On a recent trip to the US, I rented a Dodge Avenger. When I needed to refuel, I checked on the car's manual. To my surprise, the recommended fuel was "regular" with a RON of 87. So off to the gas station I went - Chevron to be exact - and was further surprised to see that "mid-grade" gas was 89 RON while "premium" was at 91-93 RON. Interestingly, RON in the PH is between 93-100.

So here's my question to the motoring experts. How come the US can make do with lower RONs than the PH? I was just thinking that in a developing country like ours, our car manufacturers could have provided engines that tun on lower RON thereby giving us lower priced gas. The conspiracy theorist in me is further convinced that the automotive and petroleum industry is out to suck us motorists dry.