> On 12/15/2013 7:58 AM, Paul Rogers wrote:
> > Buses and Vanagons were designed in the '60s and '70s and DO NOT HAVE knock sensing capability. That is, if you decide to use low-grade fuel, or end up with some bad gas by mistake, the engine has no way of adapting to it. The little engine will try to push that big box around with all its might, knocking or not, until it pukes. And unlike the newer Eurovans—with their larger, more sturdy engines—the engine in a Bus or Vanagon is BARELY able to push it down the road even under ideal circumstances. Anyone who has spent any time behind the wheel of one of these vehicles, even one fitted with a GoWesty high performance 2.5 liter engine, finds themselves trying to push the accelerator pedal through the floor without realizing it. So: Always run premium in any Bus or Vanagon, or you will risk destroying the engine. And even with known good fuel, it is a good idea to experiment a little, learn what pinging sounds like, and make changes in your driving habbits as needed to avoid it from happening.
> >   
> > What about the cost? Well, at $3-5 per gallon, what is another twenty cents? A lot less than another engine, that’s for sure.
> >
> > What about MPG? Don’t you get better MPG with higher octane fuel? Baloney! Don’t believe it! It is just not true. You can run regular in any Eurovan without hurting it and get the same MPG.
> >
> > What about running hotter? Doesn’t my engine run at a HIGHER temperature with HIGHER octane gasoline? Baloney! Don’t believe it! It is just not true.

What is wrong with driving within the capability of the vehicle?  I have never experienced pinging with my '91 Campmobile with 2.1 Waterboxer engine.  But then, I let it slow down on a grade, downshifting the manual transmission when I feel it start to lug.  I drive at 58 mph generally on the highway, and I let the wind slow me down if necessary.  I just don't see the need to try to drive the thing like it is a "performance" car.  For that matter, I don't see the need for "performance cars."

David McNeely