The SAAF Forum

Random question:

What grade petrol is available in SA these days? I know that there's 93RON, 95RON and if memory serves me correctly, don't you get 97RON or something at the coast? If anyone's interested in NZ it's 91RON, 95RON, 98RON and E10.

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A plan is simply a basis for change.

What's E10? I haven't noticed that.

Is that what boy racers use?

E10 is a fuel that has a 10% Ethanol content. You wouldn't have seen it down there as it's only available from Gull which seems to only operate in the north island.

The E10 in NZ fuel is a by-product of the dairy industry and is blended with 95RON at Mt Maunganui to create E10 (98RON).

As for the question if it is used by "boy racers"... probably but certainly not exclusively. Ethanol has a higher octane rating than petrol - the higher the octane, the greater the resistance to "knock" which in a turbo-charged car especially, is essential.

The downside is that it has a lower calorific value than petrol so you need more of the substance to perform the same amount of work.

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A plan is simply a basis for change.

Ah, I remember the Joburg mixed fuels. They used to eat the seals (or possibly corrode the metal) in some carburettors. Really nasty stuff. But a sweet, fruity aroma.

So nobody can answer my question about fuel grades available in SA?

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A plan is simply a basis for change.

When I was in Oudtshoorn in September, I was left a bit baffled. They had two types of petrol, both the same octane (95 I beleave) one for old cars & one for newer cars. This was costal petrol. Wonder what octane they have on the reef?
North America, they have 87 & 89 octane. Then it varies by brand, some have 91, some 92, a few have 94 octane. One brand has 10% ethanol in their 92 octane.
I remember seeing E10 in Sydney, Australia.

Would this have been superceded?

http://www.engen.co.za/home/apps/content/environment_society/cleaner_fuels/faq/new_petrol_grades.aspx

North America grades their petrols differently, they use MON instead of RON. 94MON probably equals 99/100RON which is great fuel if your vehicle can make use of it (e.g. forced induction).

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A plan is simply a basis for change.

Thanks Eugene, urrrgh... can't get more than 95. No wonder the Evo X and F10 BMW M5 aren't available locally.

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A plan is simply a basis for change.

North America usees AKI (Anti Knock Resistance). AKI = (RON + Mon) /2.
With a bit of research, I found 87 AKI is equal to 91 to 92 RON.
I did not realize this, I thought in SA & Europe the octain on the pump was (R+N)/2.

Use Avgas

A certain flight sergeant, who shall remain nameless to protect the guilty, did just that during the fifties at Langebaan. Eventually his little Consul was using as much oil as petrol! Never did know if it was the avgas that did it though. 100 octane versus 87. The crashboat guys used to draw a 44 gallon drum of the stuff per week to wash their overalls in. I think it was something like 11 pennies per gallon back then. A Miami crashboat would use 50 gallons between Langebaan and Saldanha - 8 nautical miles.