OCTANE. Who checks it?

[cygnusx1]

We always see ratings on the pump and we pay more for the 93 and 94 but how do we really know we are getting what we pay for. No, I'm not paranoid..I am just wondering if there is an agency that verifies that we are getting what we pay for. Some stations are pretty shady. I wouldn't put the old octane switcharoo trick past them.

 

My WRX is VERY sensitive to octane and I find some stations high octane runs like 87.

[CruxGNZ]

I'm to tired to post findings, but you will be suprised at what the posts following will show. Octane is not as it's advertised.

[Guest ON3GO]

yep i always wonder the same thing..

my dads Z06 is pretty sensitive and we always get a bad batch of gas (fuel, bastards) at HESS near our house.

but the car will run like it should at BP and others...

 

mike

[331CI 280z]

Check with your local consumer protection department. They are usually located in the blue pages of the phone book. it will be under the direction of weights and measures or standards.

 

I work for the Consumer Protection Dept. in CT and octane is only checked if there is a complaint.

[cygnusx1]

OK thanks. I was wondering if we were protected at all. I wasn't aware of a Consumer Protection Department. That's good to know. I am very close to the West border of CT.

[OlderThanMe]

I got some of that Kroger crap and it ran horrible, it was like it was all water. I also used to buy premium at citgo that is right next to my work and it was OK. but then I switched over to Chevron premium and I gained serious power and gas mileage. I only buy at this one station that I have never gotten bad gas from.

[JMortensen]

Buy from the station that everyone goes to. Their gas doesn't sit in the tanks as long. Also don't buy premium from the Arco in the bad part of town, because even though that station might be busy, chances are not too many people are buying premium there. I like Chevron and Mobil brands personally.

 

In CA I ran into a random octane and pump meter checker a few years back. I don't think it was a federal thing, just CA, but I saw this guy doing a test and asked what it was for and it was to check octane and make sure that the meter wasn't overclocked.

 

Did a search and found this: http://www.ocagcomm.com/wm_petroleum_products.asp

 

That is more elaborate than the rig I saw, and it wasn't in Orange County either, but there's one example of how it is checked anyway.

 

Now you got me curious so I looked and found another tester for a different county, Sonoma, CA: http://www.sonoma-county.org/agcomm/weights_measures/qanda.htm

 

So apparently it is by county in CA anyway...

[Scottie-GNZ]

Ironically, the octane rating advertised on the pumps (R+M/2) is somewhat meaningless when considering which gas to use for performance. There are 3 octane ratings and for performance, the one that means the most (MON) is the one you never see expect when looking at the specs for race gas. I would highly recommend a good alky inj system to rid you of the concern about detonation from pump gas especially if your turbo engine is sensitive to pump gas. While there is added expense, what is the cost of having to redo your engine? Another way to look at the added cost is that will allow you ro run more boost safely on pump gas and therefore make more HP. With alky you go from worrying about too much boost causing detonation to actually running more boost.

 

See below and I highlighted some points.

 

Research Octane (RON)

CFR tested @ 600 RPM's, fixed timing at 13 degrees BTDC, fuel temp is not controlled and intake air is varied with the barometric pressure. ( This is basically a No-Load test and this number should NEVER be used to determine which fuel to use in your race engine.

 

Motor Octane (MON)

CFR Tested @ 900 rpms, timing is varied with compression ratio, fuel is preheated to 300 degrees Farenheit, intake air is preheated to 100 degrees Farenheit. Motor Octane, measured under varying load, is definitely the most representative octane measurement for actual engine octane requirements. The closer the Motor Octane number to the Research Octane number the more stable the fuel is throughout the RPM range . This is very critical when running higher that 7500+ RPM's engine speed.

 

R+M/2

This method of measurement consists of adding together both the MOTOR and RESEARCH Octane numbers and then dividing by two. This is the number in that yellow box that you see on the gas pumps. This number should only be used when determining which fuel to use in your street car or tow vehicle. This method is NOT intended for correct use in your racing engine.