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Basic Fundamentals of Different Types of Petrol

Petrol is an energy filled fuel that is widely used to run vehicles. This miraculous fuel is mainly extracted from fossil fuels from the remains of dead animals and plants. Petrol today has now evolved into various other forms to combat environmental pollution and scarcity of natural oil reserve.

There are mainly four different types of petrol: unleaded, super or premium unleaded, leaded four star and high performance petrol. All these types are rated on the basis of their octane number. Higher the octane number, better is the fuel efficiency, lesser is the emissions and higher is the resistance to engine knocking.

Octane simply means resistance to burning. The actual rating of the resistance is derived from three different types of octane numbers: Research Octane Number, Motor Octane Number and Road Octane Number. Research Octane Number is a rating measured under simple weather, road and engine conditions whereas Motor Octane Number is measured under severe conditions. The average of these two ratings forms the actual Road Octane Number that defines the efficiency of the petrol.

Below are the four different types of petrol usually available in almost all petrol filling stations:

Unleaded Petrol

Unleaded petrol is the most common type of petrol used in Indian cars. The octane reading for this petrol is 93 and is mainly used for engines fitted with catalytic convertors. If in case this petrol is used in cars without catalytic converters, it emits more pollutants and poisonous gases.

Super or Premium Unleaded Petrol

Super or Premium Unleaded Petrol is a special type of petrol designed to achieve high octane number, eventually, high engine performance and reduced engine knocking. Super unleaded petrol has an octane number of 95 and is much better for cars and other vehicles. There are some old cars that are not suitable for this special type of petrol because of the type of engine produced in the olden days.

Leaded Four Star and Lead Replacement Petrol

Leaded four star petrol has a special kind of additive that is used to give protection to the valve seat. Valve seat is the surface between the air intake valve and exhaust valve in the car engine. The octane number of this type is 97, good for cars but is not so common in India.

High Performance Petrol

This petrol type with an octane number of 102 is the best among all the other. It is the cleanest and purest form of petrol used mainly in high performance vehicles for an excellent ride and optimal performance. Speed, petrol produced by BPCL (Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited), is the most commonly used high performance petrol in India. Speed is blended with a number of performance enhancing additives to restore engine’s performance, reduce emission and ensure smooth driving.

Apart from the four major petrol types widely available in the country, reformulated gasoline is also available in some cities. Reformulated gasoline or reformulated petrol is oxygenated petrol that burns without producing any poisonous gases or pollutants. A little change is definitely noticed in the car performance, fuel economy and driveability but still most of the car manufacturers prefer reformulated petrol because of the dramatic reduction in environmental pollution.

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