preferred gasoline

[BRUCESTUDE]

My ‘60 Lark does fine on Costco regular!

[jackb]

My 53' 2R6 runs crappy with a cheap, independent stuff ........ runs good with a national brand....87 octane.... My 62' 259 runs fine on anything 87.....

[tsenecal]

I have seen this at the parts store, but have not tried it because we have non-eth available here. I wonder if it may help where you can't buy clear fuel. Amazon.com: STA-BIL 360 Protection Ethanol Treatment And Fuel Stabilizer - Prevents Corrosion - Prevents Ethanol Damage - Cleans Entire Fuel System - Treats 160 Gallons, 32 fl. oz. (22275): Automotive

[Flashback]

My preferred is aviation, and second Non Ethanol 93 .

[mbhdesign]

Around here (Winchester, VA) I like to fill up at a Liberty gas station (Liberty Petroleum). They offer a 100% ethanol-free gasoline at a dedicated pump.
It costs about 75-85 cents per gallon more than "standard" Unleaded with 10% ethanol added.

When I stored my '47 Champion last Fall, I had 2/3 of a tank full. No stabilizer or additives of any kind were added when I put her in storage.
8 1/2 months later she fired up on the first try. (Yes, I know — a highly risky and dubious procedure.)

Still running on that same tank of fuel.

[mbhdesign]

I have seen this at the parts store, but have not tried it because we have non-eth available here. I wonder if it may help where you can't buy clear fuel. Amazon.com: STA-BIL 360 Protection Ethanol Treatment And Fuel Stabilizer - Prevents Corrosion - Prevents Ethanol Damage - Cleans Entire Fuel System - Treats 160 Gallons, 32 fl. oz. (22275): Automotive

Yes, I'm curious about this stuff. But I've never tried it myself.
Sta-bil was recommended to me by the antique restoration shop guys around here. But I only run non-ethanol fuel in the car, so I haven't felt I needed it.

[mbhdesign]

Oh, and just for fun, I remember back in 1983 when my Dad pulled his 1960 Porsche 356B into the Sears Gasoline station in North Seattle. It was the cheapest place to get gas in town, at the time.

That car ran so badly with that tank of gas, Dad swore they "musta put water in to make it so cheap." He also swore other things. I'll leave that part out.

So, never again did we go to the Sears Gas station on Highway 99.

[Hallabutt]

I try to take what I believe is a common sense approach to what I use and how the car is to be driven. I try to use non-ethanol fuel whenever it is available. When I know it's not going to be available or when the car will be sitting I try to mix ethanol fuel with the N/E in quantities that will keep the amount of alcohol at a low enough level that I'm limiting any vapor locking or damage. In simple terms that means trying to use ethanol fuel to stretch out my mileage until I can fill completely with a known good source of N/E. This approach also helps mitigate the affects of getting a complete fill up of bad gas. When I have one of my collector cars on the road, where I'm unsure of the gas quality, this means never letting the tank get too empty before I fill it.

[Greenstude]

Vehicles built prior to 1999 are very allergic to ethanol. On my 1947 Champion sedan, I always use high-test. That is not because the car needs the extra octane, rather it is because it is the only way in our area to avoid ethanol. Ethanol will damage any rubber parts it contacts, and may even damage your carburetor. If your fuel tank has been relined, ethanol will turn the lining into a gooey mess in the bottom of the tank. When I took the car to Maine and New Hampshire for a few days and had no choice but to buy 10 per cent ethanol, the fuel mileage dropped 17 per cent, the engine was very difficult to start when warm, and the car would stall very easily --- not nice when stopped at a traffic light in Bangor! As soon as I was back in New Brunswick, the first full tank of ethanol-free fuel cured these problems. An engineer at the company which manufactured the lining material told me that fuel with up to 10 per cent ethanol could be used for a few days -- he stressed those words.

[JoeHall]

Vehicles built prior to 1999 are very allergic to ethanol. On my 1947 Champion sedan, I always use high-test. That is not because the car needs the extra octane, rather it is because it is the only way in our area to avoid ethanol. Ethanol will damage any rubber parts it contacts, and may even damage your carburetor. If your fuel tank has been relined, ethanol will turn the lining into a gooey mess in the bottom of the tank. When I took the car to Maine and New Hampshire for a few days and had no choice but to buy 10 per cent ethanol, the fuel mileage dropped 17 per cent, the engine was very difficult to start when warm, and the car would stall very easily --- not nice when stopped at a traffic light in Bangor! As soon as I was back in New Brunswick, the first full tank of ethanol-free fuel cured these problems. An engineer at the company which manufactured the lining material told me that fuel with up to 10 per cent ethanol could be used for a few days -- he stressed those words.

I have been using the 10 percent ethanol exclusively 'for a few decades' and no problem with the Studes, motorcycles or brand 'X' cars. That's about all that's available here in KY, unless I am willing to drive several miles, and pay extra, which I am not. I do not recall it being any better in California when I left there in 2000. But long ago I replaced all rubber fuel hoses with injector type, that meets modern JASO specs. The ethanol gas would turn the old rubber into jelly in a year or so.

[Lark Hunter]

Vehicles built prior to 1999 are very allergic to ethanol. An engineer at the company which manufactured the lining material told me that fuel with up to 10 per cent ethanol could be used for a few days -- he stressed those words.

I'm looking at the owner's manual for a full size 1986 Chevy pickup, and it states that fuels with up to 10% ethanol or 5% methanol can be used at will without voiding warranty. Take with a grain of whatever you like, as they also said some detonation is normal and desirable . This is the last year before they switched to EFI, so just a Quadrajet and a mechanical pump. I replaced the original fuel pump about 17 years ago, and have rebuilt the carb twice, but the fuel lines and hoses are original, as is the fuel tank changeover for the dual tanks. Have had no issues out of the normal, and have been running it on E10 for quite awhile. Ethanol free premium unleaded was available in Montana, but not so in Arizona. I have been able to run a little more advance with the corn whizz vs the old MTBE stuff; fuel economy *should* only get knocked about 4%. Mine has ranged from not very good to fairly poor, so I donno

I think that engineer was confessing to a crappy product. The only fuel sealer I've seen let go was in some museum cars that sat with full tanks of fuel for around 20 years, which had gone completely rancid and did exactly as you describe with fuel tank sealer. This was 10 or 11 years ago, so said fuel dated from circa 1990. Everyone's use case is different. I'd prefer my petrol to not be laced with ethanol, but it has been something that I've been able to live with. FWIW- I've had similar luck with a 1991 Lumina.

[Skip Lackie]

I'm looking at the owner's manual for a full size 1986 Chevy pickup, and it states that fuels with up to 10% ethanol or 5% methanol can be used at will without voiding warranty. Take with a grain of whatever you like, as they also said some detonation is normal and desirable . This is the last year before they switched to EFI, so just a Quadrajet and a mechanical pump. I replaced the original fuel pump about 17 years ago, and have rebuilt the carb twice, but the fuel lines and hoses are original, as is the fuel tank changeover for the dual tanks. Have had no issues out of the normal, and have been running it on E10 for quite awhile. Ethanol free premium unleaded was available in Montana, but not so in Arizona. I have been able to run a little more advance with the corn whizz vs the old MTBE stuff; fuel economy *should* only get knocked about 4%. Mine has ranged from not very good to fairly poor, so I donno

I think that engineer was confessing to a crappy product. The only fuel sealer I've seen let go was in some museum cars that sat with full tanks of fuel for around 20 years, which had gone completely rancid and did exactly as you describe with fuel tank sealer. This was 10 or 11 years ago, so said fuel dated from circa 1990. Everyone's use case is different. I'd prefer my petrol to not be laced with ethanol, but it has been something that I've been able to live with. FWIW- I've had similar luck with a 1991 Lumina.

Interesting. The federal oxygenate mandate didn't start till the early 1990s, but alcohol had been added to gas as an octane booster in some areas for some time -- so it is not surprising that 1980s vehicles were equipped with alcohol-resistant rubber components. That said, those hoses probably are not built to the today's EFI standards.

[64gran turismo]

Here in Allentown WA WA offer 100% ethanol free gasoline. Use it my 64 hawk with a R-1 engine and it runs great.

[Corbinstein0]

non-ethanol for me. nothing but. ethanol eats old style rubber components, and the fuel breaks down quickly.

[64V19816]

Any fuel that doesn't detonate is fine. Anything higher octane is just throwing money away. In fact higher the octane will make LESS power as it burns slower.

Absolutely Correct.