[Fredslist] Fw: High Test Article

[Fred Klein]

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__________________________________
Fred C. Klein
Klein, Zelman, Rothermel & Dichter, L.L.P
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----- Forwarded by Fred Klein/KZRD on 08/24/2005 02:52 PM -----
                                                                           
             David Klein/KZRD                                              
                                                                           
             08/24/2005 02:47                                           To 
             PM                        Fred Klein/KZRD at KZRD,               
                                       julie2k at optonline.net               
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                                                                   Subject 
                                       this must be the article            
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           



                                                                            
 By JONATHAN WELSH                                                          
 Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL                                  
 January 4, 2005; Page D6                                                   
                                                                            
 Editor's Note: The first installment of a weekly column answering          
 readers'questions about automobiles. Questions can be e-mailed to          
 mecar at wsj.com.                                                             
                                                                            
 Gasoline prices have been high – over $2 a gallon in some parts of the     
 U.S. – for over a year but most drivers still haven't been moved to trade  
 in their big, fuel-thirsty vehicles for more economical models. But that   
 doesn't mean the cost of filling up hasn't gotten consumers' attention. A  
 number of readers say they've been saving money by using regular unleaded  
 gas instead of the higher-octane fuel specified in their owners' manuals.  
 With the highest-octane premium fuel often costing about 30 cents more per 
 gallon than regular, the                                                   
 savings can be significant. But motorists wonder whether there's any       
 danger in using lower than the recommended octane.                         
                                                                            
 Martin Arnold of Trumbull, Conn., says his BMW 330i "runs great on regular 
 grade, no knocks no pings. But am I doing permanent damage to the engine   
 or shortening its life?"                                                   
                                                                            
 The short answer is no. Even manufacturers like BMW and Volvo say          
 low-octane gasoline won't cause the harmful "knocking" that threatened     
 engines 20 or 30 years ago. Knocking occurs when fuel is burned or         
 "detonated" prematurely in the engine. On modern cars, electronic engine   
 controls include devices called knock sensors that constantly adjust the   
 vehicle's ignition to prevent knocking,regardless of the fuel grade.       
                                                                            
 There is a downside, though. When car companies publish performance data   
 like acceleration and miles-per gallon, the figures are based on how the   
 car performs using the recommended fuel grade. Cars that are designed to   
 run on premium or "high test" may not perform as well on lower octane. The 
 difference probably won't be noticeable in everyday driving, but a BMW     
 spokesman recommends that drivers do a little math: Compare the car's fuel 
 economy with different fuel grades to determine the cost per mile for each 
 octane level. We've tried this a                                           
 few times, though not with any BMWs so far, and have found that using      
 regular fuel costs less per mile.                                          
                                                                            


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