| I don't think of myself as a conspiracy theorist, but | | | | and reduces emissions. High compression ratio = lower |
| sometimes I feel like I may behave as one. The reason | | | | emissions = more environmentally friendly. |
| is that if you get me on the topic of the automotive | | | | The next obvious question is why is the octane level |
| industry and the fuel efficiency of cars I'll rant for hours | | | | so much lower now? That has two reasons. The first |
| (usually until I've cleared the room). OK, I'm not quite | | | | is that one of the things that was used to boost |
| that bad anymore-I can gauge the boredom factor of | | | | octane was lead. We all know that lead is bad and |
| my audience, but I'll tell you one thing for sure. As gas | | | | that burning it in your engine makes for a rather |
| prices start to approach $4/gallon, people aren't | | | | unpleasant exhaust. The second is that the petroleum |
| dismissing me quite so quickly anymore. | | | | companies determined that the sweet spot for them |
| So how's my rant go? | | | | to get the greatest yield out of their refining processes |
| Well the first thing I like to bring up is that cars today | | | | was to make 87 octane fuel. |
| really don't get very good gas mileage when | | | | If you don't think that the oil companies and refineries |
| compared to the mileage that cars have gotten over | | | | do not work in very close concert with the auto |
| the years. Sure we look at the hybrids and we are | | | | manufacturers, you need to think again. If you had a |
| impressed that they can get over 50MPG, but | | | | product that had one, very large marketplace, would |
| honestly, that's no great feat. The 1984 Honda Civic | | | | you not work very closely with the companies that |
| Coupe got 64MPG on the highway and 48 in the city. | | | | create that marketplace to make sure that your |
| There's no hybrid out there today that can match | | | | products work well together? And would you not be |
| those numbers-not even the current Honda Civic | | | | surprised if mutually beneficial arrangements were |
| Hybrid! | | | | reached that did not necessarily benefit the |
| The modern Civic Hybrid doesn't get the same | | | | consumer? |
| mileage for one really simple reason. It's heavier. Much | | | | If the auto manufacturers were really concerned about |
| of that extra weight is from all of the creature | | | | MPG rating, and if they were really concerned about |
| comforts that we have come to appreciate in our | | | | the environment, they would have continued making |
| cars (and that massive rechargeable battery in the | | | | higher compression engines and the petroleum |
| car's belly). Most people would be surprised to know | | | | companies would have been the ones forced to |
| that modern cars typically outweigh the bulky steel | | | | modify their product. What actually happened was that |
| beasts from the 60s and 70s. The 1968 Dodge | | | | the auto manufacturers dropped the compression |
| Charger (the Duke's of Hazard's General Lee) is | | | | ratios on their engines and the petroleum companies |
| outweighed by a Toyota Camry by several hundred | | | | got to get more bang for their buck and we all burn |
| pounds. | | | | more gas on less efficient engines. It's a win/win for |
| I tell you this because it is necessary to refute one of | | | | them and a lose/lose for us. |
| the most common arguments that I hear against our | | | | We know leaded gas is out - but is there anything |
| car's getting better gas mileage: "If the manufacturer's | | | | else? |
| could get better mileage out of our cars, they would." | | | | If you load the Wikipedia article on octane ratings for |
| That is total bunk | | | | gasoline you will find a section that lists the octane |
| If you look at the average MPG of production vehicles | | | | ratings for different fuels. You'll note that E85 and |
| in the USA, it hovers around exactly what the | | | | Methanol can have ratings in the 105-107 range. That's |
| government requires those averages to be. When the | | | | huge. That means that if an engine was made to burn |
| government raises the CAFÉ requirements, the | | | | those fuels specifically the compression could be |
| manufacturers make their cars get more miles per | | | | increased and the power and mileage would increase |
| gallon. Sure they complain about it the whole way, | | | | and emissions would decrease. |
| because we've all gotten used to having passable fuel | | | | Unfortunately the so-called 'flex-fuel' cars that are |
| economy and all of the bells and whistles too. Now | | | | made that can run on E85 and (rarely) methanol still |
| they have to work out a way to give us both. And | | | | use lower compression ratios and don't get a really |
| they can. | | | | significant benefit. A lot like the time you tried premium |
| Keep in mind that that 1984 Honda civic that got 64 | | | | in your car and saw zero improvement over regular. |
| MPG on the highway didn't have fuel injection; it had no | | | | So what can we do? |
| computer to regulate its systems - it used a carburetor | | | | If you haven't gotten this impression yet, let me |
| (essentially a device with tubes shaped like hour | | | | re-enforce it. The auto manufacturers are only going |
| glasses) to mix the air and the fuel. | | | | to go as far as they have to to meet the requirements |
| Back in the 60's though the cars weighed about the | | | | that the government sets. They will go no further. It's |
| same, engines were much, much larger. It wasn't | | | | up to us, the public, to take control of our own fates |
| unusual at all to have 5.0 liter and larger engines, even | | | | and expect life changing and ground-breaking things |
| over 7.0 liter engines in cars. Many of these engines | | | | from big business and the government. |
| achieved MPG ratings into the high 20s and low 30s | | | | Just a few short years ago the Ansari X-Prize was |
| on the highway. I have owned several cars from the | | | | announced. 10 Million dollars for the first private |
| late 60s and early 70s that achieved average city | | | | company to get a ship into space twice within 2 |
| MPG ratings of 22MPG with 5.0 Liter engines. | | | | weeks. Many companies entered with varying |
| One of the reasons that this is possible is something | | | | degrees of success and many naysayers said it |
| called compression ratio. One of the things an engine | | | | couldn't be done-that only projects with massive |
| does when it burns gas or diesel is it compresses the | | | | funding from the government could get people into |
| air-fuel mixture before it is ignited. The more you | | | | space. |
| compress the mixture the, the more power you get | | | | Scaled Composites, a US company expended (at my |
| from the ignition. In the late 60s many cars had | | | | last time of reading) roughly $20 million dollars and got |
| compression ratios over 11 to 1 (some as high as 13 to | | | | a man into space. The current X-Prize is going to be |
| 1). Modern cars have compression ratios hovering | | | | awarded to the first non-government agency to build a |
| around 9 to 1. That means that modern engines have | | | | car that can get 100MPG and then win a race against |
| as much as a 30% decrease in their compression and | | | | other entrants. The cars have to have things like air |
| the power they can get from the burning of their fuel | | | | conditioning and stereo systems. Already private |
| (depending on a few other factors as well). | | | | entrants (often part time hobbyists) are producing |
| Why on earth is the compression ratio so much | | | | prototypes that are getting over 90MPG - from |
| lower? | | | | vehicles they are building in their garages. |
| I'm certain that this is what you are asking. The reason | | | | Just like when the automotive revolution began a |
| is both simple and complex. It is the octane rating of | | | | century ago, it is the everyday Americans and |
| the fuel the car burns. When you look at the gas at | | | | inventive people from around the world that are |
| the pump and you see those numbers on the regular, | | | | stepping up and trying new and exciting things to solve |
| mid-grade, and premium blends of gas you may not | | | | problems that big business and the governments are |
| know what they mean, but those are the octane | | | | stymied by. |
| ratings. 87 through 93, typically-depending on altitude. | | | | Get in on the exciting changes. |
| The higher the octane rating, the more you can | | | | There are a lot of things you can do and try. From |
| compress the air-fuel mixture. In 1966, premium gas | | | | altering your car to burn E85/Methanol (and even if |
| had an octane rating of 107. That is what allowed | | | | you only get moderate MPG improvement - helping |
| engines to compress the mixture so much more. | | | | the environment), to burning vegetable oil in your diesel |
| It's very important to note that a higher compression | | | | (commonly known as biodiesel), to revolutionary water |
| ratio causes the engine to have a more complete burn | | | | electrolyzers that extract HHO gas from water and |
| (the molecules are closer together and ignite faster) | | | | burn it in your engine. |