Please pump Ron 92, and tell your father, brother whoever to do it too

Finally some in Singapore bothers to write about such a thing. If your car is a normal car, go pump RON 92 for goodness sake! Stop feeding the petrol cartel with your hard earned money! If most Singaporeans do this then maybe they will think twice about treating us as suckers who can be squeeeeeeeeeeeezed as and when they like. So for the record,

1. Consult your owner's manual when determining what grade of petrol to pump. Most likely, RON 92 will suffice. Yes your bloooody precious Altis only needs 92.

2. There is no performance or efficiency improvement if you pump a higher grade of petrol than your car needs. Read point 1. It's all in the head, probably your lower one too which wants you to impress the chick. V-Power is equivalent to V-Expensive.

3. Higher grade petrol costs more.

4. Higher grade petrol pollutes more.

Need any more reasons?

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From Asiaone:

Fuel paradise?

Motorists in Singapore are a high-octane lot, going by the fuels they fill their cars with.

Despite the rise and rise of pump prices in recent years, they still buy more high-octane - and pricier - petrol than the cheaper, lower-octane juice.

Trade statistics show that in 1999, 98-octane (the highest available here) accounted for 82 per cent of petrol sold. Even with pump prices hitting record levels two years ago, 98-octane petrol made up 62 per cent of sales. Figures for 2006 are believed to be similar.`

The irony is, the majority of cars do not need high-octane fuels. Consultant Ong Eng Tong, 63, who is a 40-year marketing and trading veteran of the oil industry, says most Japanese makes will do fine with 92-octane (the lowest rating available here).

He also points out that the higher-octane fuels contain more benzene, a cancer-causing substance. "In most cases, using higher-octane petrol is a waste of money," he says.

Octane refers to the petrol's ability to resist premature ignition in the engine. The higher it is, the more resistant it is.

Most modern engines are able to overcome pre-ignition - which causes what is known as 'knocking' and is detrimental to efficiency - and can run well on lower-octane fuels.

At current prices, the difference between the most expensive and the least expensive fuels is 30.8 cents per litre. If you use 100 litres a month (which is typical), the difference works out to about $370 a year - enough for a very elaborate dinner for two.

So why is high-octane petrol so popular here? Essentially, it has to do with the notion that lower-octane fuels are somehow inferior.

Ms Day-Lin Koh, 29, who drives an Audi A4 1.8T, fills up with 98-octane because she reckons that is what the turbocharged car needs. Ms Koh, a marketing and communications manager, admits however that she filled up with 95 "by mistake" once and "there was no difference".

Little wonder. Audi says 95-octane is the preferred grade for the A4 1.8T. Honda Jazz owner Lee Li Hua, 49, says she alternates between 95- and 98-octane petrol.

"The Honda salesman recommended 98, but it is quite expensive," says the private banker. "So I use it on alternate fillings." Honda says the Jazz will run fine with 91-octane and above.

Businessman Leslie Chia, 42, who drives a high-performance Volvo V70 T5, fills up with 98-octane. "I've tried Shell V-Power in Malaysia, and frankly I couldn't tell the difference," he says, referring to the popular ultra-premium petrol.

Actually, the V70 T5 will operate fine on 95 too, says Volvo. Singaporeans are not the only ones who love high-octane fuel. According to oil companies, motorists in the Asia-Pacific tend to fill up with 98-octane.

In Europe and the United States, the majority goes for 95-octane. And in China, 90- and 93-octane petrols prevail (in fact, 98 is a rarity there).

Even in Japan, touted as the world's most sophisticated market, 91-octane makes up the bulk of petrol sales - although 100-octane is also available there.

Caltex introduced 100-octane petrol here in 1997 but removed it from its range soon after amid accusations by rivals that the fuel was damaging to some engines and detrimental to the environment because of its high benzene content.

Automotive consultant and racing driver William Lyou, 58, notes that only race cars need such high-octane fuels. "We imported 104- and 106-octane fuels for races here," he says.

The high-octane fuels are more resistant to knocking in high-compression high-revving engines, thus allowing these engines to perform optimally.

Shell fuels manager Eric Holthusen says most engines today have knock sensors that prevent damage from knocking. Some manufacturers have also introduced active knock sensors.

"These systems not only protect the engine from knock by retarding the ignition, but they can also advance the ignition when a higher-octane fuel in used so the driver can benefit from better economy or higher performance," he notes.

He says the choice of octane rating is determined by your car maker, as well as 'your personal preference'.



But Life! understands that outside the race circuit, supercars are about the only cars that require a strict diet of high-octane fuels. The others are small three-cylinder engines. These engines are more prone to knocking because of their high-compression nature. Older carburettor engines tend to need high-octane as well.

Mr Lyou runs his Lotus Elise on 95 and his Nissan March and Nissan Latio on 92. "The only time I used 98 was for my original Mini," he reveals.

Octane levels aside, is there a difference between the brands of petrol? Unsubstantiated banter among drivers seems to suggest so.

Oil industry sources say the various brands here are differentiated largely by the types of additives each adds to its fuels. And each will have its own marketing proposition.

Caltex says its petrol with Techron keeps engines clean for better performance, while Shell promises better economy. Esso, on the other hand, claims its fuels have 'friction modifiers' for smoother and quieter operation.

"Just a tankful of Techron can remove the carbon deposits on your car's fuel injectors," claims a Caltex spokesman. Be that as it may, one industry insider claims most fuels here share the same basic recipe.

"High-density petrols give more power but less economy; low-density petrols give better economy but are not so powerful. The petrols here tend to be the low-density variety," he says.

But Mr Lyou says which brand of petrol you use can be a 'seat of your pants' decision.

"Some swear by Esso, others Caltex," he says. "There is no right or wrong."

Read more here