Gas

[iceman]

$3.31 this morning at Costco for reg unleaded in Anchorage.
$29.00 per 1/2 gallon Ron Rico Rum :D

[3rensho]

Just out of curiosity what are the octane ratings available in the US these days?  Our "regular" is 95 and "super" is 98.  Those are the only choices except for diesel.

Tom

[FLBentRider]

We have 87, 89 and 92/93

[Mr Walleye]

Mike...both of our cars (well one car one SUV) say (in the gas cap) premium only...both are foreign cars...both German of different makes....I think its crap but don't want to take the chance...unless somebody out there knows better...

LQ

Somewhere in the vehicle manual it should indicate the octane level of fuel that should be used in it. But judging by 3rensho's comment about their octane levels in Switzerland being 95 and 98, If Germany is similar that would be why they say to burn premium only. I would still check out the manual or dealer to see for sure though.

Mike

[Ontrack]

$3.25 a gallon here in Hanover, PA. A 110 mile round trip to work every day isn't helping.

Man do I wish the US would have followed other countries with their public transportation systems. I would love to take a train everyday. Save some money and not have to deal with all the nuts on the road in a hurry to get to the next stop light.

Your 110 beats my 80, but the wife's 150 beats your 110!

As for riding the train, remember, it's my job (and others like me, or worse) to inspect that track that the train runs on. And they (not me, of course) may be hungover and miss something that could make for a very bumpy ride! ;) ;D

PS --Ontrack--5 acres of mowing?!! Goats, cows, sheep, horses??They all eat grass. I'm trying to think of alternatives here!

T2, all those animals make poop and that makes the grass grow more. On the other hand, it would save me the thousand bucks to fertilize this year. Honestly, I don't mind it that much, I just like to complain about it. I can mow the whole 5 in about 2 hours and 15 minutes. Very fast mower, (gas guzzler), and can't hear the cell phone ring. My time to be alone with with a HUGE mixed drink, loud rock & roll in the headphones, and nobody to bother me. :)

[La Quinta]

Hey Mike...checked both manuals...the VW suv says minimum 91 octane...the Merc says min 92...I'm screwed...just didn't know if that was for real or not...and trust me...I'm not a conspiracy theory kind of thinker...if there is an actual (mechanical reason) why these engines need higher octane fuel...fine...just wondered! Thought there might be a mechanic or tech in the forum who could tell me why?

[Mr Walleye]

LQ

Here is some info that I found on this page..... I'm assuming your VW is a Touareg.
http://www.touaregfaq.com/

"2.43. What happens if I run it on regular unleaded instead of high octane?
The Touareg's engine management system will retard ignition timing sufficiently to prevent predetonation (knock or ping). This may or may not be noticeable to the average Touareg driver, but theoretically should reduce the performance of the engine.

Some have suggested that premium fuel has benefits beyond its octane content. One claimed benefit of premium fuel is that it includes better detergents to prevent the build-up of deposits in the engine's combustion chamber. It should be noticed that in th e US, Federal law requires that all gasoline contain detergents. According to the AAA (American Automobile Association), it is very rare for premium gasoline to contain a different detergent than regular-grade gasoline from the same manufacturer."


According to this it would appear the system will retard the timing slightly to compensate for the slightly lower octane fuel. It wouldn't hurt to ask your dealer but this day in age I can't imagine everybody who owns one would be strickly running premium fuel.

Mike

[La Quinta]

Thanks Mike!! :) Yeah it is the 8 cylinder pig...gas sucking...Touraeg...love it to death as a vehicle...but dear God...14 miles to the gallon if we're lucky...(really fast tho!!:)) The other is an E class Mercedes which gets about 28 to the gallon...so I'm happy with that one... so now I know that I am truly screwed on having to buy premium...Oh well...as Yogi said..."It is...what it is"!! Thanks for the help!! :)

[Ontrack]

A girl who works for my wife has a Nissan Murano, which also calls for high octane. For a few months she started putting low octane fuel in it, and it soon started knocking, pinging, and lost some power and mpg. After a couple of weeks back to high octane, she said it is back to normal and all problems were resolved. :-\

[Gizmo]

An old rule of thumb (and don't know if it holds true in today's overly complicated computer controlled engines) is to run the lowest octane you can before it starts to knock and ping.  The dealers will most likely stick to the manual and the MFG recommendations less they find themselves in lawsuits from those that would bring them if the engine fails and claim it related to the lower octane.  Some people belive that you get better gas mileage with a higher octane so it pays for itself and it looks like Ontrack has confirmed that for the Nissan.  I believe each vehicle can be different.   For instance a guy that use to drive a Ford F250 and pull a dual horse trailer told me he got 9 miles to the gallon.  Didn't matter if he was alone in the truck or pulling the trailer and 2 horses.  Said this was due to the horse power (not related to the two in the trailer) of the engine and the trailer didn't add a significant load to make the engine work any harder therefore no change in gas mileage.  I would think you could try and if it doesn't run well or loses gas mileage, change back like Mrs Ontrack did.  

[yul]

 $1.13/ltr here in Montreal, got it for $1.06 in Ottawa at the week end. All those poor politicians.

[Ontrack]

 I would think you could try and if it doesn't run well or loses gas mileage, change back like Mrs Ontrack did.  

Hey Giz, that wasn't Mrs. Ontrack in the Murano, it was a girl who works for her.  Mrs. Ontrack has more sense than that. Mrs. Ontrack drives a Tahoe that gets her about 13 mpg on her 150 mile round-trip commute. ::) I gave up many years ago on her business savy. Probably a good thing she didn't listen to me way back then though, because she's been very successful, with no thanks to me. :-X

[La Quinta]

Uh...well...just...:)

[Ontrack]

Uh...well...just...:)

Divorce her? Kidding, not an option...she'll get half my pension, the dog, the house, the lawnmower, the SMOKER, blah blah blah... :(

[La Quinta]

NO WAY DUDE...no divorce...was gonna give you crap!! :)