In certain situations, you may find yourself nearly out of gas with only a different type of fuel available.
Can you mix gasoline types? Is it bad to mix gas brands when necessary to run your engine? What will happen if you combine different gas types from various gas stations?
Answering these questions is important to help you avoid potential problems or further engine damage to your vehicle’s performance.
Let’s take a closer look at this article to find out more!
Is It Bad To Mix Gas Brands?
No, it isn’t. No problem will arise when mixing gasoline types from different brand of gas.
However, before answering refilling, you should check your owner’s manual instructions to know the fuel type with the proper octane level your high-performance vehicle needs.
All types of gasoline are the same from this gas station to another gas station. Yet, a few brands contain more essential fuel additives than others for better fuel quality.
Will Mixing Different Fuel Brands Harm Your Vehicle?
No, it will not. Most commercial gasoline meets industry standards and is compatible with most gas-powered engines.
Thus, mixing fuel types from different brands with higher-octane ratings in your vehicle will neither improve nor harm your vehicle’s performance despite the differences.
However, the answer to this question may also vary among drivers having the same automotive models. As you see, some drivers are strict about their cars’ required octane fuel ratings.
This is because the engine might not be compatible with proprietary additive premium fuel additive packages.
Nonetheless, the brands of fuel offering you the best fuel economy are the most suitable for your vehicle.
To identify this, you must check and monitor the gas consumption of 2-4 full tanks.
What is the frequency of refilling your vehicle’s fuel tank? During this time, note down the driving conditions you must face.
The goal is to determine the average gas consumption. If you assume it’s too high, you can switch to another brand given the cost per liter.
Is It Bad to Mix Gas From Different Stations?
Not at all.
Unlike what you think, filling up your regular vehicle simultaneously with the same gas station is difficult. Thus, mixing different gas types from various gas stations is acceptable.
You don’t need to be concerned if you mix different types of fuel, as the majority of gas stations acquire their petrol from the same authorized suppliers.
Gas stations aren’t doing anything to alter or replace gasoline.
Yet, mixing things up all the time is not recommended. Try to visit a similar station as often as possible. Doing so gives you extra peace of mind about the gas quality and your car performance.
Is It Bad To Mix Gas Types?
No, it isn’t. It’s possible to combine two fuel types. According to experts, the mixed gas types will change the octane rating somewhere in the middle and help your car work normally.
Can You Mix 87 and 91 Gas?
Can you mix 91 and 87 gas? Yes, you can. It’s ok to mix 91 and 87 gas. Nevertheless, this is not a good idea as the two better-quality fuel types feature separated octane ratings.
Your vehicle can get potential damage if you mix them in your fuel tank because your gasoline engine must adjust to the octane rating from 87 to 91 or higher.
Thus, knowing how to boost 87 octane to 91 for engine protection is necessary.
What Happens When Mixing Premium and Regular Gas?
Combining regular unleaded gas and premium is not advisable though it doesn’t significantly affect the vehicle’s overall performance.
Still, if your vehicle is a premium or high-performance car using high-octane gas, you might notice the decrease in the engine performance or an unusual series of noises.
Besides, keep an eye on the octane ratings when using premium gas to protect your engine.
If the octane level exceeds 91, your engine and vehicle’s performance can get troubled or damaged, leading to severe pinging or engine knocking sounds.
On the bright side, the premium gas can make the Check Engine light go off in some cases.
FAQs
Can You Mix Old With New Gas?
Yes, you can. You can mix the new and the old uncontaminated gasoline based on several strict requirements.
Besides, mixing new and old gas will cost more than disposing of the old contaminated gasoline and filling your fuel tank with fresh gasoline.
If you give the old gas the right storage to avoid losing its thorough combustibility, combining it with the refresh gas in the proper proportions is fine.
Diluting the old gasoline without contamination in the new gas may help it serve its purpose better and intensify its usability.
That said, a few drivers don’t suggest mixing new and old gasoline since the production of the gas types is not the same.
It’s better and safer not to combine the new and old gas when you are a beginner in the engine and automotive world.
What Is the Difference Between Gas Types?
They are different in the octane ratings. The gasoline type with the lowest octane level is regular gasoline, while premium gas has a higher octane rating.
Meanwhile, the Super (Premium Plus or Supreme) has the highest octane-level rating. Octane will help measure the ability to resist the knock in the engine system.
When the air-fuel mixture is improper, loud noises known as pinging or knocking will appear.
How To Know The Octane Rating At a Gas Station?
Octane rating measures the compression before ignition the fuel may withstand. The higher the rating, the poorer the fuel’s pre-ignition (before igniting the spark plugs), called “knock” or “pin.”
You can know the octane ratings at gasoline stations when observing the notes on the button above the fuel nozzles. The octane numbers often appear in black on yellow backgrounds.
Besides, you can find it through some terms grading the gas choices such as “premium,” “regular,” or “mid-grade.”
They indicate the popular octane ratings, including 91, 89, or 87, sometimes 94 or 93, but their quality is the same.
Conclusion
Is it bad to mix gas brands? The answer is no. It’s fine to mix gasoline brands.
Mixing the gas types from different gas stations will help you reduce the cost and save time instead of finding the exact same old one.
Also, this doesn’t harm your engine or negatively affect its performance.
However, this is not advisable on a frequent basis because it can lead to potential problems inside the engine system you may not foresee.
Knowing and choosing the gas types are necessary to protect and improve your engine speed and performance.
You can distinguish the gasoline types based on different octane-level ratings to select the best one for your vehicle.