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#1
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High octane fuels: unleaded vs. leaded
Well I just got an education when I called my friendly local speed shop to price fuels. I was thinking of running unleaded in the car when I do finally get it to the track. Not necessarily to save the converter, but to save the O2 sensor. Check these prices:
110 leaded -$6.65 116 leaded -$7.50 105 unleaded -$9.50...what!!!!! Guess I wasn't aware of the higher cost of the unleaded fuels. In the past I have only used 110 leaded on other cars. So I am looking for some opinions pro/con on running the unleaded fuel. For one thing, will I be able to run significantly more timing with the 110 vs. the 105? I am not averse to replacing an O2 sensor now and then...just wondering if there are other factors I haven't considered.
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Steve Allen- '87GN "survivor" |
#2
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Re: High octane fuels: unleaded vs. leaded
No downsides except the sensor/converter (obviously).
You can buy a lot of O2 sensors for the difference in price between the unleaded and leaded!
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Ken Mosher 1987 GN original owner 650+ HP Black 2015 BMW 328xi XDrive wagon 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan (the Tig!) Night Blue Met (sold) 2006 Trailblazer SS Red Jewel Tint 395 HP AWD (sold) 2014 Silverado LTZ Crew 4WD 2012 Honda VFR 1200F Tahitian Blue (sold) 2015 BMW S1000R Racing Red 2013 Honda CBR500R Red (wife's bike) 2014 Triumph Bonneville T100 2003 Harley Davidson V Rod Anniversary Edition |
#3
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Re: High octane fuels: unleaded vs. leaded
That's what I was thinking as well. I just don't have a feel for the life expectancy of an O2 sensor that might be exposed to 6-8 passes on leaded fuel once a month give or take.
I'm also considering alcohol since it seems to be more and more popular these days.
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Steve Allen- '87GN "survivor" Last edited by Survivor87; 02-28-2007 at 10:52 AM. |
#4
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Re: High octane fuels: unleaded vs. leaded
With a heated O2, you can get a fair bit more life provided you heat it before you start the car.
Just something that has to be considered... Alcohol does look pretty good at times.
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Scott Keller - GNTTYPE Founder & Moderator
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#5
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Re: High octane fuels: unleaded vs. leaded
There are lots of so-called lead-tolerant O2 sensors available as well. I've been running TiO2 sensors for many years without issue. However, with all the environmental concerns... it would certainly be best to leave the lead to the history books. How about switching to E85? It is about the same octane as unleaded race gas, but a lot less expensive.
If you have a source for it, E100 would be even better and the octane is closer to the leaded stuff you're familiar with. You'll need about 30 to 40% more of it to go the same distance as gasoline (or to make the same HP), your pump, fuel lines, tank, regulator and injectors will need to tolerate it, and you'll need a good way to calibrate it, such as some tuning software and a wide-band O2 sensor. It might be an expensive conversion, but you wouldn't have to drive very far to save most of the money with lower fuel costs compared to the unleaded race gas. E85 is getting to be so popular in most states that I'll bet you can drive to a local pump to fill up (http://www.e85refueling.com/). Be careful of the changing Ethanol content as it varies from 70 to 85% Ethanol, depending on the source and time of year, hence the need for ongoing tuning. |
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Re: High octane fuels: unleaded vs. leaded
save your $$$ and do it with pump gas and an alky kit..
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#7
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Re: High octane fuels: unleaded vs. leaded
Hey thanks EVERYONE for all the input and ideas. Once again I have been away from the board for a while due to work. I will be taking all of this into consideration here in the near future. For now I think I will be running the leaded fuel (for the track only, of course) and look into one of those heated sensors or the lead-tolerant ones (TiO2???).
Haven't seen or heard of E85 or E100 ever being available in D/FW, although they do sell 10% during the summer season to help with emissions. I wouldn't be surprised to see it coming soon, though. The thing I like about the alchohol injection is the fact that you could tune it for that and pretty much leave it alone. Your car could be as strong on the street as it is at the track. I want my GN to be able to keep its proud heritage and reputation intact in case some wiseguy in a Corvette/Mustang/ (fill in the blank with your most hated wannabe fast car) tries to test his stuff aginst mine.
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Steve Allen- '87GN "survivor" |
#8
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Re: High octane fuels: unleaded vs. leaded
If you follow the link I provided (http://www.e85refueling.com/) you will find at least one E85 pump in Dallas:
Kroger #587 3939 Frankford Rd. @ Midway Dallas, TX 75287 972-662-1000 I'll bet there are others in the surrounding area. TiO2 sensors might be hard to find, but there are other so-called lead-tolerant sensors available. I saw something crazy here in SE Michigan recently that makes no sense to me. 104 unleaded is still $5.50 at the pump, but I saw 110 leaded for $2.49 at a local station. 94 octane unleaded is $2.60. Go figure. Kinda makes it hard to be environmentally conscious. Last edited by tommy231; 03-11-2007 at 02:11 PM. |
#9
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Re: High octane fuels: unleaded vs. leaded
A statement about E85 in Texas...
http://www.cleanfuelsohio.org/CFO/email_vol13.html |
#10
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Re: High octane fuels: unleaded vs. leaded
Thanks for the links. You certainly seem to be on top of the current fuel trends.
I did finally find some more reasonably priced unleaded nearby (108) and went ahead and bought 10 gallons for the GN. But at $6.50/gallon I won't be doing a lot of street cruising to say the least!
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Steve Allen- '87GN "survivor" |
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