loweroctan

Lou Heyn knew something was wrong when his classic 1968 Camaro starting pinging and knocking. He'd bought premium unleaded fuel from the same Poway gas station he always goes to, but something was different. What Heyn didn't realize was that the octane level of premium gasoline sold throughout California quietly dropped about a month ago to 91 from 92.

Car manufacturers and dealers say drivers of newer luxury and high-performance vehicles may not experience a performance change as a result of the octane reduction. But drivers like Heyn, who run older machines, say it makes a difference. "If you and I were sitting across from a table and I offered you some tap water vs. some bottled water, which would you touch?" asked Heyn, who puts premium gas in the four Camaros he and his wife own. "Think of the same thing as fuel. The higher the octane, the purer the fuel."

Why did premium gasoline lose an octane point? The answer depends on whom you ask.

What is known is that the state's primary fuel pipeline operator, Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, asked oil refineries if they wanted to make the change, and a majority said yes.

Because the companies all transport fuel in the same pipeline system, the octane level of all premium gas needs to be consistent.

An official with the California Energy Commission said his agency triggered the switch because it asked Kinder Morgan to survey its customers on making the change.

Energy officials were concerned that if 92 octane remained the standard, there could be a shortage of premium gas in 2003 when the octane-boosting fuel additive MTBE is banned. MTBE stands for methyl tertiary butyl ether.

MTBE is added to gas because it reduces air pollution. It is being banned in California because it has leaked from underground gasoline tanks and contaminated drinking water.

When refineries switch to ethanol as a substitute for MTBE, it will be more difficult and more expensive to produce 92-octane gas, said Gordon Schremp, a senior fuel specialist with the commission.

Switching to 91 octane should avoid some of those problems.

Some industry watchers doubt that the impending MTBE ban was a factor. They suspect that oil refineries agreed to lower the octane level to avoid encroaching on gasoline patents held by Unocal.

The patents require refiners to pay royalties to Unocal when they use the company's special gas-blending recipes.

"The patent that Unocal has is a very cost-effective method," said Will Woods, executive director of the Automotive Trade Organization of California, the state's leading trade organization for service-station owners and auto repair shops. "To blend around that patent, it became very expensive for the other oil companies to do so."

Schremp agreed the patent issue may have provided motivation for refiners to support the octane reduction.

Less expensive

By lowering the octane to 91, refiners "should have less problems being able to successfully blend premium gasoline and it should be less expensive for them, and it can allow some refiners to get around one of the five sets of Unocal patents," Schremp said.

A Unocal spokesman said he doubted that the patent was a factor and said oil companies made the switch to boost profits. He said oil companies have said during legal proceedings that they have no problem "blending around" the patent.

"You can paint any picture you want. The facts remain that it is cheaper for them to make 91 gasoline vs. 92, and they still get the same amount of money for it," said Unocal spokesman Barry Lane.

Regardless of the reasons behind the change, the lower-octane fuel is flowing into motorists' cars. Some may not even know it.

The only clear sign of the change was the appearance of new yellow and black "91" octane stickers on pumps.

There were no public hearings or legislative debates on the issue. Gasoline refiners do not need regulatory approval to change octane levels of unleaded fuel.

Camaro owner Heyn said he found out about the change when he received an e-mail as a car club member. Now he adds an octane booster when he fills up.