91 Octane: hard to find in US?

[Andrew Webber]

My Forester XT wants 91 octane, which is not difficult here in Canada
where most stations sell 87, 89, and 91. Sunoco's the exception I
know of with something weird for its four grades.

I was in the US last month and most stations were 87, 89, and 93. So
I put in 93. Was that the right decision? Sunoco had 87, 89, 91 and
93 (I think) so I used 91. It was only 2c/gal cheaper than 93, so if
there wasn't a convenient Sunoco I just used 93 from someone else.

How come 91 is so hard to find? And what do American XT owners do,
put in 93? Should I look for something higher than 91 myself when I'm
at home?

Thanks!
=aw


andrew [(e-mail address removed)]

 

[y_p_w]

My Forester XT wants 91 octane, which is not difficult here in Canada
where most stations sell 87, 89, and 91. Sunoco's the exception I
know of with something weird for its four grades.

I was in the US last month and most stations were 87, 89, and 93. So
I put in 93. Was that the right decision? Sunoco had 87, 89, 91 and
93 (I think) so I used 91. It was only 2c/gal cheaper than 93, so if
there wasn't a convenient Sunoco I just used 93 from someone else.

How come 91 is so hard to find? And what do American XT owners do,
put in 93? Should I look for something higher than 91 myself when I'm
at home?

91 (R+M)/2 octane isn't hard to find in California. It's the standard
octane rating for premium here. A few years back, 92 octane was the
usual standard for name brand premium here.

If you seek out 93 when your car calls for 91, your probably wasting
money.

 

[Andrew Webber]

91 (R+M)/2 octane isn't hard to find in California. It's the standard
octane rating for premium here. A few years back, 92 octane was the
usual standard for name brand premium here.

If you seek out 93 when your car calls for 91, your probably wasting
money.

That's what I figured, thanks. I'll keep using 91 at home.

What does Subaru recommend in the US? I had to hunt for a Sunoco
station to find 91 octane (there may be others, but the Exxons and
Mobils etc. didn't offer it). I assume 93 won't hurt, except for the
extra 2c/gal.

=aw

andrew [(e-mail address removed)]

 

[KLS]

If you seek out 93 when your car calls for 91, your probably wasting
money.

I'm in New York, and I can't find 91 except from Sunoco, so I just put
93 in most of the time. At these lower altitudes, better to run the
higher octane. Another alternative is to run a tank of 93 down to
half and then top up with 89, but that's a pain.

 

[B a r r y]

How come 91 is so hard to find? And what do American XT owners do,
put in 93? Should I look for something higher than 91 myself when I'm
at home?

I have the same problem here in the Northeastern US. My truck runs best
on 91, but nobody sells it. I usually use the next grade up. Luckily,
93 is only ~$0.10/gal more than 89, so it's not that big of a deal.

The truck runs like crap under load and acceleration with our state's 87
& 89 octane blends, and the manual recommends 91+, so all those who are
about to post and tell me I don't need it can save it. =8^)

 

[ZZ]

91 is common at every station here in Las Vegas, and for that matter,
most of Nevada, even the rural areas.


BTW, it was $2.66 gal yesterday in Vegas.

 

[Andrew Webber]

I'm in New York, and I can't find 91 except from Sunoco, so I just put
93 in most of the time. At these lower altitudes, better to run the
higher octane. Another alternative is to run a tank of 93 down to
half and then top up with 89, but that's a pain.

Too much work, I'll just use 93. Does anyone know why there's so much
93 around, at the cost of 91? Are there that many vehicles that
require it?

=aw
andrew [(e-mail address removed)]

 

[Andrew Webber]

I have the same problem here in the Northeastern US. My truck runs best
on 91, but nobody sells it. I usually use the next grade up. Luckily,
93 is only ~$0.10/gal more than 89, so it's not that big of a deal.

The truck runs like crap under load and acceleration with our state's 87
& 89 octane blends, and the manual recommends 91+, so all those who are
about to post and tell me I don't need it can save it. =8^)

I guess it's worth watching for Sunoco stations then, my trip last
month was from Montreal to Philadelphia, the difference was only about
2c/gal for 91 vs. 93 when I could find it, so I could easily burn as
much as I save if I have to go out of my way.

Next trip is Montreal to Arlington VA, I'll stick with 93 unless I
stumble on a Sunoco.

Thanks for the real-life feedback.

=aw
andrew [(e-mail address removed)]

 

[Rick Courtright]

Mobils etc. didn't offer it). I assume 93 won't hurt, except for the
extra 2c/gal.

Hi,

If it's only 2c/gal difference, I'd just got for the higher rated fuel
and not worry about it. You certainly won't hurt the car.

Advantages: if it's hot, you have to carry heavy loads and/or do a lot
of hill climbing, there's less likelihood of pinging at a given spark
advance point. However, your ECU will do the adjustments automatically,
so you'll probably never even know anything's different. Some might
argue you'll get better mileage and/or power, but again, unless you've
got a REALLY sensitive backside, I doubt you'll feel it.

Disadvantages: it costs more. Out here in SoCal the differential's
generally 10c/gal/grade (89 costs 10c more than 87, 91 costs 10c more
than 89) so those who talk of wasting money going over grade have more
solid ground to stand on with their arguments. However, if it's only
2c/gal, and assuming you spend more time at home in Canada than down in
the States, I'd not get too worried!

It WOULD be interesting to see if there are any fuel economy differences
between fuels on either side of the border if you keep close tabs of
such. My Subie's never shown any real difference from one grade to
another, my Camry V-6 book says I'll get more power jumping a grade, but
my records show NO increase in fuel economy, and I can't feel anything.
Guess this is where YMMV really proves itself?

Rick

 

[JD]

That's what I figured, thanks. I'll keep using 91 at home.

What does Subaru recommend in the US? I had to hunt for a Sunoco
station to find 91 octane (there may be others, but the Exxons and
Mobils etc. didn't offer it). I assume 93 won't hurt, except for the
extra 2c/gal.

=aw

It won't. If you check your owner's manual, it probably says "91 AKI
minimum". There is a slight difference in fuel economy south of the border
since they use different additives in the gas than we do in Canada.

 

[JD]

I'm in New York, and I can't find 91 except from Sunoco, so I just put
93 in most of the time. At these lower altitudes, better to run the
higher octane. Another alternative is to run a tank of 93 down to
half and then top up with 89, but that's a pain.

Too much work, I'll just use 93. Does anyone know why there's so much
93 around, at the cost of 91? Are there that many vehicles that
require it?

=aw
andrew [(e-mail address removed)]

Different additives. 93 is very expensive to make in Canada since the
additives the Americans use is not allowed up here. So it doesn't cost very
much more to make 93 than it does to make 91 in the US. And, people will
generally buy more of a higher octane fuel even though it doesn't do
anything unless the car is tuned to use it; like forced-induction cars.

 

[y_p_w]

Too much work, I'll just use 93. Does anyone know why there's so much
93 around, at the cost of 91? Are there that many vehicles that
require it?

About the only unmodded US Subaru I've heard of that requires 93
(R+M)/2 octane is the Impreza WRX STi. Some exotic cars may be
equipped to deal with higher octane fuel.

The strangest thing I've heard of are local 76 stations selling
100 (R+M)/2 octane unleaded racing fuel at about $5/gallon (likely
more these days). It's dyed blue, and its nickname is "Smurf Gas".
This article mentions something about using this stuff in a 2001
Ferrari 550M Maranello, although they didn't detect a difference:

<http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/longterm/articles/49771/page009.html>

Apparently it blends fairly linearly with premium unleaded. Some
places have it at the pump, while other wholesalers only sell the
stuff in large cans.

<http://www.bricoinc.com/Sales/Catalog/Gasoline/Union_76/union_76.html>

 

[y_p_w]

Andrew Webber wrote:

I was in the US last month and most stations were 87, 89, and 93. So
I put in 93. Was that the right decision? Sunoco had 87, 89, 91 and
93 (I think) so I used 91. It was only 2c/gal cheaper than 93, so if
there wasn't a convenient Sunoco I just used 93 from someone else.

How come 91 is so hard to find? And what do American XT owners do,
put in 93? Should I look for something higher than 91 myself when I'm
at home?

If you seek out 93 when your car calls for 91, your probably wasting
money.

I'm in New York, and I can't find 91 except from Sunoco, so I just put
93 in most of the time. At these lower altitudes, better to run the
higher octane. Another alternative is to run a tank of 93 down to
half and then top up with 89, but that's a pain.

Too much work, I'll just use 93. Does anyone know why there's so much
93 around, at the cost of 91? Are there that many vehicles that
require it?

=aw
andrew [(e-mail address removed)]

Different additives. 93 is very expensive to make in Canada since the
additives the Americans use is not allowed up here. So it doesn't cost
very much more to make 93 than it does to make 91 in the US. And,
people will generally buy more of a higher octane fuel even though it
doesn't do anything unless the car is tuned to use it; like forced-
induction cars.

I don't know if it's really about "additives" per se. It's all
about the distillation process and the proportion of higher octane
hydrocarbons that ends up in the final product. There isn't going
to be anything in 93 octane unleaded that isn't in 91 octane fuel.

 

[Jim Stewart]

The strangest thing I've heard of are local 76 stations selling
100 (R+M)/2 octane unleaded racing fuel at about $5/gallon (likely
more these days). It's dyed blue, and its nickname is "Smurf Gas".
This article mentions something about using this stuff in a 2001
Ferrari 550M Maranello, although they didn't detect a difference:

100LL avgas. Available at any small airport.

 

[y_p_w]

100LL avgas. Available at any small airport.

The stuff I mentioned is unleaded and meets all state and federal
standards for reformulated gasoline. 100LL wouldn't be street
legal and might kill a catalytic converter.

<http://www.osbornauto.com/racing/unleaded.htm>

 

[Jim Stewart]

The stuff I mentioned is unleaded and meets all state and federal
standards for reformulated gasoline. 100LL wouldn't be street
legal and might kill a catalytic converter.

<http://www.osbornauto.com/racing/unleaded.htm>

Sorry. 100LL is dyed blue and I assumed
they must be the same thing. I'm surprised
you can get an unleaded 100 octane, else
the gov would make aircraft burn it.

 

[B a r r y]

The strangest thing I've heard of are local 76 stations selling
100 (R+M)/2 octane unleaded racing fuel at about $5/gallon (likely
more these days). It's dyed blue, and its nickname is "Smurf Gas".

FWIW, 100 octane aviation gas is dyed blue. <G>

Barry

 

[Andrew Webber]

Hi,

If it's only 2c/gal difference, I'd just got for the higher rated fuel
and not worry about it. You certainly won't hurt the car.

Advantages: if it's hot, you have to carry heavy loads and/or do a lot
of hill climbing, there's less likelihood of pinging at a given spark
advance point. However, your ECU will do the adjustments automatically,
so you'll probably never even know anything's different. Some might
argue you'll get better mileage and/or power, but again, unless you've
got a REALLY sensitive backside, I doubt you'll feel it.

Disadvantages: it costs more. Out here in SoCal the differential's
generally 10c/gal/grade (89 costs 10c more than 87, 91 costs 10c more
than 89) so those who talk of wasting money going over grade have more
solid ground to stand on with their arguments. However, if it's only
2c/gal, and assuming you spend more time at home in Canada than down in
the States, I'd not get too worried!

Up here the difference is about 10c-11c Canadian between 87 and 91.
In Ottawa the big sign is typically only for 87 but if it says "88.4"
I would expect 91 to be 98 or 99c (per L).

I don't have the receipts handy, but after being annoyed at paying a
premium for 93 at various stations on my drive to PHL, when I finally
hit a Sunoco and seeing 91, I recall it being only 2c/gal difference.
I'll check when I can, it may have been 2c/L or about 8c/gal.

Thanks everyone for the advice! On this next trip I'll buy 91 at
Sunoco when I can, but won't make any detours looking for it.

=aw
andrew [(e-mail address removed)]

 

[Tom Reingold]

One thing that bugs me about premium gas is that it costs a tiny bit
extra to make, but the profits are so much bigger. I'm glad my 2000
Legacy L drinks the cheap stuff.

There's an interesting article in the recent issue of Car and Driver
magazine. It makes a good case for name-brand gas. And it says we'll
soon get a legal indication of which gasolines meet the highest
standards of quality.

Tom

 

[y_p_w]

Sorry. 100LL is dyed blue and I assumed
they must be the same thing. I'm surprised
you can get an unleaded 100 octane, else
the gov would make aircraft burn it.

I don't think the 76 100 octane gas is any kind of traditionally
distilled fuel. One of the places selling it mention that it's made
of "essentially pure components". It sounds like they're blending
relatively pure hydrocarbons. Apparently this stuff burns faster and
is more volatile than normal gasoline. I've heard that some types of
high octane racing fuels burn faster, which is counterintuitive. Most
people seem to associate "higher octane" with "slower burning".

Apparently 100 octane is the most you can get that's street legal.
All the higher octane unleaded doesn't seem to meet reformulated
gas standards or maybe don't have the additive package needed.