You are not dreaming - the stock 2.1 and 1.9L boxer motors will run fine on
the 87 octane fuel if the timing is set to stock.  The only advantage to
running 'premium' fuel in our vehicles is more additives for cleaning fuel
injectors and the like.  Also the higher the octane the less potential
energy the fuel has so you need to burn more to do the same work.  In all my
years of running low compression ratio VWs I have always run 87 octane fuel
with a bottle of 'gas line anti-freeze' dumped in when I change to oil to
get any water that might be in the tank and a bottle of STP fuel injector
cleaner to keep them spraying nice - so far, no problems...

David Marshall

Fast Forward Automotive Inc.
4356 Quesnel Hixon Road
Quesnel BC Canada  V2J 6Z3

http://www.fastforward.ca    mailto:sales@fastforward.ca
Phone: (250) 992 7775        FAX: (250) 992 1160

- Vanagon Accessories and Engine Conversions
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-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com]On Behalf
Of Mike Miller
Sent: December 10, 2002 7:38 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Water deliberately added to gasoline?

I thought that van's used regular?  More octane doesn't mean better gas or
better performance, at least unless you have an adaptive computer on your FI
and knock sensors.  Or am I dreaming too?

Mike

On 12/10/02 2:40 AM, "prb" <prb@TELEVAR.COM> wrote:

> Robert, I was travelling from northern WA to Portland.  This trip was the
> first time I used less than the highest octane (about 92) available.  By
> the time I got to Oregon I was starting on my 3rd full tank of 87 octane,
> and from various places. While in Portland I started experiencing some
> cutting out.  On the way back it got worse once, then calmed down.  Made
it
> home and topped up with 92 Chevron.  Had one more bad cut-out. Next tank
92
> and "Heat".  No cut-out since.
>
> Was it the Octane? Was it the state of OR?  or the different stations?
> I've done the trip many times before, but always with the 92.
> Also, I haven't driven the van an awful lot since I got back, so it could
> still give me grief again.  Just thought I'd throw this out, since you
> mentioned OR and cutting-out.
>
> --Patrice