The latest ripoff by the oil companies

[jmacmaster]

During the past year or so, and especially during the past few months, the gas stations in the Montana and Idaho area are switching from 87 octane as their regular (and thus lowest priced) gas to 85.5 octane as their regular, and thus lowest price, gas. The next highest octane above this 85.5 "regular" is now 88 octane, at 10 cents a gallon more than the 85.5 and ten cents a gallon more than the 87 used to be. This is just the latest ripoff of the public. It is a disgrace. Have these oil companies no shame? I know of no vehicles manufactured in the past 20 or more years for which any octane below 87 is recommended. So people are skipping the 85.5 octane and buying the 88 octane, at ten cents more a gallon than they used to pay for the 87 octane that was the regular gas before the regular gas was switched from 87 to 85.5 octane.

Has this been going on in your area?

How much longer is the American public going to put up with this kind of thing?

 

[Kestas]

I don't know about 85.5 octane, but I know 86 octane is acceptable for vehicle use at high altitude (I'm guessing over 5000 ft?) for those cars specifed for 87 octane. I once saw an owners manual that even mentioned this.

Perhaps you could fill your tank 85.5 and 88 octane, 4 to 1, respectively. There's no need to shell out the whole extra dime to the companies until the jury is out.

 

[jmacmaster]

quote:

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Originally posted by Kestas:
I don't know about 85.5 octane, but I know 86 octane is acceptable for vehicle use at high altitude (I'm guessing over 5000 ft?) for those cars specifed for 87 octane. I once saw an owners manual that even mentioned this.

Perhaps you could fill your tank 85.5 and 88 octane, 4 to 1, respectively. There's no need to shell out the whole extra dime to the companies until the jury is out.

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In my opinion, this is a myth that is not supported by experience. I live (and for 25 years have lived) at 4,600 ft. and work at a place that is at 4,400 ft., and most of my driving is in that altitude range. The 85.5 octane does not work at that altitude, I've tried it, in a number of vehicles specd for 87 octane.

Not to mention, how many people in this country live at altitudes above 5,000 ft.? Very, very few!

 

[NJC]

I've never seen anything less than 87 octane (British Columbia, Canada).

The local Chevron stocks 87, 89, 92 and 94.

 

[OriginHacker21]

A lot of stations in Colorado and Utah had gas for 85 octane - I noticed this while driving around this summer

. I used 2 tank fulls in Colorado - seemed to do OK. I don't know if I would trust it down here in CA.

 

[Shannow]

What's the rest of the pricing ?

Down here, premium (96RON) is around 10c/LITRE more than RUG (91-93 RON).

Ethanol blend is 3c/lite cheaper than RUG for 95RON.

 

[eljefino]

I would look at it as a great value if my car could hack it. (The oil companies wouldn't try it if it'd make everyone's car run terribly at that altitude.)

Prices have popped up across the country, you probably saw less of a jump.

Normally aspirated cars that handle 87 at sea level generally do take lower grades of fuel at altitude; the manufacturers could do a better job explaining this in the owners' manual. If you're seeing a benefit from better gas your knock sensor must be part of the computer's feedback loop. You'd benefit from 90 octane at sea level too; many cars are like this these days.

 

[Oldmoparguy1]

Run the cheap gas with FP60. I've been running regular 87 in my turbo Caravan with FP60 for local driving. Oridinally, I'd run 91/93 in the summer and when traveling. Makes a difference.

 

[Alcibiades]

My Honda manual states that 86 is OK. My assumption is that they think no one will sell below 87 octane except at higher altitudes. 87 is the lowest available around here. I'd be really bothered if the cheapest gas I could get was unacceptable for a Honda. I always run higher octane anyway, but that is beside the point.

 

[Gary Allan]

quote:

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Originally posted by jmacmaster:

quote:

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Originally posted by Kestas:
I don't know about 85.5 octane, but I know 86 octane is acceptable for vehicle use at high altitude (I'm guessing over 5000 ft?) for those cars specifed for 87 octane. I once saw an owners manual that even mentioned this.

Perhaps you could fill your tank 85.5 and 88 octane, 4 to 1, respectively. There's no need to shell out the whole extra dime to the companies until the jury is out.

---

In my opinion, this is a myth that is not supported by experience. I live (and for 25 years have lived) at 4,600 ft. and work at a place that is at 4,400 ft., and most of my driving is in that altitude range. The 85.5 octane does not work at that altitude, I've tried it, in a number of vehicles specd for 87 octane.

Not to mention, how many people in this country live at altitudes above 5,000 ft.? Very, very few!

---

I find this odd. A fellow jeeper lives at higher altitude and has no trouble running higher compression pistons just due to the lower air density.

 

[Drew99GT]

I live in Colorado at an elevation of around 7,000 feet (north end of CO Spgs.) and all our vehicles run fine on 85 octane.

I do feel pained a bit having to pay the same as 87 octane but oh well, such is life.

If you knock with 85 octane at high altitude, you have carbon or other issues. My car used to ping even with 87 here; once I seafoamed it and blew the carbon out, not even one hint of detonation with 85 octane on the hottest days with the A/C on full blast. If anything, the car runs BETTER with 85 compared to 87 and runs noticeably worse with 91 octane premium. Low octane fuel burns more completely.

 

[JustinH]

Jeez, i need to get out a bit more I suppose.

Never seen anything less than 87 here in NY, or anywhere on the east coast.

We used to have 94 octane here until a year or so ago, now we have to settle for 93 octane.

Doesn't matter much, i use 87 in the truck.

 

[Gary Allan]

quote:

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Originally posted by Drew99GT:
I live in Colorado at an elevation of around 7,000 feet (north end of CO Spgs.) and all our vehicles run fine on 85 octane.

I do feel pained a bit having to pay the same as 87 octane but oh well, such is life.

If you knock with 85 octane at high altitude, you have carbon or other issues. My car used to ping even with 87 here; once I seafoamed it and blew the carbon out, not even one hint of detonation with 85 octane on the hottest days with the A/C on full blast. If anything, the car runs BETTER with 85 compared to 87 and runs noticeably worse with 91 octane premium. Low octane fuel burns more completely.

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I have a former jeeper buddy who lives in them there parts. He's the one that runs higher compression pistons at such altitude. Dorfs. John Dorfinger. He used to be (maybe still is) a top notch tech at some DC dealer in CO Springs. He used to live not far from here in PA.