Consumer advocate Charles Langley said there has not been a noticeable drop in premium gasoline prices to reflect the octane drop. The spread between premium and mid-grade fuel remains about a dime. "Of course it's a bad deal for consumers," said Langley, gasoline project manager with Utility Consumers' Action Network, an organization in San Diego. "People are buying what they think is premium -- the best quality of gas -- and they've just lowered the quality of it and they are still charging for it." Newer engines OKManufacturers of high-performance or luxury cars typically recommend that owners use premium unleaded fuel having an octane rating of at least 91, said car dealer John Hine Jr. Newer vehicles have engines that compensate for slight changes in octane levels by adjusting air-fuel mixtures and other factors. Said Volkswagen spokesman Tony Fouladpour: "The premium gas . . . lowers the volatility of the gasoline, so in high-compression engines you don't have premature ignition, or what they call knocking. That typically won't even occur in our cars that are high-compression engines because the electronics in the car are so sophisticated they do compensate for the differences in fuel." But some car buffs say motorists with older cars or specially modified vehicles may be in for a rough ride. Eric Van Pelt, a member of the Camaro Club of San Diego, said older cars without onboard computers may experience pinging and even suffer engine damage if the cars are not adjusted. He said some club members are upset over the octane downgrade. "These cars are tuned manually and a lot of hot-rod Camaros are set up for street performance and are optimized for 92-grade gas," Van Pelt said. "The owners of these vehicles will either have to retune the motor for 91-octane gas or add an octane booster every time they fill up. "We all hope that one day we will get our 92-octane gas back."  Copyright 2001 Union-Tribune Publishing Co.