Date:         Fri, 21 May 1999 09:40:27 -0500
Reply-To:     Joel Walker <jwalker@BAMA.UA.EDU>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Joel Walker <jwalker@BAMA.UA.EDU>
Subject:      Re: What Octane Fuel is best?  [was RE: How do anti-ping
              additiveswork?]
Comments: To: Leif <lpaulsen@CMCFLEX.COM>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

> I Don't have the post that started this thread so maybe this is a redundant
> question.  Which octane rating is best to use in our vans.  I realize the
> opinions are probably varied on this so lets all be civil.  I promise I
> won't sue any of you for the damage your recommendation may cause. (remember

well ... it depends on what you mean by 'best'. i've run 87
octane, 89 octane, and 92/93 octane in my 88 bus since i
bought it new in 1988, and as far as i can tell, there's no
performance difference at all, and no maintenance difference
(the octane difference can't be seen in the plugs or oil or
anything like that). the only difference has been in the
price.

so why don't i use only the 87 octane? cause i'm curious and
running a long-term test. ;) or i'm just habitual and still,
way down deep, think that Premium octane 'cleans' my system
or something. i've used twice as much 87 octane as each of
the other two (87 and 92/93), so i do tend toward the cheap
stuff. but out of habit/paranoia/bravado/whatever, i run a
tank of 92/93 through the bus every couple of months or so
... maybe it's like whistling as you walk past the
graveyard. ;)

now ... this is for MY bus, driven in MY driving style, and
using the gasolines available in MY local (and some trips)
area. i can't claim that, in california or iowa or new york,
your experience would be anything like mine ... i'd suspect
that it would, but i can't say for sure. other folks claim
to feel the difference with running only the premiumn
octane, but i can't tell any difference in my bus, driven
the way i drive, and using the gasolines around here. as far
as i can tell from the data i've kept, the damned octanes
could be the same gasoline, just coming out of different
nozzles/pumps! only the price is different.

and on that note, i've used primarily six different
brands/companies ... and guess what? not a nickel's worth of
difference between them. yup. amoco, bp, chevron, exxon,
shell, and union76 (which just lost their last station in my
area, so i'm adding citgo to the list) ... and not any
difference that i can see in the data. go figure. but like i
said, that's locally ... there are only three gasoline
products distributors here, and i know they buy fuel from
each other ... i've seen the amoco truck filling up an exxon
station, and i've seen the shell truck filling up a bp
station. so it could very well be that i've been primarily
using only one 'blend' of gasoline. your mileage and
gasoline experience may differ. :)

but the vw owners manual says that 87 octane is fine and
normal and that's what you should run. i say, if it makes
you feel better, or you think you can feel a difference, run
the 89 octane or even the 92/93 octane ... it's your car and
your money: do with it what you please. :) and if you fill
up with 92/93 octane, what does it cost? twenty cents more a
gallon, so that's a whopping $3.20 difference if you were
completely empty. wow. :) of course, over the years, that
could add up to the cost of a new tire, or some other
replacement part. or you could skip lunch one day a week to
pay for it. ;)

just rambling opinions, backed up by personal observations
and experiences, which may or may not have anything to do
with the real world. ;)

unca joel