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Sheetz has Unleaded 88 gas for $1.99, but is it right for your car?

Unleaded 88 or E-15 gasoline has a higher amount of ethanol and is not compatible with every vehicle.

GREENSBORO, N.C. — According to AAA, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving is one of the busiest travel days of the year. 

If you're traveling by car, you're paying an average of 10 cents more, for a gallon of gas, than last year. 

Sheetz is working to reduce the burden of higher gas prices by lowering the price of Unleaded 88 to $1.99 a gallon...but it's not for every car. 

Can you fill up with Unleaded 88?

The 88 blend has a higher ethanol amount which generates the higher octane rating. 

According to the EPA, it is not approved for cars built before 2001. 

Heavy-duty trucks and motorcycles should also avoid Regular 88. 

So, before you reach for the cheaper option, make sure it's recommended for your vehicle. 

Local mechanics say it's as simple as checking by your gas cap. 

"Typically, I would recommend staying with what the manufacturer recommends for the vehicle," said Eric Arnold with Thomas Tire and Automotive. "But, if you choose to do that, you just definitely want to make sure ahead of time that you have had some maintenance done. A good thing would be a fuel system cleaning, which would help clean out the injectors, your fuel lines, and that kind of stuff." 

Sheetz offers $1.99 Unleaded 88 gas 

At the Sheetz on US-29 in Greensboro, there were sometimes two or more people in line, waiting to fill up on Wednesday. 

However, not all were taking advantage of the discounted Regular 88, which at the time, was $1.20 cheaper than Regular 87. 

We spoke to one family traveling from Georgia to South Boston, Virginia, with their camper in tow. 

This was the first time they opted to fill up on the cheaper gas. 

"We saw the news article this morning and looked for the Sheetz and came through to grab that price," said Suzanne Altschul. "We're going to give it a shot. Hopefully, it will be good, our car is a little bit newer, so hopefully, it will work for our vehicle, and if not, we will deal with it when it comes."

How much can you save? 

Altschul says her family was able to save at least $30, filling up on Regular 88.

If you use the wrong type of fuel for your car, you might end up getting fewer miles per gallon than you are used to.

"Everyone will be seeing relief at the pump this week, with even more substantial declines on the way as oil prices plummeted last week to briefly trade under $80 per barrel," said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.

Now for some good news from experts at GasBuddy.

If prices for crude remain below $80 a barrel, the average price for gas could fall below $3 by Christmas. 

"It's not impossible that if oil markets hold here, we could see a national average of $2.99 around Christmas, certainly the gift that every motorist is hoping for," said De Haan.

As of November 21, 2022, North Carolinians are paying an average of $3.30 per gallon which is down 7.4 cents from last week. 

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