What do the different grades of gasoline mean?

 When you fill up your car at the gas station, do you notice that there are actually three different options when it comes to regular gasoline? And we're not talking diesel (the green handle) - just regular gasoline. At most gas stations, there are three grades of gas available to customers, and our Charlotte auto service center is here to explain what they mean and how they affect your car. 

There are three "grades" or categories of gasoline at most gas stations: Regular (87 octane), Midgrade (89-90 octane), and Premium (91-94 octane). Some gas stations refer to them as Unleaded, Premium, and Super Premium, but whatever they're called, they have different octane ratings. 

Octane ratings - the number you see on the pump - are a measure of fuel stability and are based on the pressure at which fuel will spontaneously combust in an engine. A fuel with a higher octane rating is more stable than a fuel with a lower octane rating. 

Why does the octane rating in your gasoline grade matter? 

Why does octane rating matter? Here's the basic breakdown. 

When you drive a car that uses internal combustion to start and power the vehicle - so a regular gasoline car or a hybrid - your car will use a controlled combustion process to ignite the fuel inside the engine and get the car running. On the other hand, unstable, low-octane fuel can cause spontaneous or unplanned secondary combustion inside your engine. This leads to uneven fuel dispersion, high pressure, and eventually, damage to your engine's pistons (which is expensive and time-consuming to fix). 

The good news is that most modern cars have special sensors built into the engine to sense this unstable secondary combustion. The engine can then delay the controlled combustion and reduce pressure, which protects your car from damage to its pistons. 

It's still important to look at the octane rating of the fuel and figure out which one your car needs. Most cars will easily run on regular or unleaded 87 octane gas without a problem. However, you may have a N Charlotte Toyota that requires premium or super premium high octane gas. Your owner's manual can tell you what your car needs, and if your car requires premium, you'll likely have a sticker on the inside of your gas door to let you know. 

Here's some more good news - if your N Charlotte Toyota doesn't require premium fuel, you don't have to use it. Putting premium fuel in a vehicle that doesn't require it doesn't improve performance or have any benefits, so you can save your money (premium is the most expensive of the three types of gasoline). 

Let Toyota of N Charlotte answer your questions about gasoline grades

Have questions about gasoline, internal combustion, or fueling your car? Call Toyota of North Charlotte today. We're just off I-77 at exit 23 in Huntersville at 13429 Statesville Road.