Which Fuel do you use?

[andthepand]

Hi All.
Up until recently I was using Esso Super Supreme just because it was ethanol free. Esso have now discontinued this and introduced a 99RON replacement which does contain up to 5% ethanol. I have a stroker engine with 40 IDF Webers. I know some carb manufacturers recommend higher RON rated fuel, but I am more concerned with ethanol? Does any one use ethanol treatment or additive? Are the extra detergents in the super unleaded fuels good for our engines? Does the increase in RON matter?
I know this topic comes up now and again so I thought I would ask for the latest views on it! Cheers..

 

[K@rlos]

I use V-power but I’ve got a high revving stroker with a high compression ratio and timing. using the high octane to prevent pinking. Having 40’s I doubt it’s a particularly radical build with lots of timing advance so high octane will be a waste of money.

 

[sparkywig]

I just use standard unleaded, as long as all your rubber fuel lines are ethanol proof there's no issue. You may have to adjust your timing slightly to reduce any chance of pinking though.
Our engines and carbs are mid 20th Century technology, even if you're running a "high performance" engine there really is no advantage in using super or premium fuels.

 

[ozziedog]

I try my very bestest not to put diesel in and that pretty much sums it up for me. Like the Wiggly one says, it’s a lot of old tech and you might have to get very creative before different fuels become a viable variant. :mrgreen:

Ozziedog,,,,,,,,remember,,,just say NO! To diesel :mrgreen:

 

[K@rlos]

I try my very bestest not to put diesel in and that pretty much sums it up for me. Like the Wiggly one says, it’s a lot of old tech and you might have to get very creative before different fuels become a viable variant. :mrgreen:

Ozziedog,,,,,,,,remember,,,just say NO! To diesel :mrgreen:

Like I say unless you’re running serious compression and a lot of timing or a turbo then yeah pointless.

I built a bus for someone a couple years ago, hour after he collected it up he rang me saying he’d filled it up with diesel and expected me to go sort it. Nope, sort it yourself you nob :lol:

 

[graysummers]

Got no idea about ‘Why?’, but petrol from 2 small garages locally produce a poorer and somehow different and less smooth driving experience. I tend to try to use two sources (haven’t got massive choice in a mainly rural set up) and go for the old Aberystwyth based supermarket Morrison’s choice or local Machynlleth based Tuffins. Don’t bother to look what company it is even. If it feels ok then I carry on using it. An old standard engine with oil considerations too? And the weather changes....produce variability anyway. I think, as Ozzie kind of says by mentioning the old tech, that the guys that build more technical engines need purer thought. My pure thought left me when, from day one, the bus began to behave in a tantrum type ‘I’m a 1972 baby born and feeling a very much great chunk of tired now’ way and threw all kinds of running problems into the holistic pot. But still love it to bits.

 

[andthepand]

Thanks for the replies, I love the humour ŷou guys bring to this site as well as all the incredible supportive info. I will go for the normal unleaded then. It may be all in my mind but I do think that having used different fuels from different suppliers and even different countries, it can make a difference to the running. I was in Newquay West Wales this summer looking for an Esso ..
Happy New Year to you all.

 

[sparkywig]

I do prefer to use a branded petrol station rather than fill up with supermarket fuel though. Especially driving through Europe, although I won't be doing any of that during 2021.

 

[mike202]

I don’t think there’s any advantage with ‘super’ type of petrol as they’ve all got ethanol in. Ethanol absorbs water from the atmosphere which harms the fuel tank, carbs etc. The main issue is leaving the fuel (with ethanol) in the lines for a long time during lay up periods like winter. That’s when the damp can cause damage.

So it’s best to either regularly use your bus, or add a fuel stabiliser if you don’t like using it when there’s salt on the roads.

When I had my carbs balanced on the rolling road the guy showed me the carb and I was shocked by how much water was sitting in there under the petrol layer.


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[graysummers]

Thanks for the replies, I love the humour ŷou guys bring to this site as well as all the incredible supportive info. I will go for the normal unleaded then. It may be all in my mind but I do think that having used different fuels from different suppliers and even different countries, it can make a difference to the running. I was in Newquay West Wales this summer looking for an Esso ..
Happy New Year to you all.

Newquay. Lovely little harbour stop. Great chip shop too. You were in my ‘a tad south from where I live’ neck of the woods. So I guess you found my problematics with petrol choice. Nice place to live though. Good observations about salt (near the sea and winter roads) and ethanol/water in the pipes and carb. Thanks guys. And Happy New Year to yourself and all on the site. for more of us able to get ‘out there’.

 

[fallingoffalot]

How long does it take to get the water in the fuel, or enough water to be an issue? I try and use mine every other week, as long as there's no salt about.


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[gvee]

Not moved the bus since September.
Drained the tank yesterday and the contents were crystal clear.
I buy the supermarket plonk.

 

[K@rlos]

I do prefer to use a branded petrol station rather than fill up with supermarket fuel though. Especially driving through Europe, although I won't be doing any of that during 2021.

Agree, the supermarket fuels I’ve used in the past have been terrible, full of shit and silt.

Maybe it’s just a Suffolk thing? :shock: :lol:

 

[ozziedog]

I do prefer to use a branded petrol station rather than fill up with supermarket fuel though. Especially driving through Europe, although I won't be doing any of that during 2021.

Agree, the supermarket fuels I’ve used in the past have been terrible, full of shit and silt.

Maybe it’s just a Suffolk thing? :shock: :lol:

I’ve heard of quite a few peeps saying that and similar in that the supermarket stuff is inferior??? It just might be :msn4: But a few truckers I know personally, tell me that all the tankers fill up from the same place :? :? So ,,, that what Karlos is saying might be the issue, as in in too much crud left to ferment and stew in them big old underground tanks :shock:
Some of you know I work for Mr Asda now as a delivery driver and they’ve just had a lot of work going on there as in a refit of the petrol station. Not only did they refit it out, they completely flattened it then dug out the underground tanks as well, this little job took a couple of months, so you’d notice if they ever did it and I live just down the road as well. What I’m getting around to saying is that I’ve been there a few years and lived locally for over thirty years and this is the first time there’s been a refresh of this magnitude, there since it was built around forty ish years ago, I guess they’ve had new pumps every so often but would they clean out the tanks ? so I reckon a heck of a lot of silt and crud could accrue during that amount of time :shock: But regular petrol stations seem to get refreshed every few years with new pumps etc etc :msn4:


Ozziedog,,,,,,,,,,, is this the big difference possibly :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

 

[sparkywig]

All fuels have to conform to a minimum standard so the base fuel may come from the same refinery, but premium brands have a more comprehensive additive and detergent package compared to supermarket.
Also supermarkets sometimes buy fuel from different suppliers depending on the wholesale cost, so there may be a mix of fuel in their tanks. That's one of the reasons why supermarket prices are usually cheaper.

 

[graysummers]

Revisited recently on seeing this new format and need a good half day in the near future to familiarise. Looks great on first viewing and love the email notifications of new posts. Revisiting this fuel post because since retiring last July 2021, the bus has been sat idle far longer than when it was my ‘daily ride’ to work. The house and garden were shameful, so spent a good few months chore handling with DIY and gardening. The bus started playing up fuel wise when I popped out to top up and E10 was seemingly the norm offered. Not much choice in my rural area I put a few gallon in and again it sat for weeks. Since January I’ve had problematics. It would take a small essay to tell the story, but eventually I seem to have shiftiest through the problems of bobbling engine, back fire, stuttering and cutting out on lower gears when approaching junctions or slowing down behind slower cars (no jokes ! ). It’s the introduction of E5 premium collected in a load of petrol cans, enzyme problem additive, octane booster and STP cleaner all put into the tank. Been driving around locally and visited for more E5 with a couple of shots of enzyme problematics juice and octane booster on top of 30 litres of petrol. Runs as sweet as it used to. But long time getting there. I have no garage to house the bus, live near the coast and retirement means no daily use. So just a bit of a write up to explain fuel issues I’ve had. Cheers.

 

[gagvanman]

My daily drive is a diesel Mondeo, one time I had to fuel the 71 bay I accidentally put diesel in instead of petrol. I had pumped 2 ltr before I realised the mistake, then filled up with E5. I swear the bus ran better than ever, but haven't had the balls to try again...

 

[67panel]

Mum filled her P reg Seat with e10 , cutting out and misfire so she puts e5 in now and its fine . Sounds like the same thing that happened when we went unleaded and the fuel dissolved the build up of crap in tank---------

 

[naskeet]

As fuel formulations change and the proportion of ethanol increases, it will probably be necessary to change the fuel/air ratio. Ethanol also needs more heat to vaporise than petrol, so under cool, damp conditions can more readily lead to carburettor & inlet-manifold icing.

 

[Clem]

Lived experience. I last filled my van up with E10 in September last year.
In April I drained the tank and put the fuel in my Audi. It ran perfectly. No signs of anything untoward in tank or fuel pipes. I reckon its literally 'just petrol'.
I just bought a load of posh new fuel hose for my van. £40 ..... I swear it used to be a fiver from Megabug