mbrink

I recently took delivery of a 300HP Coupe, and have some basic question about fuel and coolant. I live in Northern Ohio, and wonder what is the reccommended fuel and coolant to use in this car. I know it has a different cam, and has an aluminum radiator, but don't know much more about it's history. I would appreciate any advise you can give a first time Corvette owner.

Thanks

JohnZ

The recommended coolant would be Zerex G0-5 or equivalent (an HOAT coolant, recommended for aluminum radiators); do NOT use any "Dexcool" formulation. The owner's manual fuel recommendation is premium, but you may find that it runs without detonation ("pinging") on mid-grade, depending on your ignition timing map.

62Jeff

Note: The minimum fuel octane rating that may appear in your owner's manual will be higher than the octane you can purchase today. That is primarily because octane ratings were calculated differently in 1966 than it is today.

Dennis Beck

Welcome to the Forum. Western New York and Northern Ohio not much difference. I use Zerex Go5 mixed 50/50 with DISTILLED water. Go5 seems to be the best bet for your aluminum radiator. The distilled water has far less minerals than your tap water also good for your aluminum radiator and the rest of your cooling system. As far a fuel goes I would run the next grade available to you above 87 octane. The highest octane is not necessarily the best but I believe you should be over the 87 octane with today's fuels.

Dennis

KS69Coupe

Running 93 octane premium, no ethanol, in my "66. I'm lucky enough to have a gas station close by that does not add ethanol to its premium gas. I don't add any fuel additives or octane boosters to the gas tank - don't need it. I do throw a little bit of Stay-Bil in the tank and I do fill the tank full before storing.

Have been running Prestone 50/50 in my radiator (also aluminum) and have had no problems with Prestone. I live in Northern Virginia. I store mine from November to end of March but will take it out once in awhile if we get some warm days during the winter.

Hope this helps.

Kevin

mbrink

Thanks - I have tried to find pure gas with no Ethanol blend, but no luck. Any thoughts on running a premium with ethanol?

5thvet

That's what most of us run with no problem!

Don

JohnZ

I've been running pump premium with ethanol (E10) for over twenty years with no issues. Make sure the 3/8" rubber hoses at the tank end and at the fuel pump end of the main fuel line aren't old/cracked/brittle. The "ethanol disaster" is mass hysteria at work - don't worry about it.

vt65

Welcome to the Forum, if you need it here's a list of ethanol free stations for you, not many in Ohio: http://pure-gas.org/

Revette

For fuel in my '66 I stay away from any fuel with ethanol in it. The shelf-life of that fuel is (I believe) somewhere around 90 days and I live in a climate where my car may sit for 5 months of the year. Some here will disagree with this and say it's not needed, but I run a mixture of 110 leaded racing fuel mixed with 93 octane ethanol free. My car really likes the 110 added as it starts quicker, runs smoother, and the exhaust is almost perfume.

I also run the 110 in a vintage motorcycle that makes the bike a whole lot easier to kick-start.

Mike Ward

Mine sits with ethanol fuel in the tank over the long Canadian winter, never a problem. Been doing it long before it was even called 'E10'.