High Fuel Prices For Bad Gasoline & Diesel = Robbery

I just came inside from inspecting my fuel tank and fuel lines for evidence of a leak, because I find it impossible that my car can drink so much gasoline. I checked everything, serviced and tuned the car, got diagnostics ran on it, so my last option was to look for a leak even though I smelled no evidence of one, but just to satisfy myself that I checked everything. I have used Shell, Texaco and Esso trying to fool myself like most people that one retailer’s gasoline is better than the other when in reality they all get gasoline from the same source and the only real difference is the additives they add.

The gasoline is the problem, we import gasoline from Trinidad. First let us look at the arguments that I see across many forums on the island, from internet forums to the rum shops, the argument is the same. Octane levels in our fuel is too low. What is octane? Well since I am not a geek I would just say that octane is the determining factor in how fast fuel burns. The higher the octane the more resistance it has to self ignition and therefore higher octane fuel burns more efficiently and slower. The higher the octane the better.

Now the other part of confusion comes from understanding octane rating systems. For instance, we may see in the USA octane ratings of more than 90 and say but wait, the last time I read in the papers the local gasoline is around 95, and this is where the confusion sets in. First let me break it down a bit… RON is the Research Octane Number, also there is MON which is the Motor Octane Number and another system called PON which is the Pump Octane Number or AKI. The USA uses their own system like they do with everything else system at calculating the octane rating of fuel. This system is the PON or AKI system and it uses this formula (RON+MON)/2 to achieve a value. For an Argument this system maybe the better system because sometimes you can get a lower MON rated fuel but the same RON rating which is done by suppliers to rob the consumers really, but the American system calculates an average so the quality of the fuel shouldn’t vary by much. The rest of the world uses the RON system alone so that’s why you have octane ratings in other countries that varies from that of the USA where most of our information comes from.

Trinidad’s gasoline is rated at 81 MON or 92 RON for their Standard gasoline and their Premium is rated at 95 but of course we don’t get their Premium gasoline so that number is irrelevant. As I said before I am not a geek but I would say the Trinidad gasoline rated at 81 MON and 92 RON should calculate to 86.5 AKI or PON which is the American rating we usually try to compare our ratings to. American Regular gasoline is rated at 91-92 RON, 82-83 MON or 87 AKI/PON. So by this comparison Trinidad’s gasoline should be just around the Standard gasoline rating as American Regular pump gasoline. The standard engine comes tuned and mapped for a rated octane level of 91 RON which is considered a World Standard, Higher performance engines require higher octane fuel which would translate to a premium blend which we unfortunately do not receive in Barbados. That is why many people in Barbados with the modified 20 valves and the SR20s, turbo charged or high-compression engines will notice knock and retardation at times using the gasoline from any of the service stations. Shell for instance uses an additive that reduces some of the knock but reduces the efficiency of the fuel so for most people, Shell gasoline have the trend to burn faster than the other supplier’s product. I am not sure if Texaco adds any additive but I have heard not. This is why most people with performance engines would use extra additives such as off the shelve octane boosters that can offer some improvement but doesn’t really bounce the octane levels up to any significant gain.

However some bullshit have been published where people who should know better have made inaccurate statements which I would assume was purposely done. In this article I read that the gasoline we get from Trinidad is rated at 95 RON! LMAO. I think we all know better than that.

Oh I didn’t forget the diesel… I was exploring at one point joining the fad and buying myself a diesel-powered pickup. I had my eyes set on a Nissan Frontier and every time I passed down BET hill I used to drool behind them parked on Courtesy’s pasture. Then the Toyota Hilux came in and faded the Frontier somewhat and the pickups all of a sudden was looking sweeter than ever. The government smoked my dream like a cheap spliff. They removed the subsidy off of the diesel and one day diesel was way cheaper than gasoline and the next day it was comparatively priced. It was no longer feasible for me to put my self in debt because the savings would not be there like I dreamed.

Now I am glad I didn’t even more because several guys I knew who invested in those vehicles, now are pulling their pockets to overhaul the engines. It is the high sulphur content of the diesel we import from Trinidad. The new common rail injection engines are mostly designed for low sulphur and some for even ultra low sulphur diesel engines. The high sulphur content in our diesel can damage engine blocks, seals, emission systems etc because the new emission technology in these engines re-injects the exhaust into the system and as I said I am not a geek but this shortens the life of the oil and it also creates a by-product of sulphuric acid and mixes with the oil and that which was designed for improving engine life turns against its principles and becomes a corrosive agent. I can be corrected if I am wrong but as I said I am not a geek. So lots of people with the Toyota, Nissan and Mitsubishi that look so sweet on the road have to shell out money after a while and do an overhaul which isn’t cheap. The Ranger’s main problem is that it is a Ford (jab). Don’t even mention the world cup BMWs that were diesel… How many of them still working and without problems? What about those diesel Suzuki Vitaras that Simpsons brought in, are any of them on the road? What about Audi’s problems with the local fuel? What about those diesel Kia vehicles on the road? What about my car pinging regularly? There is a problem with the damn fuel! When is this going to be addressed by the politrickcians? There is a place in Green Hill that offers Bio-Diesel and some people blends a mixture of this and regular pump diesel, and they claim improve performance in their vehicles, some also go the route of using off the shelf additives to help reduce some of the damage the diesel is doing to their engines.

All this said and done the question remains. If the fuel from Trinidad is so bad, why do we keep importing it? Who benefits from this besides SOL and maybe a few politicians? Why don’t we explore other alternatives, maybe even Chavez’s stuff, and see if it is better? Why don’t we look extra regional? I can’t answer those questions but I know one question I can answer. My car burns nearly 200 dollars a week comfortable and I am not a happy man. Not happy at all, plus my fridge has no beer… and I don’t care.