North Carolina tests gas for correct octane and quantity

[Capri to ST]

I thought my fellow North Carolina owners might like to know this.I got curious about this as the price of gas climbs higher, and as I thought of a story that a friend of mine told me from when he was in college.He worked at a student beer bar, the kind of place where people get cheap pitchers of beer. He said that the bar was lined with taps which supposedly went to different kinds of beer, but that they all fed into a keg of Milwaukee's Best, which could be charitably described as not the best beer ever made. That image stuck with me, and sometimes as I get ready to pump premium gas into my car, I have a picture in my mind of all three grades of gas coming from the same tank of regular.
I have the Mountune MP 215 tune, which requires premium gas, but I was using it even when I was stock. I figured you may as well get all the power that the car has available, but if I'm paying at least $0.60 a gallon more for premium, I damn sure want to be getting it.
I did some digging, and found that there are two related divisions of the NC Department of Agriculture responsible for testing gas pumps. One tests for quantity, pumping gas into pre-measured 5-gallon containers. The other division is in charge of octane and other quality measures. They do some testing at the pump, and take some back to the lab for some other testing.I talked to the guy in charge of this division, and he was very sharp, he started telling me all these things about how octane is determined. He clearly knew what he was talking about. He said they also test for ethanol level.
So, at least here in NC, it appears that we have a decent shot at getting what we're paying for when we get gas as far as correct quantity and octane go.

 

[SteveS]

Pretty sure they do that everywhere. I've seen those guys at our local stations from time to time in the MODOT lab truck. They put little certification stickers on the pump when they are done.

 

[FiestaSTdude]

I thought my fellow North Carolina owners might like to know this.I got curious about this as the price of gas climbs higher, and as I thought of a story that a friend of mine told me from when he was in college.He worked at a student beer bar, the kind of place where people get cheap pitchers of beer. He said that the bar was lined with taps which supposedly went to different kinds of beer, but that they all fed into a keg of Milwaukee's Best, which could be charitably described as not the best beer ever made. That image stuck with me, and sometimes as I get ready to pump premium gas into my car, I have a picture in my mind of all three grades of gas coming from the same tank of regular.
I have the Mountune MP 215 tune, which requires premium gas, but I was using it even when I was stock. I figured you may as well get all the power that the car has available, but if I'm paying at least $0.60 a gallon more for premium, I damn sure want to be getting it.
I did some digging, and found that there are two related divisions of the NC Department of Agriculture responsible for testing gas pumps. One tests for quantity, pumping gas into pre-measured 5-gallon containers. The other division is in charge of octane and other quality measures. They do some testing at the pump, and take some back to the lab for some other testing.I talked to the guy in charge of this division, and he was very sharp, he started telling me all these things about how octane is determined. He clearly knew what he was talking about. He said they also test for ethanol level.
So, at least here in NC, it appears that we have a decent shot at getting what we're paying for when we get gas as far as correct quantity and octane go.

Very interesting, thanks for sharing that info!
I've wondered what stops gas stations from diluting their 93 octane gas. Personally, I watch my octane adjustment ratio on the Accessport to see what it does after I fill up. I assume diluted gas wouldn't be -1.00 on the Accessport.

 

[the duke]

I thought my fellow North Carolina owners might like to know this.I got curious about this as the price of gas climbs higher, and as I thought of a story that a friend of mine told me from when he was in college.He worked at a student beer bar, the kind of place where people get cheap pitchers of beer. He said that the bar was lined with taps which supposedly went to different kinds of beer, but that they all fed into a keg of Milwaukee's Best, which could be charitably described as not the best beer ever made. That image stuck with me, and sometimes as I get ready to pump premium gas into my car, I have a picture in my mind of all three grades of gas coming from the same tank of regular.
I have the Mountune MP 215 tune, which requires premium gas, but I was using it even when I was stock. I figured you may as well get all the power that the car has available, but if I'm paying at least $0.60 a gallon more for premium, I damn sure want to be getting it.
I did some digging, and found that there are two related divisions of the NC Department of Agriculture responsible for testing gas pumps. One tests for quantity, pumping gas into pre-measured 5-gallon containers. The other division is in charge of octane and other quality measures. They do some testing at the pump, and take some back to the lab for some other testing.I talked to the guy in charge of this division, and he was very sharp, he started telling me all these things about how octane is determined. He clearly knew what he was talking about. He said they also test for ethanol level.
So, at least here in NC, it appears that we have a decent shot at getting what we're paying for when we get gas as far as correct quantity and octane go.

There are generally only 2 tanks, regular and high. They blend on the fly for 89, or 91 if the station has 93/94. This is generally pretty regulated.

 

[Capri to ST]

Very interesting, thanks for sharing that info!
I've wondered what stops gas stations from diluting their 93 octane gas. Personally, I watch my octane adjustment ratio on the Accessport to see what it does after I fill up. I assume diluted gas wouldn't be -1.00 on the Accessport.

That's an interesting way to check octane. I don't leave my Accessport plugged in to monitor any gauges on it, so I needed a different way of knowing that I was getting 93 octane.

 

[scooter123]

Don't bet on that NC testing, a station may see a spot check for Octane once in 10 years. Now to specifics about Charlotte, NC. Nearly all of my extended family lives in Charlotte so trips there are frequent. Needing to fill up while there is also necessary. On premium when driving normally I'll average about 33 mpg for in town driving. On 87 Octane my mileage will drop to 29 mpg. I also keep an eye on the fuel mileage readout. So, I'm in Huntersville, NC visiting with the Nephew and his family and fill up at the BP on Statesville Rd. After I fill the tank I check my mileage and it's at 35.1 mpg but a large part of that tank usage was on the drive to the Charlotte area. Within 2 miles of that BP I knew they were an Octane Cheat, because my steady speed mpg at 35 mph was showing 42 mpg when it should have been bit over 50. Fuel mileage on the tank if 87 octane "premium" was 29.3 mph and I did notice a distinct lack of power when merging into traffic on I-77.

BTW, my ST is still running the factory tune but is equipped with a Mountune radiator, Intercooler, and Intake kit. I saw a 3 mpg improvement in summer driving when I installed that radiator and came to the conclusion that the factory tune peaks the fuel efficiency when the engine is running right at 195 degrees. BTW, mileage in the winter is rather poor unless it's a long drive when the engine can get fully up to temperature.

So don't be comforted by NC having someone who can test fuel octane. Instead consider just how many pumps need to be checked and the whopping huge incentive to cheat on octane. It will take a lot of manpower to effectively keep Octane Cheating being something too expensive for a station to even consider. Think about it, 60 cents a gallon for 10,000 gallons a month. That isn't pocket change they are stealing. Sad thing is that it may not be the stations, it actually could be the fuel distributors doing the cheating. There was a time in the early 90's when every single Sunoco on the New York Thruway sold their 86 octane crap in every premium pump. To this day I still refuse to purchase Sunoco gas because of that experience.

 

[FiestaSTdude]

That's an interesting way to check octane. I don't leave my Accessport plugged in to monitor any gauges on it, so I needed a different way of knowing that I was getting 93 octane.

I'm assuming that it actually works. I'm happy if I see that -1.00 oar