RON95 is coming this 1 September

MDTCA (I think this ministry got a new initial now but tak sempat nak check) has indicated as early as last year that the fuel RON92 will be replaced by RON95. Earlier this year, the implementation date was announced to be 1 September 2009. Effectively, there will be 2 gasoline grade available in petrol stations: RON95 and RON97. RON95 will be a controlled and subsidized product (price is expected to be RM1.75/liter on 1 September), while RON97 will be priced higher and ‘semi-floated’ (floor price imposed, prices to be reviewed and possibly approved by government, if I’m not mistaken). Because RON97 will be priced at about 20 sen higher than RON95, most users probably plan to switch to RON95, while RON97 will be seen a premium product.

But which car can and cannot use RON95? The following list is from the Motor Trader site. Please click the link to see the full list.

And I would like to reproduce their disclaimer here (to exempt Everyday Ice Cubes from liabilities too):

The following list has been compiled based on confirmations and unofficial discussions with some car companies. MTM Multimedia Sdn Bhd and its employees do not accept any liability or responsibility for any effect arising from use of this information. In some cases, even though an engine may be originally tuned to run on fuel with a certain RON, its age and condition may require a higher RON grade to avoid knocking. Some engines may also have knock sensors which can automatically adjust ignition timing if knocking is detected but this will result in some reduction in power output. If in doubt, do contact the car company dealing with your model.

In any case, better check your car’s manual to be sure. So, which grade do you plan to use? I’ll probably vote for my pocket and choose RON95.

As for diesel, the government also plans to upgrade the current grade of diesel with 3000 ppm (parts per million) sulphur to 500 ppm, which will be good for the environment. However, as one would expect, the price for the lower sulphur content grade is more expensive. I just hope it won’t bring another round of prices-of-everything-goes-up.