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[Jamin Lynch]

 I was hoping people would just post what they are paying for fuel in different parts of the country/world and not go political. 

[Keith Broughton]

I was hoping people would just post what they are paying for fuel in different parts of the country/world and not go political.

I don't see any politicals here.
Just paid 1.05/L in Toronto

[John L Nobile]

I don't see any politicals here.
Just paid 1.05/L in Toronto

I find it strange that it's 10 cents a liter cheaper 2 hours north of Toronto here in Huntsville. Strange but nice!

[Jamin Lynch]

I find it strange that it's 10 cents a liter cheaper 2 hours north of Toronto here in Huntsville. Strange but nice!

It's whatever the market will bare.

I'm right in the middle of oil and gas country, with 3 large refineries close by and one of the largest fracking areas in the world. Most of the natural gas used in the upper mid west comes from here.

Fuel here is a little less than other parts of the country, but it varies by several cents/gal from one side of my city to the other. Generally the "better" side of town is higher.

[Tom Roche]

Behind the Zion Curtain (Utah) I pay $2 for 85 octane (regular) and about $2.28 for 91 octane (supreme).  We are either in the top five or bottom five in terms of gas prices in the US, so we see large price swings.  Over the past year we've been on the high side.

I've seen prices as low as $1.90, but I don't trust the quality as my car ran like crap and mileage dropped a few MPG.

[Stephen Kirby]

Behind the Zion Curtain (Utah) I pay $2 for 85 octane (regular) and about $2.28 for 91 octane (supreme).  We are either in the top five or bottom five in terms of gas prices in the US, so we see large price swings.  Over the past year we've been on the high side.

I've seen prices as low as $1.90, but I don't trust the quality as my car ran like crap and mileage dropped a few MPG.

Recently went to St. George for the Senior Games and was surprised at the gas prices compared to CA.  But was also surprised to see 85 octane.  Regular in CA is 87, with mid grade at 89 and premium at 91 or 92.  The guy at the RV rental place said to just put the cheapest stuff in it so 85 it was.

[Tom Roche]

Recently went to St. George for the Senior Games and was surprised at the gas prices compared to CA.  But was also surprised to see 85 octane.  Regular in CA is 87, with mid grade at 89 and premium at 91 or 92.  The guy at the RV rental place said to just put the cheapest stuff in it so 85 it was.

It's because of the altitude.  Common to see 85 octane in UT, CO and WY, and perhaps a few other mountain states.

[Jonathan Johnson]

Regular in CA is 87, with mid grade at 89 and premium at 91 or 92.  The guy at the RV rental place said to just put the cheapest stuff in it so 85 it was.

The gearheads here probably know this, but higher octane isn't necessarily a higher "grade" or "more powerful." The octane rating refers to how likely it is to detonate under compression; fuel with a higher octane rating is more resistant to detonation (the "pinging" sound you might hear when the engine is under load, which is due to the fuel igniting before the ignition system fires.). This also affects how quickly it ignites when exposed to flame.

Typically, as the engine compression ratio increases, higher octane fuel is necessary. A higher octane fuel may burn more slowly, resulting in a smoother power application during the downstroke of the piston.

Some distributors do add more or more expensive detergents to the higher octane fuel. And in many cases, the "mid-grade" fuel is a blend of low- and high-octane fuels, drawn from both bulk tanks at the filling station, and mixed in the dispenser.

My '96 Dodge Ram 1/2-ton pickup with a 318in³/5.2L V-8 engine is hard to start and doesn't run smoothly if I put anything higher than 87 octane in it.

[Dave Pluke]

I was hoping people would just post what they are paying for fuel in different parts of the country/world ...

Since you asked, I last filled up at $1.849 (US) per gallon on North Main St in High Point, NC.

Prices vary by season (different blends) and parts of town (the "tourist" side charges $0.15 - $0.20 more per gallon than the "local" side).

I have not witnessed the pre-holiday price gouging here in North Carolina that I did back in Minnesota, or Ohio, or Missouri.

Dave

[John Roberts {JR}]

The gearheads here probably know this, but higher octane isn't necessarily a higher "grade" or "more powerful." The octane rating refers to how likely it is to detonate under compression; fuel with a higher octane rating is more resistant to detonation (the "pinging" sound you might hear when the engine is under load, which is due to the fuel igniting before the ignition system fires.). This also affects how quickly it ignites when exposed to flame.

Typically, as the engine compression ratio increases, higher octane fuel is necessary. A higher octane fuel may burn more slowly, resulting in a smoother power application during the downstroke of the piston.

Yes literally "octane" refers to the flame speed relative to pure octane (C8H18). You can extract more energy (horsepower) from the engine with slower burning gas if you also light the fire sooner (more timing advance). This flame speed is also a function of charge density so at full throttle charges burn faster than during light pedal. This is why a poorly tuned engine will ping or knock under full throttle at low RPM with cheap (fast burning) gas. If the flame burns so fast that there is significant cylinder pressure build up before top dead center the motor is literally fighting against itself and can break stiff (melt pistons, et al). Modern engines with computer ECU incorporate "knock sensors" that recognize the sound of of pinging and retard timing. So modern cars are far more tolerant of crappy gas than back in the day. 

Some distributors do add more or more expensive detergents to the higher octane fuel. And in many cases, the "mid-grade" fuel is a blend of low- and high-octane fuels, drawn from both bulk tanks at the filling station, and mixed in the dispenser.

mtbe was a popular oxygenate (octane extender -slows flame rate) until they discovered that mtbe was fouling groundwater (probably still is), now they use ethanol as a more environmentally friendly oxygenate.  I like ethanol for that, just not 15% or more as a general fuel extender. Ethanol absorbs moisture and is bad for the insides of motors.   

My '96 Dodge Ram 1/2-ton pickup with a 318in³/5.2L V-8 engine is hard to start and doesn't run smoothly if I put anything higher than 87 octane in it.

Back in the 60's I connected my no longer being used choke cable to my distributor so I could retard the timing enough to make my car easier to start, then advance it again (to make more power). At cranking speed even a few degrees before top dead center is counter productive.

I'm not sure I follow how higher octane (slower burning) would be difficult to start... at cranking speed slow burning should be easier to start with (less flame activity before top dead center).

JR

PS regarding higher charge density burning faster, when I put a super-charger on my 93 mustang, at higher RPM as the supercharger pumped more fuel into the combustion chamber i would get detonation. But unlike ping or engine knock at low RPM detonation occurring at 6,000-7,000 RPM is harder to hear. I added a special ignition system that sensed manifold pressure and retarded timing when the boost pressure was high enough to benefit from it. 

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