The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1923-01-15
SAVE MILLIONS
FOR MOTORISTS
Federal Bureau Investigations
May RevoIutionize Motor
Fuel Business.
USE "SUMMER GAS" FOR CARS
Experts Find a Cheaper Grade, is to
Is Per Cent Coarser Than Now
Used, Brings the Same
Mileage.

aSnlngtOn-EffOrtS to nave con-
| gress appropriate sufficient money to
| permit completion of the work have
conferred attention upon highly sig
| nifcant gasoline experiments by the
| government bureau of standards, which
indicate the possibility of revolution
izing the motor fuel business and saw
ing millions to motor car users in fuel
costs. DR.. W. James, one of the ex-
perts engaged in the investigation,
was authorized by the director of the
bureau of standards to give an out
line of some of the results.
In brief, while many phases of the
inquiry are far from completed, Doctor
James disclosed that one outstanding
result is the definite determination
that, at least in summer time, gasoline,
which is Is to 25 per cent coarSer than
the average grades now in common
motor use, can be used as effectively
in engines as the present grade of
fuel. When this becomes generally
known, it is predicted that heavier
grade of gasoline will be manufactured
for motor use, with consequent les
SEEMING in the cost of production equal
to the difference in the amount of pc
Four barrels of petroleum would pro-
duce the same amount of the coarser,
but equally efficient, gasoline for motor
purposes that five barrels of oil now
produce. Unless there should be
marked increase in production and re-
fining costs, therefore, the use of the
heavier fuel for motors would mean a
saving of millions in the gasoline bills
of motorists throughout the nation.
Outgrowth Of War Experiments.
Information as to performance con-
ditions of internal combustion en-
gines, Doctor James explained, was re-
quested Of the bureau of standards
from many sources in the war, and
the French commission, particularly
desired data on the performance Of
aircraft engines in high attitudes. In
vestigations along this line were I'M
dertaken and developed valuable in
formation.
Dir. James gives an interesting ac-
count Of how the investigation was
conducted which led to discoveries
about cOarser gasoline. He explained !
that the objective was to ascertain
how many miles could be obtained |
from a gallon of gasoline of each of !
various grades Of volatility. Two fac
tors entered into this inquiry, the first |
being the number of miles per gallon |
of a given fuel and the second the |
number of gallons of gasoline of that |
grade produced from a barrel of oil.
Four grades of gasoline were used
In the investigation. The first was
representative of the average grade of !
gasoline now being sold The second |
was representative of the grade sold
five years ago. The third and fourth |
were representative of heavier grades
than have been sold heretofore for
motor operation.
Four Test Cars Used.
One barrel of oil, he continued,
would produce only 80 per cent as
much gasoline of the grade that was
sold five years ago as it would pro-
duce of the grade sold today. On the
other hand, one barrel of oil would
produce anywhere from Is to 25 per
cent more gasoline Of the heavier
grades which made up the third and
fourth types Of fuel used in the in
quiry, than it would produce Of the
present grade of gasoline. Four test +
cars used in the investigation, Doctor
James said, were representative of /
about rs per cent of those now on L
the market. These cars, each using
different grade of fuel and equipped
with an instrument to register the 4
number of miles per gallon of gaso-
line consumed, were driven over all
types of roads and then the results
Of this practical experiment compared
From these comparisons, the sur
prising fact was developed that the
heavier grades of gasoline would pro-
duce the same number of miles per
gallon in motor engines as the lighter
grade now sold and the still lighter
grade which sold about five years ago.
This of course, will mean that 40 per II
cent more gasoline of equal efficiency
can be produced from a barrel of oil
than was produced five years ago and
that % per cent more gasoline than
IS now produced, of equal efficiency, |
so far as motor car, use is concerned.
can be produced from a barrel of
oil.