snake oils...

[fillet o'soul]

Hi guys, hope this one isn't an old chestnut, I did look thru the thread history and couldn't find anything....

Over here (UK) leaded is now all but unobtainable and so is high octane fuel....but in the US I believe it hasn't been around for years (?)

So what snake oils are you guys using for engines that need lead 'n high octane fuel...which is best, this isn't the same as cheeeeeepest!

cheers

Richard

[rumblefish360]

In the U.S.A. , 94 octane is the highest octane @ the pump. There is a place near me, that i was told from a freind and not yet seen by me, that sells 100 unleaded. (we'll see)
Otherwise thats it. As far as useing unleaded gas in the older cars. You can get vavle seat inserts to replace the old valve seat for use with unleaded gas. They are a hardened material. MoPar has them I believe.
If the compresion is to high for 94 octane and a piston replacement is not in the wallet, MoPar sells shims to place under the cycl. head for about a 1 point reduction depending on head gasket used. (thickness)
There is a prodcut called 104 or 104+ that will add octane points to your fuel.

[PRO]

My fix is edelbrock alum heads with 10.5:1 compression,it runs all day on 91 octane......PRO.....

[amoparguy]

I consider myself lucky, about 1/2 mile from my shop is a place that sells Phillips racing fuels (unleaded) from 104 to 120 octane. I usually buy primo unleaded and spike it with some B32 110 octane.

[BILL THOMPSON]

The low octane isn't as much of a problem as the lack of lead.you will have to pull your heads + have harden seats + sodium valves installed because unleaded gas will drive the valve seats up into your heads with prolonged exposure.as for additives we ran octane boost + lead additve in our 12.5:1 340 + it went every were.

[Robert Mcdougall]

What about tin additive canisters like 'Fuel Star'?,these are installed in the fuel line and leech tin oxide into the fuel. This replaces the need for lead oxide
There is one fitted to my Valiant, I couldn't comment on how good they are. The company that markets them proved through independent tests that they work.
Or if you're rough and ready, try a couple of lead sinkers in the tank, one method that has been bandied about down here in NZ by some cowboys

[fillet o'soul]

Hi Robert,

over here those guys selling the lead pellets and in-line lead additives have all but gone from the market, an independant magazine paid one of the test house's to conduct some research and found that they just don't work....one of the reason's they can get away with it is that the older cars that need lead rely on the lead already kicking around the combustion chamber (lead memory). This can last many tens of thousands of miles if the engine is only lightly loaded, like how most classic car drivers drive.
If you boot the gas the lead memory soon disapears and then valve seat recession can set in. So, there are some 'officially' OK additives but none of them are from names that are found in the states....which is waht I found a little strange.....

cheers

Richard