Oldsmobile/Buick: car maintenance, spark plug gap, chevron fuel

Question
I own a 1992 Oldsmobile 88 royale.  The car is tuned to use regular gas.  One perosn told me that I should use a higher octane every month to keep the engine running fine but another person told that if I start using higher octane then the engine will start knocking and require higher octane all the time.  Who is right?

Answer
Hi Anthony,
There are many so called anecdotes and tales about gasoline and the benefits of higher octane. You hit the nail on the head by saying that your car was "tuned for regular unleaded" Combining compression ratio, timing, spark plug gap, and ingnition system separates the performance cars that require premium unleaded fuel. The difference between regular and premium gas is regular fuel burns faster, premium slower. So by burning slower, the flame stays longer to assure no detonation in performance cars. So it's easy to see that your 88 Royale would not benifit by running premium, just wasting money. Granted, you may see a couple of miles further per gallon, but that's about it. Some people think by running a tank of premium ever so often, that the motor will keep clean, or provide magical results. Fuel cannot alter the internal specifications of an engine. Whomever suggested that switching between fuel grades, would cause you to use premium all the time is certainly pulling your chain, or the experience they have had on their car was well beyond fuel problems causing knocking and detonation. It's easy to get bad gas, so stick with a reputable brand. A clean running engine starts will regular oil changes and preventive maintenance. If you want to help the areas of your car every month or so that need it, invest a couple of bucks in Chevron fuel injection cleaner, with techrolene. This is the best over the counter stuff you can buy. Many tune up shops will tell you it's almost as good as a professional fuel system cleaning costing $75.00
It will clean the areas of your system that gasoline can't. Clogged injectors can attribute to detonation.  Good luck! Ray