Apr 26, 2006 5:30 pm US/Eastern
The Battle Of Premium Vs. Regular
by Marge Pala
WILMINGTON (CBS 3) ―
The high fuel prices have even the gas snobs downgrading from premium to regular to save a little money. The question is could that damage cars requiring premium gas?
CBS 3 Reporter Marge Pala went in search of some answers.
A high performance engine is designed and built to run on high octane gas or premium which is usually $.20 more a gallon than premium. But with gas prices approaching new records, lots of people are bypassing the high test for regular.
"Because regular has always been cheaper, I've always used regular," said one driver. "It's too expensive right now," explains another motorist.
If the gas cap cover says premium only, experts say it's pennywise and dollar foolish to use cheaper gas.
"That's because you risk ruining the engine and you risk the possibility of real damage so you may end up saving pennies now and spending dollars later," explains Cathy Rossi from AAA.
Mechanic Paul Campanella says cheaper gas causes a buildup of carbon in high performance engines. Over time that causes engine knock and worse.
"135 chances are you're going to do real damage to the pistons, valves, the fuel and emissions system," said Campanella.
Additives like Techron will reduce carbon buildup but the average savings is about three to five cents a gallon.
"It costs $.15 to $.18 to pre-treat your gas, when it only costs 20 cents more for premium fuel so it's kind of a wash," explains Campanella.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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