>Even the petroleum people will tell you that 80 percent of vehicles using
>the higher octane don't need it.  Very few auto mfr require the higher
>octanes and some others only need it under certain conditions.  There used
>to be a risk of damage with too high or low of an octane but most vehicle
>computer systems using knock sensors can adjust accordingly.  Just about
>every car made in the US and Europe is made to run on regular unleaded low
>octane.  However some parts of the country have 87 as low and others have 85
>as low.  You may have to adjust accordingly.

85-87? You run on kerosene?? No wonder US-market 
cars have detuned engines! Outside the US some 
cars still require 96 octane or more. Some cars 
will run on 91 thanks to their management 
systems, but these cars DO suffer some loss of 
performance as a result due to the resultant 
retarded firing.

You might guess that NZ has 91 and 96 octane; 
Shell has just started offering 98.Irrelevent to 
most listees, but for interest the price 
difference here between 91 & 96 is about 4�/liter 
NZ, or about 3�US, which is hardly going to break 
the bank.
--
Andrew Grebneff
Dunedin
New Zealand
Fossil preparator
<andrew.grebneff@stonebow.otago.ac.nz>
Seashell, Macintosh, VW/Toyota van nut

HUMANITY: THE ULTIMATE VON NEUMANN MACHINE

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