gerardog

Hi everyone,
tomorrow is the big day... installing the MUGEN ECU on my S. I know that I should always run on premium gas to avoid engine knock.. (which btw I already do with the stock ECU). I was wondering if anyone knows the difference on octane scales between europe and US . Here premium gasoline is 98 octane (shell also makes a 99 octane premium called Vpower). Normal gasoline is 95 Octane. What do you guys use?

I leave the word to the experts!

Ciao

cdelena

Gasoline in the US is rated with a 'anti-knock index' which is a broader measure than the RON octane measurement used in most of the world. AKI is RON+MON/2 so you will see people in the States talking about 'octane' ratings of 91 - 93, which is really AKI. Generally you can compare AKI+5 to a RON rating so AKI 93 in the states performs about like 98 octane (RON)... which is the desired fuel when using the Mugen ECU.

hondamanwill

Ciao bruto hehe

I spent 2.5 yrs in Italy and my Mom is still there. She is originally from Naples but now lives In Tuscany region.

Gas here is under federal emission laws and is not as good has the gas you have. Here is Wisconsin the gas is 92 octane and has a chemical called ethanol in it, it is suppose to burn cleaner yada yada yada. We want your gas!!!!! I hate emissions.
You just have to go do you annual vehicle check, we have to do a check every 2years but it is just what comes out the tail pipe.

gerardog

Hi,
thanks for the reply.... so if I'm forced to use 95 RON gasoline once... lets say because the pump station i'm at doesn't offer premium gasoline, would my engine knock really bad? can this cause damage or should i just avoid hard acceleration.. VTEC..ect..? I really don't want to carry my stock ECU in my trunk .. in case that happens!l

gerardog

Hi Hondaman,
so you lived in Italy for a while... should have come to one of our S2k meets

I lived in the US for many years, so yes.. I'm familiar with the gasoline that you guys use..
Here they require us to have the cars checked every 2 yrs.. it's not just emissions.. it's a general check.. making sure that you're not driving a piece of crap that is falling apart, doesn't brake and pollutes like a diesel bus! The bad aspect is that we're not allowed to make any mods on the car unless authorized by HONDA.. ..but of course.. everyone does it the same...

if you ever visit your mom here in Tuscany let me know.. that's where 90% of our s2k meets are

ciao

Trip

I also live in Europe too and I am sure you do not want the gas we have here.

We have only 1 type of unleaded fuel available from the pump station and the Octane level is never revealed to the public. Not even the pump station knows the level. Rumours say it

gerardog

What are you talking about? I don't mean to be offensive.. BUT maybe Malta does not have the same gas supply as the rest of Europe! We have PREMIUM UNLEADED and more then one brand to choose from...

Also, keep in mind that you live in a small island and gas companies are not likely to invest lots of money for a small market like yours. Malta just became a member of the EU this year.. so hopefully things will improve there as well

ciao

cdelena

If you are forced to use 95 octane with the Mugen ECU installed just avoid lugging the engine, high RPM, and hard acceleration until you get better gas. Be especially careful with high heat and uphill grades.

Trip

[QUOTE=gerardog,Mar 29 2005, 08:07 PM]What are you talking about? I don't mean to be offensive.. BUT maybe Malta does not have the same gas supply as the rest of Europe! We have PREMIUM UNLEADED and more then one brand to choose from...

Also, keep in mind that you live in a small island and gas companies are not likely to invest lots of money for a small market like yours. Malta just became a member of the EU this year.. so hopefully things will improve there as well