Bruce Nunnally Posted September 18, 2006 Report Share Posted September 18, 2006 I was reading a summary of changes to the SAE standard J1349, the measure of engine hp, that closed off some loopholes that manufacturers previously had abused. One loophole that got closed was that the octane of fuel recommended for the car has to be the octane of fuel used in the test. So, my theory now is that while the Northstar V8s since 2000 and 2.8/3.6L V6 VVT engines can use regular or premium fuel and adapt just fine, Cadillac changed their wording on the octane recommendation toward requiring premium fuel in order to continue to use the higher octane fuel for engine hp testing. Sure, it may only be a 5 or 10 hp hit, but better to be able to advertise the higher hp you can attain with the higher octane than vice versa. Bruce 2023 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing Follow me on: Twitter Instagram Youtube Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thu Posted September 19, 2006 Report Share Posted September 19, 2006 Indeed, this is amazing because the HP split between regular and premium fuel is 'only' 10 HP. This can be attributed to the engine controls system that pervades many of today's cars. I read that the loophole was closed some time ago (1 year? 2 years?). Now only if they would be more realistic in the EPA mileage ratings. I'm in this field (I'm an Electrical Engineer - embedded systems and controls) so this is particulaly fascinating to me. 2003 Seville STS 43k miles with the Bose Sound, Navigation System, HID Headlamps, and MagneRide 1993 DeVille. Looks great inside and out! 298k miles! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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