California gas - what is in it?!!! Options

[valerit1]

I drove from Las Vegas to LA. Checked my mileage - normal. Since then refuleled several times
in LA (Chevron). Consinstenly getting 15-20% less miles per gallon then in Nevada. Same driving.
What is with LA gas?

[njccmd2002]

i found the answer..

If your California car is getting poor gas mileage, call the Calirofnia State Legislature, not your mechanic. All gasoline now sold in California must now meet the requirements of the California Air Resources Board, Phase II. The idea of "watering down" gasoline by adding oxygen was to lean out old carbureted cars so that they would pollute less. In an old carbureted car running rich (too much fuel), the move to oxygenated gas significantly reduces carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon emission. However, the old carbureted cars that were running lean, would stall on the oxygenated gas unless they are adjusted to use more fuel. These cars were designed for unoxygenated gasoline that is more volatile then the current Phase II gasoline. When it came time for a Smog Inspection, most of these old cars failed the out of gear smog idle test due to excessive hydrocarbon emission. They failed because a spark could not easily ignite the this very lean mixture of low volatile gasoline and air. A car that misses at idle will not pass Smog Test II. We pay extra for gasoline with less energy so that old carbureted cars running rich will pollute less. For those of us with Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI), the oxygen sensor detects the added oxygen and says more fuel, more fuel