The Sam’s Club location down the street from me (of which we are members, due mainly to its proximity) recently opened a gas station. This is great for us — it’s essentially the same distance to the Sam’s Club gas station as it is to the other stations that, until now, we favored. And, naturally, the prices are quite a bit cheaper — I’m not sure if it’s an opening promotion or not, but the price differential is about 30 cents or so per gallon. Huge.
The one nagging concern is that the Sam’s Club gas station only sells regular (87 octane) and premium (91 octane) at this location. My car’s owner’s manual recommends 89 octane mid-grade gasoline, which, to this point, I have dutifully used. Note that the premium gasoline is still a lot cheaper than mid-grade at the surrounding stations, so I have no economic problem with using it. I am, however, somewhat concerned about reports of using higher-octane fuel causing issues with the emissions systems. Anybody know if this is worth fretting about?