DAMMAM, 24 January 2007 — Saudi Aramco Vice President Muhammad Saif Al-Qusayyer has said that the company’s statistics revealed that 85 percent of vehicle owners in Saudi Arabia are using the new octane grade petrol (Premium 91) that costs 45 halalas per liter after less than one month of presenting the product in the market.

However, some car owners whose vehicles recommend the higher octane-95 gasoline say that they have no choice but to use “91” because the higher octane is not available in many places. Even whhen the higher octane Premium 95 gas is available, there is only one red pump at the station serving it, causing longer queues for the gas with the higher octane rating.

“I gathered from the Saudi Aramco campaign prior to the launch of the new varieties of gas that my car needed the Premium 95,” said Faris Al-Shammari, a car owner in Dammam. “However, when it appeared in the market life became difficult for me because most of the pumps at the filling stations in the city are supplying only the 91 grade. The number of pumps supplying the fuel my car needs is very few. This, of course, has resulted in long queues for us,” he added.

While both grades of fuel are suitable for all makes of vehicles, for most cars the more expensive octane-95 fuel will make no difference in performance. The higher the octane number, the less likely the fuel will prematurely ignite due to high pressure in the cylinder, which sometimes causes engine knocking and reduces performance in acceleration.

However, for luxury cars, or cars with performance engines — where the cylinders work at higher pressures, thus increasing the chance of premature ignition, engine knocking and lower acceleration performance with lower octane fuels — higher octane scores are recommended but not necessary.

Saudi Aramco introduced the two grades of fuel in order for car owners to have a lower price point by using a gas with a lower octane score because they don’t need the higher-octane fuel.

As Al-Qusayyer points out that most drivers will not benefit by spending more for the higher grade of fuel. He estimated that the average driver in the Kingdom will save SR1,000 per year with the new lower-priced option at the pump.

But for those luxury vehicle owners that prefer to stick to the manufacturer’s fuel recommendations, they are more likely to spend a little more time waiting to fill up at the gas station.