North American ethanol fuel is the devil !

[The Force power]

You guys must have been way ahead of us with this. Catalytic converters weren’t really a thing here at all until the 90’s. ‘94 was the year they were in most of the new cars.

more of a need actually because the were more cars per household, don't forget; California has one of the strictest pollution-laws in the world.

 

[southkogs]

You guys must have been way ahead of us with this. Catalytic converters weren’t really a thing here at all until the 90’s. ‘94 was the year they were in most of the new cars.

They were required in the US starting in '75 (I think). Definitely by the 1980s.

 

[GA_Boater]

They were required in the US starting in '75 (I think). Definitely by the 1980s.

That's when it was - 1975.

About the differences between Europe and the US when all this stuff started - We drove Land Yachts and you guys over there drove Land Dinghies, just a comparison mind you. I could have put my Spitfire in the trunk of my Mercury - With room for groceries and a couple of kegs. Spitfire was fun and the Merc was just an A to B machine. :smile:

 

[QBhoy]

That's when it was - 1975.

About the differences between Europe and the US when all this stuff started - We drove Land Yachts and you guys over there drove Land Dinghies, just a comparison mind you. I could have put my Spitfire in the trunk of my Mercury - With room for groceries and a couple of kegs. Spitfire was fun and the Merc was just an A to B machine. :smile:

We try and keep the old carbon footprint down a bit. Trying to offset you guys...haha.

 

[sphelps]

I learned how to drive a stick shift in my brother’s Spitfire .. What a blast !!!
On the subject , the guys in the aomci club frowned when I showed up with just reg unleaded in the tank on my 49 Speeditwin.. They said get that stuff out as soon as you get home .. Only use the ethanol free fuel .. That’s all I use in my e-tec .. That reg unleaded burned through the clear coat and paint on my freshly repainted tank ..

 

[GA_Boater]

I learned how to drive a stick shift in my brother’s Spitfire .. What a blast !!!
On the subject , the guys in the aomci club frowned when I showed up with just reg unleaded in the tank on my 49 Speeditwin.. They said get that stuff out as soon as you get home .. Only use the ethanol free fuel .. That’s all I use in my e-tec .. That reg unleaded burned through the clear coat and paint on my freshly repainted tank ..

Any gas will eat fresh paint, even back in the leaded and pre-booze gas days.

The Spitfire was fun. A warning bumper sticker on the back for following drivers - "The parts falling off this vehicle are of the finest British quality!". If the alternator or horn had fallen off, the sticker would be a lie. Lucas, the Prince Of Darkness, supplied the electrical system.

 

[QBhoy]

Any gas will eat fresh paint, even back in the leaded and pre-booze gas days.

The Spitfire was fun. A warning bumper sticker on the back for following drivers - "The parts falling off this vehicle are of the finest British quality!". If the alternator or horn had fallen off, the sticker would be a lie. Lucas, the Prince Of Darkness, supplied the electrical system.

I’ve literally only just clicked that you guys are meaning the Truimph Spitfire. Got you now.
was never a fan of that wee thing. The GT6, TR4, TR5 and the TR6....now they were different machines altogether. Worth a lot of money now. Not so much the spitfire.

 

[Doh]

He said it him self (7.45 minutes) "Modern Engines and Fuels Systems are made from Metals and Seals and Rubber not affected by Ethanal."

Even my 1997 Yamaha, has ran E10 only since 2003 (Mandated in Canada), without issues, and 1500 hours since that time. 2000 hours total.

That said Ethanal is a Farce however. When Corn could be used to feed the hungry, Heavy Crude Oil cannot.

 

[Leardriver]

Ethanol has one slightly useful trait in BMW twin turbo motors. I have 500 foot lbs of torque at the rear wheels of my 135i convertible.

 

[QBhoy]

Ethanol has one slightly useful trait in BMW twin turbo motors. I have 500 foot lbs of torque at the rear wheels of my 135i convertible.

Lovely car. Test drove a M140 the other week. What a machine.

 

[dingbat]

Any gas will eat fresh paint, even back in the leaded and pre-booze gas days.

The Spitfire was fun. A warning bumper sticker on the back for following drivers - "The parts falling off this vehicle are of the finest British quality!". If the alternator or horn had fallen off, the sticker would be a lie. Lucas, the Prince Of Darkness, supplied the electrical system.

Good ole SU carbs....dad had a 1959 TR3 for many years

 

[dingbat]

Ethanol has one slightly useful trait in BMW twin turbo motors. I have 500 foot lbs of torque at the rear wheels of my 135i convertible.

what mods did you do? Stock that motor is listed at 295 foot pounds.

 

[Silvertip]

My 2006 Impala purchased new and I ran E-85 in it whenever the price difference between it and E-10 was 35 cents or more. In my area it often ran $1.00/gallon cheaper. Sold the car at 150,000 miles and not one issue unless you want to consider a leaky water pump at about 120,000. Other than that, brakes, tires, and oil/filter changes.

 

[matt167]

Funny, I daily drove my '74 MG MGB all spring/ summer on regular 87 unleadded without a hitch and same last year. Those SU carbs could care less. Clogged a fuel filter but other than that, it was reliable transportation and I was able to depend on it, even electrically it was sound.... However it worked so well because it never sat for more than a day and always had fresh gas. Fresh gas is key.. SU carb is also self priming like a motorcycle carb

I just had a power outage and had trouble getting my generator started. took draining gas/ adding fresh, some carb cleaner and a shot of ether to get it back in service. I didn't get it running for the outage. Ended up running a 120w inverter off my truck which was just enough to get the TV turned on... good old ethanol varnish.

 

[matt167]

My 2006 Impala purchased new and I ran E-85 in it whenever the price difference between it and E-10 was 35 cents or more. In my area it often ran $1.00/gallon cheaper. Sold the car at 150,000 miles and not one issue unless you want to consider a leaky water pump at about 120,000. Other than that, brakes, tires, and oil/filter changes.

'06 Impala would be a flex fuel vehicle rated for E-85. A sensor in the tank actually knows what kind of alcohol content is there and adjusts the mixtures for it. When E-85 was the 'it' fuel, that was the kind of car to have

 

[Silvertip]

E-85 is still very much available here in Minnesota and I still use it in a 09 Chevy HHR. There is more advantage to E-85 than just mixture. Knock sensors detect pre-ignition and will retard timing as needed. Since E-85 has a higher octane than regular fuel timing advances more and injector pulse width is adjusted as well. Both cars perform better but yes, mileage goes down a bit. But if you know what the price cross-over is for your vehicle, there is a financial payoff. As for small engines, my yard equipment is many decades old and required only fuel line replacement as the rubber was not tolerant. The test represented in the U-Tube video was not very valid since we have no idea how much water he added to the sample and what the temperature/humidity conditions were. All of my boats ran E-10 for years. I pulled the carbs on a five year old 40HP Evinrude just to have a look and I could have eaten my lunch from them. No dirt, no grime, no sludge. My airplane club has a 1952 Ford 8N tractor and previously a 1944 Alice Chalmers "C" used for mowing the grassy fields. Both of those tractors sit in semi-enclosed buildings from November - April every year with E-10 in the tank. Stare at the key in the spring and they fire off. Both converted to 12 volt systems hence the quick starts. Nuff said. Doesn't both me one bit.