Rant on: I'm so tired of people referring to 87 octane unleaded as "regular" gas. Regular gas has lead and hasn't been available for years at normal gas stations. What is commonly purchased today is unleaded or no-lead. Stop calling it berkleyin' regular!! Some of the pumps are even labeled that way. Can you even buy the good stuff anywhere in the world anymore? ( Yes I know lead + catalyst = bad) OK, rant off. Thank you.
I also hate the term "high test", and how folks think higher octane "burns hotter".
Yeah, that one kinda bugs me too. I always catch myself saying "where can you get 'regular' gas?"
Still remember Ethyl 
. One local station has 105 octane at the pump.
If you can't buy leaded gas at most stations anymore, it's not regular anymore. 87 unleaded has become the new regular because it's everywhere, and it's what most people use.
Grizz wrote: If you can't buy leaded gas at most stations anymore, it's not regular anymore. 87 unleaded has become the new regular because it's everywhere, and it's what most people use.
Agreed. What made leaded gas regular? The fact that it is what regular cars drove one.
Haven't been able to buy leaded gas here for almost 20 years. Regular is what comes out of the cheap pump. Sorry.
One would think that non-ethanol gasoline would be considered "regular" in this day and age.
I just call it "87" if I'm being specific.
...and for good measure
"You there, fill it up with petroleum distillate, and re-vulcanize my tires, post-haste."
tuna55 wrote: I also hate the term "high test", and how folks think higher octane "burns hotter".
I think people just confuse this with the fact that it requires a higher activation energy.
rotard wrote:tuna55 wrote: I also hate the term "high test", and how folks think higher octane "burns hotter".I think people just confuse this with the fact that it requires a higher activation energy.
Yup. That's exactly the problem.....I remember having to tell a kid (out of earshot of his parents) that his dad was wrong, and the higher octane gas didn't have "more energy" in it.
I've always been bugged by how people think high octane gas is somehow "better". I went to Daytona in college with some buddy's and we took one guys' Pontiac Sunbird "GT". It was an '85, or something like that. We were taking turns paying for gas and he insisted we all buy the high octane stuff because his Dad told him it was "better". I told him that I was putting "regular" in it, and if he wanted premium then he could pay the difference. It sounds like you are old! LOL . I remember too well when regular was the regular leaded gas. But it's been so long now that I think of regular as regular unleaded. Sorry.
My new car was option with the standard transmission. Is it a manual or automatic?
According to SAE and most auto conventions, Regular is 91 RON, regardless of additives.
(Premium is 95, super premium is 98, and all of those convert to roughly 87, 91, and 93 pump respectively)
Then again, I almost never call if regular or preium, but by it's RON number. Except at the pump, where I get Regular.
I always assumed that gas was called "regular" or "hi test" due to the additives in it....and that it had nothing to do with lead content (or lack thereof).
And I'm sorry, but if this is your idea of a legitimate rant, you might be ready for the Clint Eastwood wing of the local old farts home.
"Leaded" gas hasn't been allowed in new cars since the mid-70s. Stations stopped selling it soon after. For the past 25-30 years, 87 unleaded IS regular.
rotard wrote:tuna55 wrote: I also hate the term "high test", and how folks think higher octane "burns hotter".I think people just confuse this with the fact that it requires a higher activation energy.
Not really, higher octane is more about how stable it is under high heat and pressure- not about energy content or activation energy (or even flame speed as I've seen before).
But, I will say a few words about fuels from my job at Chevron....
First- they would intentionally add more detergents to premium fuel, so that they can MARKET it as a better fuel for the masses. I thought this was pretty funny, since there's a minimum amount that is required to keep our cars clean enough.
Second- apparently, it was common practice to put in significantly higher octane fuel in the big tanks during credit card marketing periods. Remember back 30 years ago when you held a credit card that was unique to a gas brand? They wanted you to get the impression that their fuel was better, so IF you had a knock issue, Brand X would appear better than Y for the same fuel... I really though that was pretty funny.
On a final note- TetraEthel lead. Isn't that another term for a version of alcohol? 
alfadriver wrote: According to SAE and most auto conventions, Regular is 91 RON, regardless of additives. (Premium is 95, super premium is 98, and all of those convert to roughly 87, 91, and 93 pump respectively) Then again, I almost never call if regular or preium, but by it's RON number. Except at the pump, where I get Regular.
My nose burns Eric. Seriously, the hot cocoa/coffee combination that just came out of it and onto my desk was rather warm.
alfadriver wrote: On a final note- TetraEthel lead. Isn't that another term for a version of alcohol?
TetraEthyl lead, it's what you win after playing Tetris while drunk.
I agree with the "normal" is a relative term and 87 is now the standard for most cars, so it's the new "regular."
I mean they quit selling leaded fuel years before I was born, why should "regular" be something that I've never even seen?
John Brown wrote:alfadriver wrote: According to SAE and most auto conventions, Regular is 91 RON, regardless of additives. (Premium is 95, super premium is 98, and all of those convert to roughly 87, 91, and 93 pump respectively) Then again, I almost never call if regular or preium, but by it's RON number. Except at the pump, where I get Regular.My nose burns Eric. Seriously, the hot cocoa/coffee combination that just came out of it and onto my desk was rather warm.
When i first read the title, I missed some of it, and thought I would have to post about bran, brancrip crackers, and All Bran cereal.
mtn wrote: Agreed. What made leaded gas regular? The fact that it is what regular cars drove one.
Regular (leaded) vs unleaded.
I'm 29 and I dont remember ever seeing leaded gas at the pumps. It's not regular for me. But I do feel your pain; I tried telling someone that a standard transmission is a manual, which isn't really the standard anymore.
You know what burns me? The price difference between "regular" and "premium". It used to be about 10 cents a litre around here, but now its creeped up to 15 to 17 cents a litre difference. Does it really cost more to refine? I doubt it.
integraguy wrote: And I'm sorry, but if this is your idea of a legitimate rant, you might be ready for the Clint Eastwood wing of the local old farts home.
.....and I'm not even 40 yet......
In other news, I still feel pushrods are the best type of valvetrain. Now get off my lawn
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