At 10:00 PM 9/10/2001 -0700, you wrote:
>Listers,
>
>I read the new today, Oh Boy!
>
>Here is the story behind the drop in premium gas octane from 92 to 91. It
>has to do with some Union 76 patents, the first being the '393 patent (U.S.
>5,288,393) and four subsequent ones granted Unocal that essentially block
>other refiners from making octane above 91 on a cost effective basis without
>infringing. As a consequence, as a group, the other oil companies have
>decided to dodge the bullet by lowering their octane to 91 using the
>non-patented method. Isn't it wonderful how our patent system stimulates
>technology?? You might think that at least at the Union 76 station you could
>get 92 octane, right? Wrong! Since they all have to pump their gas through
>the same pipe, they are all forced to sell 91 octane gas.
>
>When I first heard from Steve Sage about his pinging problem, I was
>skeptical that a change of 1 octane point could be so significant. Lately,
>though this problem has hit the press and a lot of people with older, high
>compression engines are noticing pinging problems. From what I read, the
>problem will get even worse when they phase out the MTBE in a couple of
>years and start using ethanol instead. Then, we'll be lucky if we still can
>get 91 octane.
>
>I think this story is going to get even more interesting as the impact of
>what has been happening becomes more widely known.
>
>TTFN,
>
>Bob
I wonder if the problem is the patent or is it just California
bullshit? Here in Florida the Octane is still at 93, but it cost an arm
and a leg at $1.55 a gallon.
James Barrett Tiger II 351C and others
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