[JimRockford]

New 1SS was $41k.
Here's the math that shows how i paid for it by running 87 octane when premium recommended, in 10 of the 30 or 40 new cars I've owned & dailied.
5 Z28s plus 1 GTO, plus 4 volvos, all recommending premium gas.
100k miles on each, about 20 mpg all around.

math. 10 daily-driver cars, 100k miles on each, all recommending premium but run on 87 octane except during super-hot weather or when i want max torque on tap. zero engine issues occurred on all of the vehicles. This analysis ignores the fact that 87 octane gives BETTER mpg on GM V8s for steady highway driving than premium, due to more energy available per gallon. (Not so for the smaller volvo motors however, or my 4 honda civics).

That's 1 million miles, with savings per gallon between 20 cents and $1 per gallon.

1 million miles / 20 mpg = 50,000 gallons of gasoline consumed

lets say 50 cents per gallon savings by using one octane-level lower, or $1 less for using two octane-levels lower:

50,000 gallons x 0.50 savings per gallon = $25,000 .
50,000 gallons x 1.00 savings per gallon = $50,000 .
New 1SS was $41k.

(Get started asap folks racking up those driving miles, this approach won't work for future electric camaros - its not going to save money to charge an EV camaro on 90 VAC instead of 110 VAC.) |