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rcmatt007 wrote:
One of the big differences in older gasoline was the use of lead for both valve seat protection & to add octane rating.. It also had a lower vapor point to allow it to work good in low compression carburetted engines..
New gasolines of today have better cleaning additives, a higher vapor point, a higher base octane without lead.. The down side is: the higher vapor point doesn't start very easily in older low compression engines, doesn't store very long without going sour, is hard on older engines with soft valve & soft valve seats that are worked hard. The higher vapor point is a problem for some of the weaker ignition system equipped older engines that are using the newer (non glazed electrode) porcelainspark plugs..
Even the old Wings were designed to use the low/no lead gasoline so should operate fine on the newer emission compliant fuels of today..
Probably the biggest reason modern gasoline gets such a bad reputation is it's poor storage ability.. It turns to gum quickly& the light ends evaporate off easily so modern gasoline usedin a seasonal environment like boats & motorcycles tend to cause problems like plugged carb jets & fouled spark plugs.
The good side of modern gasoline is: it burns very clean, doesn't leave those nasty lead deposits to coke up the backs of valves, doesn't form carbon that works it's way past the rings & pollutes the engine oil, doesn't leave lead deposits all over the side of the road..
Some of the modern gasoline contain up to 10% alcohol & that isn't the best to use in older engines as they were not designed to handle the water it tends to hold in suspension in the fuel, sometime it can effect the carb metering & cause flat spots or surging in the older low compression weak ignition vehicles, but won't really do any engine harm..
Twisty
rcmatt007 wrote:
Rodger, the gas wasn't better 25 years ago it was just different & the automobiles of that time were designed & tuned to run on that type..
One of the big differences in older gasoline was the use of lead for both valve seat protection & to add octane rating.. It also had a lower vapor point to allow it to work good in low compression carburetted engines..
New gasolines of today have better cleaning additives, a higher vapor point, a higher base octane without lead.. The down side is: the higher vapor point doesn't start very easily in older low compression engines, doesn't store very long without going sour, is hard on older engines with soft valve & soft valve seats that are worked hard. The higher vapor point is a problem for some of the weaker ignition system equipped older engines that are using the newer (non glazed electrode) porcelainspark plugs..
Even the old Wings were designed to use the low/no lead gasoline so should operate fine on the newer emission compliant fuels of today..
Probably the biggest reason modern gasoline gets such a bad reputation is it's poor storage ability.. It turns to gum quickly& the light ends evaporate off easily so modern gasoline usedin a seasonal environment like boats & motorcycles tend to cause problems like plugged carb jets & fouled spark plugs.
The good side of modern gasoline is: it burns very clean, doesn't leave those nasty lead deposits to coke up the backs of valves, doesn't form carbon that works it's way past the rings & pollutes the engine oil, doesn't leave lead deposits all over the side of the road..
Some of the modern gasoline contain up to 10% alcohol & that isn't the best to use in older engines as they were not designed to handle the water it tends to hold in suspension in the fuel, sometime it can effect the carb metering & cause flat spots or surging in the older low compression weak ignition vehicles, but won't really do any engine harm..
Twisty
