Re: [T3] Octane Requirements

[DGaries808@aol.com]

In a message dated 9/8/00 5:47:42 PM Central Daylight Time, 
robap1@hotmail.com writes:

<< Subj:     [T3] Octane Requirements
 Date:  9/8/00 5:47:42 PM Cenral Daylight Time
 From:  robap1@hotmail.com (Bob Payne)
 To:    type3@vwtype3.org (VW Type III)
 
 Hello everyone,
 
 Hopefully someone with more knowledge than I have can answer some questions
 about the octane requirements of my 71 fuel injected Fastback. Premium gas
 is being sold in my area now at $2.15 per gallon. I know this subject has
 been talked about before, but I have not seen any concrete answers as to why
 we should be using premium fuel in our VW's. I have always used premium
 because that is what everyone says I should be using. I know when my 71
 Fastback was manufactured regular gas was 90 octane (per my owners manual).
 My owners manual says to use 90 octane. Is that because this engine actually
 required 90 octane to run properly or just because that was the lowest
 octane available in the States at that time? My owners manual states that I
 have a 7.7:1 compression ratio. That does not seem to be a high compression
 engine to me. Almost all of the new cars are fuel injected now and they are
 using regular gas. How does the average CR on these cars compare to the VW?
 Has anyone actually seen a VW engine damaged from using lower octane fuel?
 If so, what kind of actual damage was done? Is the higher octane required in
 some way to help the cooling of the air cooled engine? The available octane
 in my area is 91/92, 89 and 87 octane. Since VW's recommendation was 90,
 would there be any harm is using the 89 octane?
 
 I live in an area that is anywhere from 3,500 to over 4,000 feet above sea
 level. I know that the higher the altitude, the lower the octane
 requirement. Does anyone know how to calculate what the octane requirement
 is considering the altitude?
 
 Thanks,
 
 Bob
 
 http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Canyon/5636/
 
No, and it won't hurt to use 87 octane, either. Look on the pump. It says 1/2 
of this and 1/2 of that averaging 87 octane. That's equivalent to about 90 
Octane in Europe. I use 87 Octane regularly in my 1964 Type 34 1500-S Ghia, 
which originally called for about 90 Octane, I think. Not sure whether that 
means Europe or USA. But, the way I look at it is it doesn't knock, the 
octane rating is OK. Mine doesn't knock, and I have done nothing with the 
timing. And I have put about 2,000 miles on the car. So, I'm using 87 octane, 
and that's that. I also own ten other VW's, including a 1999 New
Beetle, which has never seen anything except 87 octane. In fact, none of my 
cars has ever seen anything greater than 87 octane since I've owned them. I 
also have a
1971 Type 3 pickup, usta be a Squareback. It uses 87 octane, too.

Don Garies
dgaries808@aol.com

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