I don't think so.  It couldn't burn "easier" or high octane gas would be
pre-detonating in the engine.  It *might* burn "hotter", but that's got to
be a result of the higher compression of the engine this gas is designed to
be used in, not the gas itself.  Same argument for the claim of "cleaner."
It still makes no sense that pouring high-octane gas into an engine designed
for low-octane fuel means squat when it comes to passing smog.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Tom Young                       '81 Vanagon
Lafayette, CA 94549         '82 Westfalia
---------------------------------------------------------------
----- Original Message -----
From: "mike boland" <westy@mvboland.com>
To: "Tom Young" <tomyoung1@ATTBI.COM>
Sent: Monday, April 14, 2003 10:40 PM
Subject: Re: 82 Failed CA Smog Test- help!

> higher octane fuel will burn easier , hotter and cleaner..
>
> Mike
>
> At 09:56 PM 4/14/2003 -0700, you wrote:
> >Frankly, that sort of advice makes absolutely no sense to me.  Higher
octane
> >allows a car to run at a higher compression ratio without pinging.  But,
if
> >the vehicle isn't pinging, what's the point of running High Octane, and
what
> >could that possibly do to help a vehicle with a high idle CO pass the
smog
> >test?  What's the logic here?
> >---------------------------------------------------------------
> >Tom Young                       '81 Vanagon
> >Lafayette, CA 94549         '82 Westfalia
> >---------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> >----- Original Message -----
> >From: "Richard Brassaw" <sendmeanemail@EARTHLINK.NET>
> >To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> >Sent: Monday, April 14, 2003 9:14 PM
> >Subject: Re: 82 Failed CA Smog Test- help!
> >
> >
> > > I've had several mechanics tell me to run a couple of tanks of High
> > > Octane before getting smoged.  Also, when was the last time a new Cat
> > > was put on--it might be time.
> >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On
Behalf
> > > Of S.Harrison
> > > Sent: Monday, April 14, 2003 9:03 PM
> > > To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> > > Subject: 82 Failed CA Smog Test- help!
> > >
> > > I passed all aspects of the test but the CO% at idle -- I was at
5.56%,
> > > with
> > > a maximum allowable of 2.00. The CO% at 2500 RPM measurement was fine,
> > > about
> > > 0.62%.
>