Feature Article

Going Pinoy at the fuel pump

By Paulo Rafael Subido —

Petron Pinoy Gasoline

I first read about Petron’s Pinoy Gasoline two years ago when the oil company sent me a press release. I was intrigued because the article stated that Pinoy Gasoline was formulated for motorized farm equipment and tricycles, and was also cheaper than Xtra Unleaded by about P3 per liter. Pinoy Gasoline is rated at 88RON, by the way.

I reasoned to myself that if this type of gasoline was meant for carbureted engines used on kuligligs, it should work well on my 1976 Mitsubishi Galant's carburetor-fed Saturn engine. Curious, I decided to load a full tank into my wagon. I have been a loyal Pinoy Gasoline user (for my old-school ride) ever since.

I am continuously on the lookout for this fuel as I am aware of only two stations in the metro that have it (Petron EDSA/Mandaluyong and a small Petron station in Fairview), and two stations along MacArthur Highway (Tarlac and Paniqui) on the way up to Baguio.

I still don’t know what the actual formulation of Pinoy Gasoline is (could it contain lead?), but I do know that when compared to fuel with ethanol mixed in, my old wagon starts easier in the morning, idles much more smoothly, doesn’t emit foul-smelling exhaust, gets excellent fuel mileage (8-9km/L for a 36-year-old-car isn’t bad), and can push 120kph when required.

Would I use Pinoy Gasoline on my electronically fuel-injected 1997 Mitsubishi Lancer? Probably not. I only use Petron Blaze 100 for my newer car. But at least I've found an ideal fuel for my old ride.

 

Petron Pinoy Gasoline

Photos by Paulo Rafael Subido

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  • tugata24 11 months ago
     
    Is there a difference between the rating used by the US and the Philippines regarding gasoline octane? I always buy the unleaded gasoline with an Octane Rating of 88 while driving in Texas back in 2010. Cars I leased were the following: Mazda5, Toyota Camry, Nissan Altima Hybrid, Mazda6, and the HHR.
       
    • tugata24 11 months ago
       
      My bad, it should be octane 87. But nonetheless, are they not the same? I mean the cars I mentioned were new models.
         
  • steve1221 11 months ago
     
    Hey Pau! Thanks for this article, I saw one of these pumps a few months back but couldn't remember where, for the life of me. Now I can try it out on my Corona and determine if there is indeed a difference. It doesn't seem to be taking to ethanol very well. I'm not sure what the octane requirement of the Corona is but since the 3S-F motor still uses a conventional electronic distributor, I can retard the timing in case the low octane causes pinging. Incidentally, according to its owner's manual, my fuel-injected US version VW Golf requires - get this - 87 octane REGULAR fuel. So this should work well on a lot of cars, particularly the older ones with lower compression ratios. Just remember to retard the timing progressively should you hear pinging :)
       
  • Aloha Milkyway 11 months ago
     
    Will this work on a good old W123/W124? Give us updates Pau! This makes a tempting move to go old school
       
    • steve1221 11 months ago
       
      Hi Aloha Milkyway, this is Steven Yu - the former Car Tech columnist for Top Gear Philippines magazine and contributing Top Gear online writer. Like you, I too was hoping that this gas will work because I also have a W123 230E (102.980 engine) that I'm restoring. However, according to a few websites such as this: http://forum.ozbenz.net/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=10720&p=68892 , the lowest recommended octane for the 102 engine found in the W123 230E, W124 230E and W201 190E is 95, modified to 91 for other countries. Sadly, this rules out the 230E among your choices, if you want to use this fuel, but it could work for the base model 200, although I don't have any octane date for that particular model. Feel free to research for info on this, as I myself am interested in what you might find.

      Alternatively, it's possible that earlier Benz models like the W114/115 (or "dash-8") E-class or the lovely W108 S-class will be capable of tolerating 88 octane. Problem is, because of their age, these cars are now hard to find and those that are still intact may trade at unreasonable prices. Hope this helps!
         
  • jmac1993 11 months ago
     
    Would Pinoy Gasoline work on Nissan Xtrail 200x? I hope it will. Well i need to check it out.. tutal i'm located here in fairview. Hanapin ko na lang saan sa 3 (Dahlia, North Fairview, East Fairview - near Puregold North Commonwealth).
       
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