Gas: Plus is much more than Regular but only slightly less than Premium?

[JEDI]

Near work (Gulf gas):
Regular (87 octane): 2.37/gallon
Plus (89): 2.67
Premium (93): 2.87

Near home (Shell):
Regular: 2.51
plus: 2.91
premium: 3.01


Plus is just a mixture of Regular and Premium.

in both cases, $0.50 difference between Regular and Premium.
so why sooooo much more expensive getting that +2 octane of Regular to Plus then +4 octane of going from plus to premium? (especially in the Shell example)

unless it's marketing and their goal is to sell more Premium?

 

[highland145]

They probably sell more mid grade and that price is inflated.

 

[zinfamous]

Congratulations, OP! You just discovered the improbably mundane marketing gimmick of perceived median value, or whatever those assholes call it.

 

[highland145]

Congratulations, OP! You just discovered the improbably mundane marketing gimmick of perceived median value, or whatever those assholes call it.

mo money, mo money

 

[JulesMaximus]

What difference does it make? Put whatever grade of fuel the manufacturer recommends in your car. If it bothers you then buy a car that runs on regular.

BTW-Shell is one of the highest priced fuels on the market.

 

[John Connor]

Ever notice that diesel which used to be cheaper than gasoline is now more expensive than gasoline? What the hell is up with that crap? Diesel, being produced at the bottom of the condenser stack at the refinery is the cheapest to make! Could it be a case of supply and demand?

 

[IronWing]

Diesel was reformulated to clean up emissions a bit. That created an opportunity to jack the rates. Also, current pricing seems to be more in line with energy content. Diesel provides more energy per gallon than gasoline.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasoline_gallon_equivalent#Gasoline_gallon_equivalent_tables

Plus supply - demand.

 

[ultimatebob]

What difference does it make? Put whatever grade of fuel the manufacturer recommends in your car. If it bothers you then buy a car that runs on regular.

BTW-Shell is one of the highest priced fuels on the market.

It really depends on the car. My Mini recommends 91 octane, but it runs fine on 89. If I put 87 in it, it gets a rough idle.

 

[JEDI]

What difference does it make? Put whatever grade of fuel the manufacturer recommends in your car. If it bothers you then buy a car that runs on regular.

it doesn't to me.
my car uses regular.

I usually get gas at Costco, which only has Regular or Premium. no Plus.
but there was a looooong line and I had time constraints so got gas at regular gas station.
there's where I noticed the crazy pricing of Plus and was like WTF?

then driving home, noticed the pricing of Plus at a Shell station.
Plus is so much more than Regular but Premium is only $0.10 more than Plus?
WTF x 2??

 

[JulesMaximus]

It really depends on the car. My Mini recommends 91 octane, but it runs fine on 89. If I put 87 in it, it gets a rough idle.

I've never tried the mid-grade fuel. My car is turbocharged and requires premium so that is what I put in it. I put the same fuel in my motorcycle, it also requires premium.

 

[dullard]

They charge you money for the labor and equipment to accurately mix and store the two fuels to make the "plus" version that almost no cars actually need.

So, if you took 2/3 gallon of 87 and 1/3 gallon of 93, then you get 1 gallon of 89. Price wise at your Gulf station near work, the gas cost is 2/3 * $2.37 + 1/3 * $2.87 = $2.54. That Gulf station is charging you 13 more cents per gallon for the fancier mixing pump (more common) and/or having a third storage tank (less common), maintaining and calibrating three fuel dispenses, the labor/equipment wear and tear to mix them, and the extra liability of having this third fuel go bad (it happens occasionally).

If the Shell station near your home is selling 87 and 93 also (you didn't say), then that Shell station is charging you 23 cents per gallon for all that. But, if the Shell station is selling 87 and 91, then that Shell station is mixing 1/2 gallon of 87 and 1/2 gallon of 91 to make 89. And it too would be charging you 13 cents per gallon for the service.

 

[JEDI]

If the Shell station near your home is selling 87 and 93 also (you didn't say), then that Shell station is charging you 23 cents per gallon for all that. But, if the Shell station is selling 87 and 91, then that Shell station is mixing 1/2 gallon of 87 and 1/2 gallon of 91 to make 89. And it too would be charging you 13 cents per gallon for the service.

no idea what octanes were at Shell since I didn't buy gas there.
all I saw was the price sign.

that's a hell of a mark up for a grade of gas that almost no car needs.

 

[zerocool84]

It really depends on the car. My Mini recommends 91 octane, but it runs fine on 89. If I put 87 in it, it gets a rough idle.

If it recommends a certain gas, put it in. Modern cars with their modern computers will retard timing which means less power/mpg on lower octane fuels. Yes you can put in lower octanes and your car will be fine but your performance and gas mileage will suffer.

I just don't understand why people buy a cat that needs a certain octane and put cheaper gas when the price difference is literally cents on the dollar. Plus if your car recommends premium, its probably a more expensive car anyways.

 

[NoTine42]

If it recommends a certain gas, put it in. Modern cars with their modern computers will retard timing which means less power/mpg on lower octane fuels. Yes you can put in lower octanes and your car will be fine but your performance and gas mileage will suffer.

I just don't understand why people buy a cat that needs a certain octane and put cheaper gas when the price difference is literally cents on the dollar. Plus if your car recommends premium, its probably a more expensive car anyways.

My previous car recommended premium, and definitely had more power with premium...but I always got better MPG with regular...so I mostly used regular. (No engine problems in 160k miles.)

 

[KIAman]

Total marketing BS. I know plenty of people who's cars suggest 87 octane but frequently puts in 89 or even 91 because they think the gas is somehow "better." In this case, people think they are getting a deal for 89 octane.

 

[ultimatebob]

If it recommends a certain gas, put it in. Modern cars with their modern computers will retard timing which means less power/mpg on lower octane fuels. Yes you can put in lower octanes and your car will be fine but your performance and gas mileage will suffer.

I just don't understand why people buy a cat that needs a certain octane and put cheaper gas when the price difference is literally cents on the dollar. Plus if your car recommends premium, its probably a more expensive car anyways.

I've found that the MPG is pretty much the same with 89 or 93 octane. It doesn't seem to be impacted unless I "go cheap" and put 87 in there.

Besides, it's a non turbo Mini Cooper. It doesn't have a ton of power no matter what gas I put in it

 

[JEDI]

If it recommends a certain gas, put it in. Modern cars with their modern computers will retard timing which means less power/mpg on lower octane fuels. Yes you can put in lower octanes and your car will be fine but your performance and gas mileage will suffer.

I just don't understand why people buy a cat that needs a certain octane and put cheaper gas when the price difference is literally cents on the dollar. Plus if your car recommends premium, its probably a more expensive car anyways.

only a few cars REQURE premium, else engine breakdown.

others that say premium only Recommends it.
the downside of using 89 octane is tradeoff in power and mpg.
the downside of using 87 is engine knocking (in addition to above)

 

[JulesMaximus]

Total marketing BS. I know plenty of people who's cars suggest 87 octane but frequently puts in 89 or even 91 because they think the gas is somehow "better." In this case, people think they are getting a deal for 89 octane.

You're absolutely throwing money away putting higher octane fuel in a car that recommends 87. However, if the manufacturer of your car recommends premium there is a good reason for that and I wouldn't use a lower octane fuel in that case. Again, follow the advice of the manufacturer.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I never look at anything past regular, you need to be a 1%er to afford anything past that!

Actually for the snow blower I always get ethanol free premium, which is what is recommended.

 

[Sonikku]

Diesel was reformulated to clean up emissions a bit. That created an opportunity to jack the rates. Also, current pricing seems to be more in line with energy content. Diesel provides more energy per gallon than gasoline.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasoline_gallon_equivalent#Gasoline_gallon_equivalent_tables

Plus supply - demand.

This is why I'm wary of things like $15 minimum wage for McDonald's and the like. Even though the math only shows a need for a 4% increase in prices, your $4 Big Mac wouldn't go for $4.16. Rather, McD would jack it up by some insane amount like $6 and pass it off as solely the result of big gubnit, pocketing the difference in profit.

 

[Aikouka]

Around here, it's usually a 25 cent increase for each level. Sometimes, it's 20 to mid-level and then 30 to premium. Unfortunately, my car takes premium.

 

[highland145]

Yea our state is adding 12 cent gas tax instead of fixing the corruption/mishandling of $$ at the DOT.

I'm about the opposite of a bleeding heart but this is a tax on the poor, plain and simple.

 

[IronWing]

I got gas today. I pulled the handle out to put the spout in the tank and the hose bumped the mid-grade button so I ended up buying expensive gas.

 

[John Connor]

Good thing it didn't pump diesel. If you started the car you would have to keep it running until the gas tank is empty.

 

[JEDI]

Good thing it didn't pump diesel. If you started the car you would have to keep it running until the gas tank is empty.

you cant accidently use diesel.
it has it's own handle/nozzle (green). so even if you accidently hit the diesel button, nothing happens since you have the gas nozzle (red) in your hand.