Mike Ward

No, not 'everyone' did. I've never even heard that theory before. I switched back and forth between leaded and unleaded at the time and saw no difference. I can also not think of any plausible explanation as to why there would be a difference.

There again, I don't need to blame everything that happens under the sun on 'politics'.

jetjockey

Wow, wow and wow.
The myths that exist around leaded fuel are nearly as numerous as the ones around JFK and Dallas!

Vette5.5

While this is getting a bit off topic, couldn't agree more. Remember taking bicycle ride's along highway's as a kid and the fume's were horrible. I've alway's been a performance guy and not liking restrictive cat's at first, but the industry's really come around. Know a few guy's who've pulled the cat's on modern performance car's, and can smell them block's away. My late model car's are keeping the factory exhaust.

Mr Sidepipes

I agree

7t9l82

i completely agree, i read that same article, i may be wrong but i think Pat Goss wrote it.good memory.

7t9l82

oh crap, who keeps reviving this old stuff.

REELAV8R

Not for long though.

Pretty much the opposite. Take-off is the critical period of operation.

Either one of you have any flying experience?
A piston driven aircraft has a mixture control right next to the throttle. This is how you obtain a good running engine at all altitudes. Fuel is only part of the equation. I ran STC'd (Supplemental Type Certificate) engines when I was a flight instructor to run on automotive gasoline.
I actually went down to the gas station and purchased fuel in gas cans to refuel the airplane.
Never had an issue with this system. Sure if you had an highwing aircraft without a fuel pump. You may want the added assurance of fuel delivery by adding a fuel pump but I didn't have one on a Cessna 150 and never had an issue, hot , cold, high altitude (relative since ceiling was only 12,650 ft ) or low altitude.
The other aircraft was a Grumman American (AA-5A). It had a fuel pump since it was a low wing configuration but same results, no problems. Also flew Cherokee 140 and 180 with STC's for auto fuel.
Mogas was mentioned here that was the term for automotive fuel that could be purchased on the field instead of driving to the gas pump with cans.
I can tell you that the Grumman was originally rated for 160hp and derated to 150hp on the auto fuel.
While I was hauling air cargo for an operator another pilot decided that it would be cheaper if we siphoned fuel out of the plane that the owner was paying for (100 low lead) and put it into the car instead of having to buy gas on our own dime for the company car. It was an 86 Chevy Citation or something like that.
After about a month of this the car would barely run. It belched and coughed and would hardly idle. It also smoked like a chimney. So, no 100LL does your car no favors. I suspect in this case the catalytic converter was all clogged up.
In any case a piston driven aircraft engine might turn at 2800 to 3000 rpm max unless it a gear reduced prop then maybe 3500 to 3800 rpm. Your car turns at 5000 or more. The fuel is made to burn slowly and not detonate it does this well. It's not particularly good for throttle response.

68/70Vette

Lets not jump to the gun a little too quickly about morons. In the late 70's I had a piece part L88 clone engine in my 1969 coupe. It came with a 12.5:1 and I had the piston domes milled down to a 11.5:1 compression ratio. During engine build up, 104 octane fuel was sold in California. By the time the car was on the street, 104 was history. Racing fuel was expensive, but AV gas was OK, ...sure more than street gas but less than racing gas. I couldn't run on street gas, but AV gas was fine. I started buying 5 gallon Jerry cans of AV gas at Torrance Municipal Airport. With AV gas I could operate my clone L88 without pinging. Eventually, the guy at the airport got to know me and was sympathetic to what I was doing. Finally he told me...I just drove my 69 Corvette to the airport, and at an out of the way place he'd just pump AV gas directly into my fuel tank. I'd guess there'd be some tremendous fine today.

68/70Vette

My interest in buying racing gasoline does not involve octane. I'm much more concerned about the alcohol in gasoline sold in California. I have a 68 Corvette with a pot metal Holley carb and a steel tin plated fuel tank. These components are all new. But alcohol in the gasoline will I believe eventually cause a corrosion problem. I'd like to run the 68 on alcohol free fuel. If you don't want to buy alcohol racing fuel, look to buy fuel that does not advertise "oxidants." Oxidants is a code word for alcohol. It is possible to buy high octane alcohol free gasoline in California that does not violate environmental laws ...however .,it does violate state laws about using fuels that don't have road taxes for street cars.

..And finally the bottom line about leaded racing fuels. If you buy a leaded racing fuel and are caught using it in a street car, here in California, it's a $10,000 fine. (My understanding)

alswagg

This is one subject I am in total agreement with Mike Ward!. Please do not use Leaded gas in your cars. These cars are so low horsepower even modified would never need leaded gas. Thanks to all the lead from the 50 and 60's early 70's to produce Cancer causing air particals. Again, absolutly no reason to use leaded gas in anything. Same goes for "off road" Deisel. Farmers should pay the road tax just as well. Hell, they drive the damn tractors all over the roads. Well that is another subject. Al

AirborneSilva

Thanks Ernie, now I feel old too

694speed350

Then why did they use lead as an in gasoline to start with? remember back in the day when you had a white coating in the exhaust pipes the car was tuned correctly? Ah the good old days.

zwede

Early on all gas was unleaded. In the 50's there was an increased push for more horsepower. The high compression engines needed higher octane, and TEL was a very cheap way to increase octane ratings. TEL is not good for engines, it fouls spark plugs. In the late 60's it was found that leaded gas caused high lead levels in young children. High enough to cause brain damage. That (and also to prepare for catalytic converters in '75) was why it was phased out in the early 70's.

Today we have much better ways to produce high octane gas without using TEL.

texas jim

You mean like, "Fill it up w/ Sunoco 260." LOL! That was always the best stuff other than racing fuel back when I was in high school and just after. As recently as 1987, The "Payless" gas station and convenience store sold racing fuel, 112 octane in one of their pumps, both here in Killeen and in Temple. (I'm in Texas.) After running a tank full of that in my bike(had a CB1100F Honda w/ an 1123 Wiseco kit and a bunch of other stuff in it and went to the drag races on weekends w/ it, drove it to work during the week)just high test gas was a flat drag. LOL! I remember when unleaded gas came around, factory muscle cars were pigs by then.

texas jim

exhaust seats.

When unleaded fuel came out, the cylinder heads were equipped w/ hardened exhaust seats, GM I believe in 1971. No, the ones prior don't NEED leaded fuel to run, but it's tough on the exhaust valve seats, and it eventually beats the seats down into the head. Octane is another issue.

7t9l82

i remember those days, took my 66 hemi charger on a trip from northern Virginia to new york arrived and inside the pipes were white as snow. i didn't believe it. awful hard to get the carbs that good on that setup.

John Wong

You are a happy person

John Wong

I agree too