer cars require premium. Thus the upcharge. Blame direct injection?
3/4 of my cars require Premium also. Supply and demand.
My theory is they raised it when regular hit $4. So they raised the prices on plus an premium to keep with the proportion they used to be. Then they kept the gross price differential the same when regular prices fell. They don't care to drop it because they only ever advertise the price of Regular on the signs.
Used to be 7/9 here, then 10/10, I think now maybe it's 12/12 or 12/15.
I don't care. Everything I've owned for the last 6+ years takes premium.
Appleseed wrote: In reply to mtn: 2 gallons? Why bother? CONSPIRACY THEORY: A lot of newer cars require premium. Thus the upcharge. Blame direct injection?
direct injection lowers the octane requirement.
Appleseed wrote: In reply to mtn: 2 gallons? Why bother?
Because whenever I fill up, it is because we're on empty and my wife won't get to work the next day. We live in the city (Chicago), and my wife works in the suburbs very close to a Costco. According to GasBuddy, there is right now a $.60-$.80 a gallon difference between that Costco and the 5 gas stations around our apartment. That is a big difference on a whole tank.
mtn wrote: I'd been noticing it here in Chicago. I only fill up about 2 gallons at a time though; usually my wife fills up on the way home from work at Costco which is the cheapest often enough that we don't bother paying attention to the prices. TSX manual calls for premium, so that's what we put in it. We could probably run regular or midgrade in it, but it is about a $300 difference a year (if that).
you would not notice the savings.. computer would pull the timing due to knock, you would have less power, so it would take more gas to keep the car at the same speed you are used to.
I played that game, took detailed records of my fill ups and what fuel I used.. I consistently beat epa estimates on premium and did worse on the cheap stuff.. in the end, it was almost a wash price wise, but more fun on the premium
I've been noticing a growing delta in the past 6-8 months for some reason. We have the same situation locally where CostCo is +37c/gal over regular. Right now at 2.33, with the local stations in the 2.65-2.80 range, which are a 60-80c premium.
We only get one grade of gas from the pumps around here, it doesn't have a name but boost aficionados call it "cat piss." After building the 4AGE with raised compression I'm starting to see what they're talking about.
mad_machine wrote:mtn wrote: I'd been noticing it here in Chicago. I only fill up about 2 gallons at a time though; usually my wife fills up on the way home from work at Costco which is the cheapest often enough that we don't bother paying attention to the prices. TSX manual calls for premium, so that's what we put in it. We could probably run regular or midgrade in it, but it is about a $300 difference a year (if that).you would not notice the savings.. computer would pull the timing due to knock, you would have less power, so it would take more gas to keep the car at the same speed you are used to. I played that game, took detailed records of my fill ups and what fuel I used.. I consistently beat epa estimates on premium and did worse on the cheap stuff.. in the end, it was almost a wash price wise, but more fun on the premium
Edit: NVM.
We have a 20-30 cent delta around here. I run everything on 92 or better octane except the van which get 89.
Same situation here in the midwest (Iowa). In some cases, up to $0.60/gal between the cheapest and premium. In our particular case, some of it may be distorted by the state tax subsidy on stuff with ethanol added.
On the Esprit (RIP), I found that when I filled up at the Shell station with premium, I was eating knock sensors. Well, O'Reilley was eating knock sensors (LT warranty), but I was having to put them on, with the knock sensor on that car fitting every other job (if you can see it, you can't touch it. If you can touch it, you can't see it.) When I switched to anything but Shell (usually Sam's) then I never had to replace another knock sensor.
i always just assumed that the premium cost more because not as many people use it, so they have to sit on the gas in the tank longer. one local gas station quit carrying higher than 89 octane because no one ever bought it, that station is owned by a car nut that i went to high school with. he actually goes to a gas station in the next town to buy premium for his Raptor since he doesn't carry it at his station.
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