anywhere in the bay area to get 93 oct. gas????
07-28-2004, 01:12 PM
#15
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I filled up on Monday and according to the sticker...
on the pump, the octane is 92 (and for a pretty low price, $2.29/gallon). Almost too good to be true. I didn't confirm with the attendant.
07-29-2004, 04:49 PM
#18
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But here's why it's highly unlikely
Oil compaines have a shared distribution pipeline that runs around California. The refineries all put their product into it and the distributors all drink from it. The distributors then add the "pack" of chemical additives that's brand-specific. Chevron distributors add Techron, etc.
Coupla years ago, it became obvious that MTBE was *not* a good thing and the oil companies were told to remove it. This added major cost to refining high-octane gas, because Unocal held patents on refining methods for making gas that meets Cali's definition of clean-burning. BTW, Cali is now suing Unocal for filing those patent applications at the same time they were working with the government of the definition of clean-burning. The other oil compaines decided they weren't going to pay those royalties, so they all agreed to lower the octane of the premium flowing through the pipeline.
Soooo, if a station were to put something higher than 91 octane in a tank in the ground, it would have to come through an entirely separate distribution system than all the other gas around. Race gas is done this way. 92 octane is almost surely an old sticker with 91 octane flowing.
-df
Coupla years ago, it became obvious that MTBE was *not* a good thing and the oil companies were told to remove it. This added major cost to refining high-octane gas, because Unocal held patents on refining methods for making gas that meets Cali's definition of clean-burning. BTW, Cali is now suing Unocal for filing those patent applications at the same time they were working with the government of the definition of clean-burning. The other oil compaines decided they weren't going to pay those royalties, so they all agreed to lower the octane of the premium flowing through the pipeline.
Soooo, if a station were to put something higher than 91 octane in a tank in the ground, it would have to come through an entirely separate distribution system than all the other gas around. Race gas is done this way. 92 octane is almost surely an old sticker with 91 octane flowing.
-df
