mrl@drutx.UUCP (LongoMR) (10/27/85)
[] A few weeks ago (maybe more) I posted a short article stating that I had recently read somewhere that mixing leaded and unleaded gasoline used to boost octane, but it no longer did because of something (I think I said lack of certain additives). I promised to post another article with details. Well, here it is... The article is in the October 1985 issue of "Car Review" and is entitled "School of Spark Knocks". It lists several different causes and cures for knock and ping which I can't list here because the article is quite lengthy. Below is a short excerpt from the article concerning mixing of leaded and unleaded gasolines. "... A few years ago, blending unleaded premium with leaded regular produced magical results - a fuel that had a higher octane than either of the gasolines it contained. This phenomenon resulted frm lead's "kick" when added to unleaded fuel - in proper amounts, the lead contained in 89 AKI regular would elevate the AKI of unleaded premium from 92 to 93-95. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way any more. Leaded pump gasolines no longer contain amounts of lead sufficient to support a "kick." And things will worsen in 1986 when new EPA standards, reducing maximum allowable lead content from 1/2 gram to 1/10th gram per gallon, take effect." Well, there it is. I am not a chemist, but I have no reason to doubt its accuracy. Since this subject, and the subject of cures and causes of ping and knock, has been pretty popular lately, I will give the following information. For anyone who is interested in the rest of the article, (in my opinion it was quite informative) "Popular and Performance Car Review" is published by Dobbs Publications, Inc., 3618 Industry Blvd., Lakeland, Florida 33803. Phone (813) 644-0449. No, I don't own stock.