Petrol additives

[Peter Stokes]

Thanks Len, I looked up Ethomix -

http://www.frost.co.uk/ethomix-additive.html

John - Maybe we worry too much sometimes!

All the best - Pete

 

[mercurycrest]

Hi Pete,
So did/do we... So far, other than a slight dip in mpg. we are even surviving the mandated 10% ethanol too. Luckily(?), if we get too worried, there's always lots of "Snake Oils" we can buy in the Auto Supply stores..
Cheers, john

 

[len.c]

Hi John,Thanks for your message after reading through it I decided to ring Samaritans, but all there lines were engaged ,I assumed by other Brit bike enthusiasts , so I took the only other course left open to me,luckily, just before Biting on the cyanide pill,I thought this old rascal is winding us up.Keep smiling .Len.c

 

[roy the mechanic]

this topic is best summed up in the honda nsx handbook "do not spend money on oil or fuel additives, they will NOT make your engine run any better . They will only add to your running expenses". as for the ancient americans mostly side valvers, these are the ideal candidates for the hardened seat conversions.

 

[vibrac]

There is one additive that works and did work for 50 years thats the lead they used to put in petrol before the poor speed of changeover in our plumbing systems was forgotten and lead in petrol not lead in pipes was blamed. of course its still sprayed around our skies by planes but the heat has gone out of the subject-there was obviously some real reason for doing the banning that we do not 'need to know' but I bet ethanol is in the logic.
Amazingly (perhaps not with our idiotic rule makers) its not illegal to buy TEL It could be brought a few years ago from the AJS and Matchless club magazine and added (with appropriate protection from skin contact) to petrol to make 100,105 or even 110 octane a tank of that every so often would do the trick. Allegedly
Of course it may take some finding now because of all the patent medicines being offered instead but Google is a wonderful tool

 

[Ken Tidswell]

The Zinc disk addition to a tank /fuel line is a kin to snake oil. i ran a v6 ford Pb free engine both ways and it still lasted 110000, both with and without the Zinc . I use valvemaster both my Vins. Ken

 

[Peter Stokes]

Discussions about lead and alcohol in fuel are nothing new.

This is from Hints and Tips for Motor Cyclists, a book published by The Motor Cycle in about 1932.

“ Fuels

A number of special fuels containing a percentage of tetra-ethyl lead are now obtainable. The object of tetra-ethyl lead is to prevent detonation, and the advantage is that it allows a high compression ratio to be used, with a resultant increased power output. For normal work an ethylised fuel is unnecessary, but it has the advantage of increasing flexibility. This increase is due solely to the absence of detonation, or, in other words, of knocking. The addition of benzole to petrol or the use of a fuel containing alcohol also has the same effect.

Benzole always contains a small percentage of water, so, where this fuel is used, either pure or mixed with petrol, it is advisable to clean out the carburetter periodically. This precaution is even more necessary when alcohol is used.”

On a different topic, it has this advice;

“Dogs have caused many accidents. Pass a lively dog rather cautiously, and if he evinces an inclination to charge, swing the arm up, as if to hurl an imaginary stone. This is far more efficacious than cursing him.” Maybe I should have known that on the two occasions a dog has leapt at my front wheel. Both times the dog survived (with a headache no doubt).

Pete