What some of the things you will NEVER spend a premium on?

[Printer Bandit]

water

 

[NutBucket]

Salt is salt. If it's "better" then it's not pure salt. Chemistry says so.....

 

[ImpulsE69]

Condoms.

 

[IronWing]

Kosher salt is vastly superior than that Morton's bullshit!

Post-koshering salt is where it's at. I think that is how they make Slim Jims.

 

[alkemyst]

Nice sports car and 26k does not compute. Can't be that nice and can't be that sport.


The one thing I won't pay a premium on, ever, is socks. Socks are socks.

Dress socks can vary greatly.

 

[ultimatebob]

Tech forums, obviously.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Premium is different than generic gas. Using regular only decreases performance with no harm to the car.

Using the cheapest possible gasoline is different because they don't properly process the gasoline so it leaves tons of gunk in your fuel system. Gasoline is a very highly volatile and unclean product, so buying brand name properly detergented gasoline is actually important in keeping your car running a long time.

Giant load of crapola. This has been tested to death and no legit test has ever come up with a good reason to use high end gas. Fred's gas station does not own a refinery, they're buying the same gas from the same refineries and it's probably coming on the same tanker trucks. Even the cheapest, most generic gas possible is meeting fairly strict regulatory standards for refinement, purity and detergent level. While it's possible that Brand Name A is slightly cleaner than Generic Brand B it's also possible that Brand Name C is LESS clean than Generic Brand D depending on when, where and from whom Generic Brand D is getting their gas at any given time.

With VERY high federal standards for even the cheapest gas and modern engine management computers that adapt to different octanes easily, "premium" gasoline is nothing but a gigantic scam to siphon extra money from the easily duped.

 

[Phoenix86]

Bad quality paper towel ends up costing the same as better quality one, because you have to use more of it

Budget ones? Sure.

But there's more options between the cheapest and premium. A quality store brand like Costco is fine.

 

[squarecut1]

Budget ones? Sure.

But there's more options between the cheapest and premium. A quality store brand like Costco is fine.

Absolutely, yes.

 

[Markbnj]

With VERY high federal standards for even the cheapest gas and modern engine management computers that adapt to different octanes easily, "premium" gasoline is nothing but a gigantic scam to siphon extra money from the easily duped.

And this.

 

[Ns1]

Is it possible we're getting the definitions of "premium" mixed up here?

Premium can be defined as 91 vs 87 OR Shell vs USA Gas.

I don't think we can reasonably argue that there is a vast difference between 91 and 87.

I think there is compelling evidence to prove that Shell vs USA Gas vs Valero is no different among the same octane classes.

 

[Imp]

With VERY high federal standards for even the cheapest gas and modern engine management computers that adapt to different octanes easily, "premium" gasoline is nothing but a gigantic scam to siphon extra money from the easily duped.

I've told family that, but geniuses still fill the damn base model Civic (no power doors, auto transmission) with premium. And 99% of their driving is city, stop'n'go, nothing over 50 km/h.


Moving on... Travel fares. It's, at most, a dozen or so hour plane ride. Spend the savings on booze to pass the time.

 

[OverVolt]

Everything. Literally everything.

 

[Markbnj]

I don't think we can reasonably argue that there is a vast difference between 91 and 87.

I don't want to turn this into a garage thread. It must have been discussed >9000 times over there. Suffice it to say that I have owned eight or so vehicles in the last thirty years, only two of which "required" premium due their compression ratios. I didn't run premium in either of them, and have never had any knocking or maintenance issues. I don't believe it has a 1:1 effect on mileage either.

 

[Lean L]

Giant load of crapola. This has been tested to death and no legit test has ever come up with a good reason to use high end gas. Fred's gas station does not own a refinery, they're buying the same gas from the same refineries and it's probably coming on the same tanker trucks. Even the cheapest, most generic gas possible is meeting fairly strict regulatory standards for refinement, purity and detergent level. While it's possible that Brand Name A is slightly cleaner than Generic Brand B it's also possible that Brand Name C is LESS clean than Generic Brand D depending on when, where and from whom Generic Brand D is getting their gas at any given time.

With VERY high federal standards for even the cheapest gas and modern engine management computers that adapt to different octanes easily, "premium" gasoline is nothing but a gigantic scam to siphon extra money from the easily duped.

We are mixing two different things here.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

I've told family that, but geniuses still fill the damn base model Civic (no power doors, auto transmission) with premium. And 99% of their driving is city, stop'n'go, nothing over 50 km/h.

They probably got told by some idiot car salesman that they'd void the warranty if they didn't use premium gas. There are an incredible number of monumentally stupid people who believe crap like that.

 

[smackababy]

Moving on... Travel fares. It's, at most, a dozen or so hour plane ride. Spend the savings on booze to pass the time.

Are you talking about seating (first class, business class, economy) or direct flights, or possibly both?

If I were flying on a long flight (intercontinental), I would never not fly at the minimum business class. I also try to avoid layovers, as the least amount of travel time is generally the most favorable, and the price difference is usually negligible.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Salt is salt. If it's "better" then it's not pure salt. Chemistry says so.....

All salt is not the same. There are fairly significant differences between table salt, sea salt and kosher salt that makes one or another better suited for certain recipes and/or cooking techniques.

 

[JulesMaximus]

If you can think of a better way to smell like freshly laundered linen strewn about a meadow full of kittens, I'd love to hear it.

:hmm: That depends, did the kittens poop in the meadow?

 

[Lean L]

I don't want to turn this into a garage thread. It must have been discussed >9000 times over there. Suffice it to say that I have owned eight or so vehicles in the last thirty years, only two of which "required" premium due their compression ratios. I didn't run premium in either of them, and have never had any knocking or maintenance issues. I don't believe it has a 1:1 effect on mileage either.

But there is an effect on mileage. Just hard to determine how much.

Current price of gas

Premium: 3.42
Regular: 3.17
Delta: 7.8% price premium

So if your car goes from 20 > 21.6mpg than you broke even while getting more performance and better engine protection.

I see that as a plausible gain... I never had a car that required premium so I can't test this. Anyone care to chime in?

 

[Ns1]

I don't want to turn this into a garage thread. It must have been discussed >9000 times over there. Suffice it to say that I have owned eight or so vehicles in the last thirty years, only two of which "required" premium due their compression ratios. I didn't run premium in either of them, and have never had any knocking or maintenance issues. I don't believe it has a 1:1 effect on mileage either.

But did you try to redline your car day in/day out? Insert some text here about engine knocking and timing and blah blah if the octane level is not appropriate for the way you drive your car

I was never under the impression that octane had any effect on mpg.

 

[Lean L]

But did you try to redline your car day in/day out? Insert some text here about engine knocking and timing and blah blah if the octane level is not appropriate for the way you drive your car

I was never under the impression that octane had any effect on mpg.

It in theory does not. There's not more energy in the fuel. It has more to do with the fact that the engine has to retard its timing and most engines already come from the factory with a more retarded timing than is optimal for max efficiency.

It should not make a difference unless your car asks for premium.

 

[momeNt]

Nice sports car and 26k does not compute. Can't be that nice and can't be that sport.


The one thing I won't pay a premium on, ever, is socks. Socks are socks.

So you are saying you do not find a difference between cheap socks and premium socks? I own both, and I find that there is definitely value in a good pair of socks, be it wool, cotton, or thin suit socks.

You definitely want a good pair of socks if you wear suits, ones with good elastic so they don't show any visible bunching near your shoes. Either that or invest in no-elastic socks but get sock garters.

Of all the things you could have said, I wouldn't have expected socks tbh. I'm kind of shocked.

 

[smackababy]

So you are saying you do not find a difference between cheap socks and premium socks? I own both, and I find that there is definitely value in a good pair of socks, be it wool, cotton, or thin suit socks.

You definitely want a good pair of socks if you wear suits, ones with good elastic so they don't show any visible bunching near your shoes. Either that or invest in no-elastic socks but get sock garters.

Of all the things you could have said, I wouldn't have expected socks tbh. I'm kind of shocked.

I don't buy premium socks, especially suit socks. Ain't worth it. Now, I don't be the cheapest pieces of crap either, but I am not buying premium or design socks.

 

[Imp]

They probably got told by some idiot car salesman that they'd void the warranty if they didn't use premium gas. There are an incredible number of monumentally stupid people who believe crap like that.

Na, it was probably one idiot in the family who's a know-it-all and a mechanic. They say it's better for mileage, burns cleaner, and will help the engine last longer...

Are you talking about seating (first class, business class, economy) or direct flights, or possibly both?

If I were flying on a long flight (intercontinental), I would never not fly at the minimum business class. I also try to avoid layovers, as the least amount of travel time is generally the most favorable, and the price difference is usually negligible.

Seating class was what I was thinking of. For the price premium, I can see how it'd be nice, but for a poor sucker like me, that'd be way too much money to make the travel portion of my trip nicer. You probably get access to lounges and priority boarding/service, but $$$$$.