Do add a lead additive to your unleaded gas?

now tell me if im wrong but uh........... isnt it higher octane that reduces spark knock and ping on high compression engines? or with loads of timming. and i defintly agree with charlie they went to unleaded fuel with cats. seems like the lead screwed them up. and im pretty sure that the lead acted like a coolant for the valvetrain. thats why they went to stainless valves and hardend seats after they went to unleaded. if im wrong im sorry and i wont mind the input.



robert

 

Octane does create a slower burn which decreases detonation. The gov't has created an 'octane rating' which is a measure of how fast or slow a given fuel burns. The presence of lead does not increase the amount of octane itself but does increase the octane rating because it burns consistently and slowly when mixed with fuel. So it does decrease detonation. Too bad it plugs converters and is bad for the trees and such because it sure is a cheap way to increase octane rating for more CR and more power.

 

to lead or not to lead

I left that out Charlie to see if you'd catch it. Had to give you something to "ping" about. And I know you have some "real proof" that "harden seats" make a difference. Why is it that no one has ever shown or tested this process?

 

Well I think I have answered the original question to the best of my ability. I see no reason to attempt to answer your riddles ricky, I seldom answer a question with a question. Neither of us can know for sure if anyone has any conclusive testing on this, I'm sure there is an SAE paper somewhere but it's not worth convincing you of, because I think everyone else is already.

Have a good one.

 

i read in a newspaper......

awhile back i was digging through some old clippings that were stashed in the maverick before we got a hold of it.....anyways, one of the articles was on leaded or unleaded...it was very interesting and soon as i get a scanner i will post it...it said some of the differences to them...one was obviously the color of the burn...leaded burned white, that means the exhaust pipe was white instead of black nowadays with unleaded. another reason was because of the health problems associated with burning leaded gasoline. some research stated that it may cause birth defects to preganant women and cause brain damage...i.e. lead paint! but there were many other reasons to switch it seemed all around better and cheaper to produce but was bad for enviroment, it did however manage to make the catalytic converter and newer fuel injected engines and computer controlled vehicles do weird things as described in article two. if you really would like to try some i'll give you a hint where to get some!!!! awhile back i found out that airplanes and commercial airliners are still allowed to burn leaded fuel ( there rules are different) and i was able to pick up about 5 gallons of it for about 20 bucks...and again there fuel is like 134 octane..way better than cam 2...the maverick ran like a scalded dog for awhile...but make sure you go to a municipal airport or some small one...as the fuel went it did in fact burn white ..kinda cool to see an exhaust with white tail pipe...but i dont have to worry about the cat because mines 72 grabber w/ 302 not emissions so here ya go...

 

to lead or not to lead

BlackMav is right. The air takes a beating with leaded fuel. Aviation industry is under different EPA regs and so can use about anything they want. When the EPA tighten the regs the Aerospace and Electronics industry in Calif. told them that they couldn't meet the standards Calif. wanted to set for the whole U.S. And if they went to those standards in Calif. that they would have to go to another state or country. So the EPA waivered the Electronics & Aerospace industry to allow them to keep on with "business as usual". Just goes to show you that money talks.
I guess the airplanes don't pollute the air, so if you live close to a airport so should feel better. That black exhaust is just a figment of your imagination.

 

well said rickyracer

 

I had no luck using additive and lost the valve seats/valves in less than 8k miles on a new valve job and porting. Had seats put in. End of problems.

 

Lead Supreme 130

I'm wondering just how good that stuff is that Auto Krafters sells I know it's illegal for use in Autos in California and i'd be breaking every EPA law in the book here (damn politicians) if I did use it but I'm still curious nontheless. They should still sell it to me if I ordered it it does say it can be used in Lawnmowers afterall >.


71 Grabber (Project Car)
85 Club Wagon
94 Taurus GL Sedan FFV