Simplified definition of octane. The lower the number, the more volatile the fuel is. The higher the number the less volatile and the harder it is to get to burn.

 

Do you have any proof to back that up?? If so great and I all I would burn is premium. But I find it hard to believe that each oil company has different refineries for each grade of fuel. Secondly, if you want fresh gas are you going to burn premium that gets turned over once a month (or 6 months in some locations) or regular that gets refreshed weekly. The fresh stuff is the least likely to have contaminates or water in it.

Again, unless I see proof, the only difference between regular and premium is octane levels which are a waste unless you have the compression or advanced timing issues.

 

Danzo;

I can tell you it's not that they have different refineries, they have different levels of gas.

The lower octane gases are refined first in one filtration system. They are refined and filtered more with each passing grade of fuel. The "octane" rating is only one part of the fuel refinement process for most companies. The Super grade fuels go through the most filters and have all the best addatives, that is why they cost more. It's these addatives that eventually equate the "octane" rating but there are more than a few chemical complexities.

Using lower octane gas means passing more of the original "fossil fuel" mixture and less of what man has done to refine it. When you get up to stuff like CAM2 race fuel, you are looking at a super clean fuel. Not just a high octane fuel. Jet fuel looks like water until they add a dye.

It's really a matter of logic. You pay for the processing when you buy super, and it's logical that the process that the fuel goes through that makes it cleaner and better, thus the higher prices.

And as far as the "refresh" rate on regular as compared to super, that's not as issue if you buy your gas at a newer station with newer tanks and systems.

Take apart an engine sometime that has run on nothing but super for a few years, and then take apart one that has run on only regular for the same time period. You will see the difference right on the top of the piston and right on the valves. No matter the compression of the engine. Hell I saw it done with two Briggs and Stratton 10hp engines that ran for something like a 1000 hours on the same oil with the same air filters. The difference in "gunk" built up on the internal engine parts was not even close.