Winter gas Quality?

[Gerry]

Hey there, I noticed lately when I floor my car the knock control is going up all the way to 0.89, I do have the artificial knock control box checked, this didn't happen during summer time, highest I've seen during summer was .68 and that was with like 5 flooring in a 1 minute window, someone told me in Canada that winter gasoline quality are horrible, how true is this?

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[JohnnyL]

Hey there, I noticed lately when I floor my car the knock control is going up all the way to 0.89, I do have the artificial knock control box checked, this didn't happen during summer time, highest I've seen during summer was .68 and that was with like 5 flooring in a 1 minute window, someone told me in Canada that winter gasoline quality are horrible, how true is this?

Winter gas is beyond bad. Expect about 4 mpg less also until April.

 

[fenix-silver]

Hey there, I noticed lately when I floor my car the knock control is going up all the way to 0.89, I do have the artificial knock control box checked, this didn't happen during summer time, highest I've seen during summer was .68 and that was with like 5 flooring in a 1 minute window, someone told me in Canada that winter gasoline quality are horrible, how true is this?

Winter blend is less energetic, so your fuel mileage suffers a bit, but there shouldn't be a significant impact on knock. The octane rating is still the same. My k.control is rock solid at .49 year round. Maybe just some bad fuel??

 

[Gerry]

Winter blend is less energetic, so your fuel mileage suffers a bit, but there shouldn't be a significant impact on knock. The octane rating is still the same. My k.control is rock solid at .49 year round. Maybe just some bad fuel??

It's strange because during may to August my kc was at 0.49 and since the end of September to now, the kc is going up alot when I'm wot, exact same tune too, so I'm thinking it's the gad quality but it's been happening for the pass 4 fill up

 

[fenix-silver]

It's strange because during may to August my kc was at 0.49 and since the end of September to now, the kc is going up alot when I'm wot, exact same tune too, so I'm thinking it's the gad quality but it's been happening for the pass 4 fill up

Same gas station?

 

[Gerry]

Same gas station?

Yep always the same petro, my friend told me that in winter they do something to the gasoline and that's probably why, it's pretty cold here in Canada already so they probably already added whatever they add the gas

 

[gtman]

Winter blend is less energetic, so your fuel mileage suffers a bit, but there shouldn't be a significant impact on knock. The octane rating is still the same. My k.control is rock solid at .49 year round. Maybe just some bad fuel??

As far as lower fuel economy there's another factor. The colder temps generally mean a longer warm up time. If your drives are relatively short, the mpg hit will seem pretty big.

 

[Gerry]

As far as lower fuel economy there's another factor. The colder temps generally mean a longer warm up time. If your drives are relatively short, the mpg hit will seem pretty big.

I know people say you don't need to warm up your car, but when it's blister -8c° the car is literally struggling to move when I don't let it idle for at least 4 minutes

 

[fenix-silver]

Yep always the same petro, my friend told me that in winter they do something to the gasoline and that's probably why, it's pretty cold here in Canada already so they probably already added whatever they add the gas

Try another station and see what happens

 

[gtman]

I know people say you don't need to warm up your car, but when it's blister -8c° the car is literally struggling to move when I don't let it idle for at least 4 minutes

By longer warmup, I'm not saying to let it warm up by idling for 5-10 minutes. I simply meant it takes longer to get up to normal operating temps while driving in winter.

 

[JohnnyL]

Yep always the same petro, my friend told me that in winter they do something to the gasoline and that's probably why, it's pretty cold here in Canada already so they probably already added whatever they add the gas

They add more Ethanol to the gas in the winter. It's just not good stuff. It can build up in the fuel system and create issues. It's really bad for small motors like boats, lawnmowers, chain saws and things like that. I owned a grocery store and we sold gas. In our county we were allowed to sell non-ethanol gas. People love it and I must say all my lawn equipment and small motors run way better now and start within a couple pulls even after sitting for the whole winter. I notice when the winter blend is in my car right off. Sluggish and a 4-5 mpg drop in mpg right off.

 

[gtman]

They add more Ethanol to the gas in the winter.

That is, in fact, incorrect.

Give this a read:

"A primary difference between winter and summer blend gas is their Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP). RVP is a measure of how easily the fuel evaporates at increased temperatures.

The higher the fuel’s RVP, the more easily it evaporates.

Winter blend fuel requires increased RVP. If the fuel doesn’t evaporate readily in cold temperatures, the engine will start hard and run rough when it’s cold outside.

To achieve this, refiners often blend winter gasoline with butane, a relatively inexpensive additive with a high RVP. They adjust the RVP of the final formulation to as high as 15.0 psi to help the gasoline ignite readily in the cold."

 

[JohnnyL]

That is, in fact, incorrect.

Give this a read:

"A primary difference between winter and summer blend gas is their Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP). RVP is a measure of how easily the fuel evaporates at increased temperatures.

The higher the fuel’s RVP, the more easily it evaporates.

Winter blend fuel requires increased RVP. If the fuel doesn’t evaporate readily in cold temperatures, the engine will start hard and run rough when it’s cold outside.

To achieve this, refiners often blend winter gasoline with butane, a relatively inexpensive additive with a high RVP. They adjust the RVP of the final formulation to as high as 15.0 psi to help the gasoline ignite readily in the cold."

Thank you. That's interesting. At any rate it sucks!

 

[BriteBlue]

They add more Ethanol to the gas in the winter. It's just not good stuff. It can build up in the fuel system and create issues. It's really bad for small motors like boats, lawnmowers, chain saws and things like that. I owned a grocery store and we sold gas. In our county we were allowed to sell non-ethanol gas. People love it and I must say all my lawn equipment and small motors run way better now and start within a couple pulls even after sitting for the whole winter. I notice when the winter blend is in my car right off. Sluggish and a 4-5 mpg drop in mpg right off.

My friend has a vehicle that can use E85 but supposedly that's not recommended in cold weather because the car will be difficult to start. IOW more ethanol is not good in winter.

 

[Troy Jollimore]

I know people say you don't need to warm up your car, but when it's blister -8c° the car is literally struggling to move when I don't let it idle for at least 4 minutes

Dude… Do you even Canada?!? Them’s balmy temperatures, and my car runs fine with a 10-30 second warmup idle! ? And I live in a warm part of Canada! Anyone in Alberta or Manitoba, or even Minnesota, should be getting a good laugh!

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