Higher Octane Gasoline

As I was trying to find articles about automobile fuels being hazardous to the environment and alternative fuel options, I came across an article explaining uselessness of higher octane fuels. My dad always told me to pump the higher octane premium gasoline because it would maintain my car‘s quality. However, this may not be true. As it turns out, higher octane fuels were used in the past because older engines could not control the concentrations of a mixture of air and fuel. If too much fuel is mixed with air, gasoline will not burn properly and may cause premature ignition known as “engine knock.” An option to prevent engine knocking is to use slower burning higher octane fuels; thus, many people would buy premium gas to prevent engine knocking.
Now, however, car engines have computerized fuel injectors that regulate the air and gas mixture. Nevertheless, cars do recommend certain octane rating, and for the fuel injector and the computer to work accurately, the specified octane gasoline must be used. Most cars recommend regular gasoline with an octane rating of 87. Pumping premium gasoline with octane ratings higher than reccomended can actually have adverse affects on the car as they cause damage to the emissions system. Also many believe that higher octane gases have extra cleaning additives that prevent deposits from building up on the engine. This maybe true, but it is also true of lower octane gases.
As gasoline prices can be quite expensive at times, I am glad to know that I do not necessarily have to pump premium gasoline to ensure the quality of my car.