Which gas to use?
10-24-02, 11:53 AM
#26
RonKMiller
"don't you think that all gasoline is pretty much the same (except for octane), and that as a consumer, I should just go out and buy the cheapest available?"
There is no fixed recipe for gasoline. Gasoline is mainly a blend of many different Hydrocarbons that must meet octane, vapor pressure requirements etc. Therefore not all gasoline is equal. Cheap gasoline uses cheap nasty crude oil and the minimum amount of additive.
The concentration of additive is not determined by the commercial gasoline it is used in but by an intake valve deposit test which uses a spec fuel. This means each additive has a minimum requirement level which is independant of the commercial gasoline it may be used in.
Occasional filling with cheap fuel would not be a problem.
The only thing you can be sure of is that the octane will be at least what is labeled on the pump. This is because of huge $$$ fines if the oil company fails to meet the stated octane.
"I can't think of one problem that I have ever had with a car (that I know of...) that could be traced back to gasoline. Seriously, I respect your opinion."
We trace fuel system related warranty issues back to the fuel all the time. The difference is we are monitoring millions of new vehicles (3yrs or 36,000 miles) during their warranty period. Warranty costs due to fuel related issues are in the many millions of $$$$$$$.
Apart from fuel injector plugging another common problem caused by gasoline is excessive fuel pump commutator wear. This is caused by peroxides in the fuel.
When we get a warranty "hotspot" (e.g. hundreds of injector replacements) in one area of the country (not uncommon) we can immediately do a customer survey and find out what fuel brands they commonly use. Also we collect fuel samples (50 gal drums) of the major commercial brands in the area and run them through our own engine tests. Generally one of those brands tested will plug injectors much worse than the others. Then the fun starts and you go present your findings to the bad fuel company. Good companies respond immediately others drag their feet.
Some cars have more robust fuel systems than others. Hopefully the FD is one of them.
"don't you think that all gasoline is pretty much the same (except for octane), and that as a consumer, I should just go out and buy the cheapest available?"
There is no fixed recipe for gasoline. Gasoline is mainly a blend of many different Hydrocarbons that must meet octane, vapor pressure requirements etc. Therefore not all gasoline is equal. Cheap gasoline uses cheap nasty crude oil and the minimum amount of additive.
The concentration of additive is not determined by the commercial gasoline it is used in but by an intake valve deposit test which uses a spec fuel. This means each additive has a minimum requirement level which is independant of the commercial gasoline it may be used in.
Occasional filling with cheap fuel would not be a problem.
The only thing you can be sure of is that the octane will be at least what is labeled on the pump. This is because of huge $$$ fines if the oil company fails to meet the stated octane.
"I can't think of one problem that I have ever had with a car (that I know of...) that could be traced back to gasoline. Seriously, I respect your opinion."
We trace fuel system related warranty issues back to the fuel all the time. The difference is we are monitoring millions of new vehicles (3yrs or 36,000 miles) during their warranty period. Warranty costs due to fuel related issues are in the many millions of $$$$$$$.
Apart from fuel injector plugging another common problem caused by gasoline is excessive fuel pump commutator wear. This is caused by peroxides in the fuel.
When we get a warranty "hotspot" (e.g. hundreds of injector replacements) in one area of the country (not uncommon) we can immediately do a customer survey and find out what fuel brands they commonly use. Also we collect fuel samples (50 gal drums) of the major commercial brands in the area and run them through our own engine tests. Generally one of those brands tested will plug injectors much worse than the others. Then the fun starts and you go present your findings to the bad fuel company. Good companies respond immediately others drag their feet.
Some cars have more robust fuel systems than others. Hopefully the FD is one of them.
10-25-02, 01:06 AM
#27
Thats interesting information Bruceman, thanks for sharing!
Actually, you're probably running about 94+ octane with that blend ratio. You might want to check out 76's website and looking at their blending charts. For instance, if you were pumping 12 gallons of race fuel and then 6 gallons of 91, that would make a 97.0 blend.
Originally posted by greenhornetfd3s
There is a 76 station in San Jose that has Pump 100 octane race gas, it's on the corner of Almaden Expy and Hillsdale. I really like to get 10 or 12 gals or 91 and then top off the tank with 100 and do some quick turns and the whole tank will be full of about 96 or 97 octane.
just thought all you bay area seven's might want to know about that.
There is a 76 station in San Jose that has Pump 100 octane race gas, it's on the corner of Almaden Expy and Hillsdale. I really like to get 10 or 12 gals or 91 and then top off the tank with 100 and do some quick turns and the whole tank will be full of about 96 or 97 octane.
just thought all you bay area seven's might want to know about that.
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