Dose 91 octane exist outside of California?

What octane is premium in your area?

  • 91 octane

    Votes: 2 25.0%
  • 93 octane

    Votes: 6 75.0%

  • Total voters
    8

Silver02Sport

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Not to sound like a bigger idiot then I am but dose 91 exists outside of California? My little sister asked why my car said to use gas that didn't exist. I told it did in California but that got me thinking I don't think I've ever seen 91 for sale. I can remember being a kid in the 80's & seeing the "regular" & unleaded pumps but even then it was 87, 89, 93 & today the 7-11's with 5 different grades have 87,88,89,90 & 93. So is 91 a Cali thing or is 93 a Florida thing & does anyone know why? Also what grade do you have in your area?
 
It's "does", not "dose."
We have 93 here, but I have seen 92.
The LS sticker says "91+", so it is actually asking for 91 or higher, so it is asking for 91, 92, 93, ...
If it really bothers you, pump in 7.5 gallons of 93 and 7.5 gallons of 89, then you should have 91.
 
There are basically only two grades of automotive gasoline that are refined - a so-called low octane and a so-called high octane. What is offered at the pump depends on the blending process and the Ethanol content. There are also specialty racing unleaded gasolines, but those are a completely group of fuels.

For the nine "west coast" states there are 87 and 91 pump grades. For Colorado which is mostly above 5000 ft there is also a 85 octane pump grade. For most of the rest of the country there is 87 and either 92 or 93 octane pump grades - depending on the refinery/brand. Before the Great Recession there was also some 94 octane super premium pump gas back east, mostly at Sunoco stations - but it only came from one specific refinery.

Now all the other mid level octane pump grades are simply made by blending at the pump itself. 89 octane is two (2) parts 87 and one (1) part 93. While 91 octane is one (1) part 87 and two (2) parts 93. If you want to do the math, you will find that the pricing of mid level 89 or 91 may not reflex its blending proportions, so buyer be where.

Because ethanol can't be pumped though the carbon steel gasoline pipeline infrastructure, it has to be delivered to and blended at the fuel depots just before being loaded into stainless steel tankers for delivery to the gasoline stations. Also 10% Ethanol content has an impact on the octane number of the pump gas. For example, blend 10% straight ethanol (which has an octane rating of 112 - laboratory grade Ethanol that has been chemically treated to remove all the water content supposedly has an octane rating of 114) with 90% say 91 octane pure gasoline and you get 93 octane pump gas. If you take 91 octane blended pump gas and remove the 10% ethanol content, then your get 89 octane pure gas, which is what is sold at marinas and at gas stations that offer "Ethanol free gasoline" for use in say your yard and power equipment.

Its all a numbers and blending game. As always YMMV.
 
There are basically only two grades of automotive gasoline that are refined - a so-called low octane and a so-called high octane. What is offered at the pump depends on the blending process and the Ethanol content. There are also specialty racing unleaded gasolines, but those are a completely group of fuels.

For the nine "west coast" states there are 87 and 91 pump grades. For Colorado which is mostly above 5000 ft there is also a 85 octane pump grade. For most of the rest of the country there is 87 and either 92 or 93 octane pump grades - depending on the refinery/brand. Before the Great Recession there was also some 94 octane super premium pump gas back east, mostly at Sunoco stations - but it only came from one specific refinery.

Now all the other mid level octane pump grades are simply made by blending at the pump itself. 89 octane is two (2) parts 87 and one (1) part 93. While 91 octane is one (1) part 87 and two (2) parts 93. If you want to do the math, you will find that the pricing of mid level 89 or 91 may not reflex its blending proportions, so buyer be where.

Because ethanol can't be pumped though the carbon steel gasoline pipeline infrastructure, it has to be delivered to and blended at the fuel depots just before being loaded into stainless steel tankers for delivery to the gasoline stations. Also 10% Ethanol content has an impact on the octane number of the pump gas. For example, blend 10% straight ethanol (which has an octane rating of 112 - laboratory grade Ethanol that has been chemically treated to remove all the water content supposedly has an octane rating of 114) with 90% say 91 octane pure gasoline and you get 93 octane pump gas. If you take 91 octane blended pump gas and remove the 10% ethanol content, then your get 89 octane pure gas, which is what is sold at marinas and at gas stations that offer "Ethanol free gasoline" for use in say your yard and power equipment.

Its all a numbers and blending game. As always YMMV.

Thanks I didn't know Colorado got 85 instead of 87. I get that the different grades are just different blends though why someone would want to lower the octane rating I don't know. Hell I used to use 97 till the Sunoco by me became a Citgo. I assume in Cali. it's to meet their emission laws & high altitude places I'm guessing gets the lower octane because of the lack of O2. But why does the east coast get 93+ & not the rest of the country are we just lucky or is there a practical/mechanical reason?
 
Thanks I didn't know Colorado got 85 instead of 87. I get that the different grades are just different blends though why someone would want to lower the octane rating I don't know. ...

Higher altitudes (lower absolute pressure) don't need as high of an octane since your compression is effectively reduced.
 
92 is available in the Detroit area but if you go to the right place you can also get 94

KS
 
Like Joe said. Octane availability depends on elevation. Dallas has 93 as premium, but the west texas plains (up over 2,000') have 89 as premium.
 

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