williams@rduxb.UUCP (WILLIAMS) (03/08/85)
So far the talk about unleaded vs leaded gas has been either "your engine is doomed," or "no effect at all" when using unleaded. Well, it's really like this: Yes, tetraethyl lead does have lubricating properties that benefit the valve seat. But newer cars have different (harder) valve seat material, so unleaded gas doesn't matter. As far as unleaded gas and OLDER cars, the lack of lead in the gas causes long- term wear (I've read 50K+ miles to see an effect). The way I figure it, if it's some classic car you're worried about, it probably doesn't get driven enough to matter. Otherwise, who cares what happens to some old beater with a couple of hundred thousand miles in it :-) If you really do want to put a lot of miles on a leaded gas era car, you can have the machine shop put in a harder material for the valve seats. Big bucks though! Personally, I'd rather run the high-test unleaded in my fresh '69 Camaro 350 4-bbl. to prevent the destructive detonation from occurring, than a lower-octane leaded. That way my $2000 worth of machine shop work and new parts won't self destruct before I dump another couple of $K into the body :-) Doug Williams AT&T Bell Labs Reading, PA rduxb!williams
haapanen@watdcsu.UUCP (Tom Haapanen [DCS]) (03/09/85)
In article <293@rduxb.UUCP> williams@rduxb.UUCP (WILLIAMS) writes: > The way I figure it, if it's some classic car you're worried >about, it probably doesn't get driven enough to matter. Otherwise, >who cares what happens to some old beater with a couple of hundred >thousand miles in it :-) There are some of us that enjoy driving older cars requiring leaded gas daily. People drive restored 1956 Beetles, 1968 Karmann Ghias, 1965 Porsche 911's, ... These are neither beaters not classics that just sit in the garage. > Personally, I'd rather run the high-test unleaded in my fresh >'69 Camaro 350 4-bbl. to prevent the destructive detonation from >occurring, than a lower-octane leaded. That way my $2000 worth of >machine shop work and new parts won't self destruct before I dump >another couple of $K into the body :-) I hope you realize that the (expensive) premium unleaded is often of no higher rating than regular leaded. \tom haapanen watmath!watdcsu!haapanen Don't cry, don't do anything No lies, back in the government No tears, party time is here again President Gas is up for president (c) Psychedelic Furs, 1982