doug1962

For those who use a lead additive or substitute, what kind do you recommend?

I had been using CD-2 super concentrate but I can no longer find it. WalMart know longer carries it.

Thanks for the input!

1snake

Save your money. The only thing those additives do is empty your wallet. They do absolutely nothing for your engine.

Jim

65tripleblack

All of the off-the-shelf lead substitutes are snake oil. There are only two additives, that I know of, that contain REAL TEL, those are:

Max Lead 2000 (Podell)
and
Octane Supreme 130 (Kemco)

The first of these is contained in a kerosene carrier and the second is toluene based. Toluene is itself an octane booster. Neither of these are available in stores.

The question is, why do you need them? You certainly do not need lead additives for your exhaust valves. Anyone saying that you do is giving you bad information. The only other possible reason is that you need to boost your octane rating. Be warned that both of these additives absolutely will boost your octane by as much as three points. Any further boost beyond this quickly bumps up against the point of diminishing returns. Anything beyond about 4 points becomes economically disadvantageous and doping with race gas or avgas becomes the better option.

doug1962

I was under the assumption that lead was necessary to "cushion" the valve seats on the older models that did not have harden seats. Isn't that what the old leaded gasoline did? I know it provided an octane boost but I thought it was for the valves as well. Maybe not?

65tripleblack

Exhaust valve seat recession is unlikely to occur except in extreme conditions – for example when vehicles are run constantly for days on end, and at high speeds, and carrying heavy loads.

Frankie the Fink

Myth...you don't need it or there would be a rotating group of 100 forum members pulling the heads of their cars for repairs on a regular basis.

Also, in most of these 9.5:1 compression engines that are properly tuned you can run 87 octane pump gas (and yes with Ethanol) all day long.

DansYellow66

This is not a substitute. It's for off road use and it's not inexpensive. I don't know if 1.2% lead is significant. It's primarily an octane booster.

http://www.batterystuff.com/files/manual-OS2q.pdf

doug1962

Thanks for all the replies. I do appreciate the info.!

Redbird

An old friend said, "the only lead he uses is a few fishing sinkers dropped into the tank". Makes sense to me. To me, "Shell" gasoline is the best thing to use in these cars.

OldKarz

Never used them, never will.

Lou64

I've used some off the shelf crap from Autozone and my car ran like sh*t for a couple weeks until I had ran all the gas through it. Took the other two bottles I bought back.

Frankie the Fink

The lead might keep Superman from seeing inside your engine...other than that its a total black hole for money in a street-driven engine.

rustylugnuts

I use 100LL (100 octane low lead) avgas mixed 50/50 with 94 octane non-ethanol in my 1961 fuelie most of the time. When temps here in Florida go beyond 90 degrees, I run 100% avgas. No feathering the accelerator and quick hot start ups, but then I only put about 30 to 50 miles a week on the clock. She runs like greased lightning. Stay away from the bottled B.S., yes I stay away from snake oil products too.

Just my two cents

rustylugnuts

abdo

I used to use lead substitute in both my '57 and '61. The spark plugs tended to foul and I had to replace them about every two years. I quit using the stuff and I no longer have spark plug problems.
As to gas, I can still buy 91 octane non-ethanol up here and I find it runs much better than 87 octane with ethanol.