Why?
You'd expect each car to be manufactured to use fuel readily available in the end market.
For example the power figures might actually look like this:
NZ market, 96RON Other market, 98RON Auto 175kW 180kW Manual 206kW 215kW
Subaru Turbo Engines
Jan 30, 2004
35 Replies
Can anyone explain these strange octane requirements-
Subaru Liberty GT Auto
2.0L Turbo
180kW@6400rpm
310Nm@2400rpm Required Minimum RON = 98
Subaru Legacy GT Manual New Zealand
2.0L Turbo
206kW@6400rpm
343Nm@2400rpm Required Minimum RON = 96
Bizarre? The NZ Legacy produces much more torque, yet has a lower RON rating.
Shane.
I think the Auto version has been toned down so the transmission can handle the power.
-- Regards Dan. I gave up the grog to be more insensitive.
Yes, but you would still expect the higher power version to require higher RON fuel, wouldn't you?
KK
Or more like to handle the Torque. :-)
-- Regards Dan. I gave up the grog to be more insensitive.
I'm surprised that no one has mentioned one simple little fact - the manual and auto Liberty/Legacy GT have different turbochargers. The manuals have a Mitsubishi manufactured turbo, the autos and IHI turbo.
The NZ cars are actually
206kW @ 6000rpm 5-speed manual with 343 Nm @ 2400rpm 96RON 191kW @ 6000rpm 5-speed sportshift automatic with 343 Nm @ 2400rpm 96RONThe Aus cars are
180Kw @ 6400rpm 5-speed sportshift automatic with 310Nm @ 2400rpm 98RON No manual car in Aus yetWhy are the Aussie cars missing out ? Is it emissions laws?
I thought IHI turbos were made by mitsubishi??
you'll get you're answer from
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Basically, yes. NZ has no laws 'cos it has no car industry; Subaru don't need to do anything to import a car to NZ. In Australia they have to pass emissions & safety laws; they might even do it without any hassles, but they just aren't importing a car which they think won't sell in much volume yet.
As for 96 octane vs 98 octane; I think 96 is the best NZ gets, innit? So that's what Subaru quote on. There's something fishy there though, 'cos STi's brought to Australia & left unmodified melted pistons on 96 octane, yet you don't hear of the same thing happening in NZ; it has to be weather or petrol-quality related.
-Forg
In New Zealand, BP Ultimate and Mobil Synergy 8000 are both 98 octane. While 96 octane is more readily available, there are BP stations selling 98 octane in most places and Mobil are selling 98 octane at selected stations in the main centres.
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It is quite common for auto and manual versions of the same motor to have quite different power and torque characteristics.
Do you have data for the Manual liberty in the same market as the first car and for the Auto Legacy in NZ?
One would thing so. However - reading the manual for the 2004 WRX (US), the current STi is supposed to run on 93 (AKI) octane unleaded fuel. AKI is the same as (R+M)/2, and pumps here in California typically show
91 for premium unleaded. I'm not sure where anyone is supposed to get this fuel - I've never seen any, although I suppose it might be available at a racetrack. I have heard some reports that 93 octane (R+M)/2 fuel may be available some places in the Midwest US.Compression Ratios
98RON is readily available from several brands in NZ in the major cities, though not *everywhere*like 91 and 96 are.
-- Bruce
Our 93 Octane is the rest of the worlds 98 Octane. Stupid if you ask me, it should all be the same and there is no real discernible reason I can find that they aren't. I think pretty much everywhere but the left coast 93 octane is readily available. I've never had a problem finding it in arkansas, florida, tennessee, kentucky, georgia, maryland, dc area, missouri, illinois, and wisonsin to name a few places I haven't had problems finding 93 octane. Here where I live it's not considered racing gas unless it is at least 100 octane and then it costs upwards of 5.00 US dollars a gallon.
Jason Kavanaugh
Wasn't the US 87 octane for unleaded in the early days?? Hence huge V8's with 7.5 to 8.5 compression ratio's I am pretty sure that this was from
1975 through to the mid to late 1980's when they moved up to 98 octane Cause I know that when unleaded was introduced in Australia 92 octane was considered quite high for unleaded but that has now changed.
i can actually get 94 octane @ sunoco here in the northeast US. right now, about $1.80 - $1.90 per gal.
my rex drinks it up! :-)
ken
Seriously - here in California there's pretty much a standard of
87, 89, and 91 (R+M)/2 octane. I believe most cars require either 86 or 91. The other thing is that most premium unlead pumps were labelled 92 octane until three years ago. AutoWeek magazine had a small piece about where the octane went in California.
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