Craig, if you use the search function above you'll find several years of discussion on the topic.

Here's one https://www.speedsterowners.com...o-article-on-ethanol

Able to run more total timing with my high-compression (10.5:1 twin-plug) 2276 with 93 E10 than 93 straight gas. I also run cooler.

No issues whatsoever with gaskets, floats, etc. in the carbs.

Lines use ethanol rated rubber, so no issues.

It's hygroscopic, so keeping the tank (and float-bowls) either completely full or completely empty is a good idea.

Otherwise, lots of hysteria and finger-pointing. I was taught to hate it. I'd put E15 in my car if it were available everywhere.

Thanks Bill, I'll look it up.  Didn't think to look there.

Corn belongs in whiskey --- not gasoline.  Less mpg too with E10.  Non-ethanol gas is becoming a little easier to find in coastal FL locations but quite a bit more costly. I would not put ethanol gas in any small lawn care engine or boat --- same goes if your Speedster sits for more than 20 days at a time.  (Let a can of it sit for 30 days and smell it - yuck).

A little over a week ago an old friend asked if I would take him to lunch in the new Speedster.  After our meal, we stopped at an EXXON station to fill up the gas tank but after leaving we had only driving a short distance before the engine begin to sputter a bit.  For awhile it wasn't too bad but then it began to backfire and lose some power.

My first thought was the gasoline must have had some Ethanol in it so we stopped at a nearby auto repair shop that happened to sell STA-BIL.  My fuel tank only holds nine gallons of gas so following the directions posted on the bottle, 1 oz. of STA-BILL per 5 gallons of gas, I added slightly less than 2 ounces in the tank, but on the way back home the engine continued to backfire and lose power.  What a bummer I thought, either that gasoline was really, really bad and the tank will have to be drained or a carburetor jet might be clogged. Humbug, neither idea seemed an easy solution and since my weekend was already booked up the problem could not be attended to until Monday.  

Then Sunday night I got the bright idea to do a search on the Speedster Owners.com website to see if anyone had ever had a similar problem with Ethanol in their gas.  At first I did not find exactly what I was looking for but did find an entry Jack Crosby made to a thread on January 2, 2012 in which he said that Ethanol had killed his C.B. Performance rotary fuel pump and he was now adding 1/2 ounce of STA-BIL to each gallon of fuel with Ethanol in it.  Hummm I thought, if that amount worked for Jack then I probably should have added about 4 ounces of STA-BIL to my fuel tank. 

Following Jack's example, I added more to the tank and took the car for a quick spin.  At first the engine was still sluggish and continued to backfire but after driving a short distance it became less and less a problem.  Wow, I thought, that stuff may actually work.  Sure enough, after driving a little over three miles, the backfiring stopped completely and the engine was running like a top. 

Problem solved, EUREKA!!! 

You should take this up with Ed Erickson -- he is running a line of spray-on fixes for these cars, and he'd like to add this to his line, I'm sure.

It sucks.  No power, no get up and go, Run ons when you turn the car off, sometimes for 2-3 minutes in hot weather unless you kill it by being in gear and letting clutch out..  The British Speedster and Spyders Group had an article about their fight with British Gov't to limit Ethanol to 5%. Their argument was that a lot of the older , Antique vessels engines were damaged by a higher % of Corn Likker.   Studies show if you use Sugar Cane Alcohol like Brazil does you get 85% of the Greenie atmospheric effects the EPA wants.  American Corn only gives you about 15-29% of the magic.   I replaced 6 fuel pumps in 3 years in Albuquerque , 5000ASL.   In Shiprock New Mexico, at 5000 Ft ASL I replaced NO Fuel pumps in11 years.  Difference was I was buying EL Cheapo Rez Gas at the local Honk and Holler.  Albuquerque I went to Shell, Chevron, Exxon, and Conoco stations.  The last fuel pump disaster ate my Petronix ignition.  At Petonix's request I sent Ignition parts and 10 cc of my gas.  They gave me a new ignition, but warned me the issue was not a faulty ignition, but that the gas sample wasn't to NM Specs  "Gasoline may contain as much as 10% ethanol.   My sample was 17%.  I went to an electronic fuel pump and no pump issues in 4 years.

Great info so far.  My new question is what is everyone using for Ethanol resistant Fuel Hose to avoid possible deterioration and fire?  I've got the OEM-like cloth braided hose on the car now and was planning to replace it.  This info begs the new question.  What type and from where?

Most of what we get in New England is E10, so rather than worry about it, I used to add Sta-Bil to each tank as well as the gas cans that I have for lawn stuff and snow blowers.   Usually 1.5-2X the recommended bottle dosage just because if 1 ounce is good, 2 ounces should be twice as good.    

Somewhere along the line a couple of years back, there was a thread on the Hot Rod message board (H.A.M.B.) that "Starbrite" seemed to work better than Marine (blue) Sta-Bil, especially in higher performance engines in hotter climates, so I'm now using that with very good results.......no rough running (usually) and all of the yard equipment is happy (although I run 89 grade in those).  Right now is a bad time for gas as the refineries are changing their formulation for colder weather and until it actually GETS cold the gas we're getting seems to be poorer, somehow, than "Summer" gas.  

OBTW:  There are a couple of different "Sta-Bil" formulations;  I haven't used the red stuff in over a decade and started using the Marine (Blue) Sta-Bil when I moved to Rhode Island, 18 years ago.  Found it to be MUCH better than regular, Red Sta-Bil and only moved to StarBrite because I can get it inland easier.  Never had any fuel delivery problems in anything when using E10.  Besides.....I can't get anything else around here.

StaBil is like $8 for 10 oz --- that would cover difference for non-ethanol gas (if source is available near by).  Plus you'd get in creased MPG.  Honk and Hollar - that's better than VA's Get&Go!

Good info Gordon.  I'm going to start adding Starbrite to my fill-ups.  

Yeah, my gas heater likes it, too.

Although the exhaust from the heater is pretty stinky.     I've learned to shut the heater off to let it purge for the last couple of miles before I get home.  

Yes, it's FINALLY getting cold enough to use it and it's FABULOUS!

After 17 years without heat, this is like magic....

Craig, I've noticed some corrosion, mostly a dark grey color around the orifice of my main jets (I know, that's a personal problem...).

I'm not sure how it affects the running of the engine. Here in California we have the worst of the worst gas.

You do have the worst gaz nozzles for sure, I had quite a time filling my tank with those.   

No prob in the Soob, so far. All modern FI rated fixtures there.

Had no problem either in four years with the AC Type 1 & 34 PICT3. Well, no problem I could attribute to alcohol in the gas.

Then as now, I use Stabil red every winter but keep gas moving through it during the other three seasons. 

To answer the question about what fuel lines: Look for the SAE 30 R9 spec printed on the side.  The only "standard" black fuel line rated for ethanol, and several other other solvents.  This hose Is rated to use with FI, although we do not require the pressure rating. There are other fuel lines you can buy that have impervious inner walls and are good with ethanol gas, and these will be seen mostly as racing type stuff, and usually expensive.  The R9 hose is notably more expensive than "regular" fuel line, but overall, not too bad.  I have changed out all of my "OEM" fuel hoses, which included the cloth braided stuff, which, if you touched the ends, your finger would come back black -- never a good sign.

Fuel Injection Hose SAE 30R9

Application:  

Designed specifically for auto and truck fuel injection systems. Continental Elite® SAE 30R9 is CARB approved (C-U-06-011) with a maximum fuel permeation of 15 gm/m2/day at 40˚C.

Specific Fuel:   

Gasoline, ethanol extended gasoline, oxidized sour gas, diesel fuel, biodiesel, lubrication oil.

Construction: 

Tube: Blue Fluoroelastomer/Nitrile (Discontinued)
         Black Fluoroelastomer/Nitrile (Effective 2010)

Reinforcement: Aramid Spiral

Cover: Black Hypalon®* (CSM)

Temperature Range: -29 to 275°F (-34° to 135°C) Intermittent use at 302°F (150°C)

SAE Specifications: SAE J30R9

Craig, are you using premium? Ethanol burns hotter but since I only use premium I really haven't experienced any problems. My fuel lines are holding up nicely. Pretty sure they're ethanol resistant.

As far as carburetor issues. All of them went away when I got rid of my hex bar linkage and installed a SyncLink.

Great info El Frazoo.  I will look that hose up.  

I am only using 89 octane.  I only put premium in my tank in the spring after the 5 month winter nap.  Up until now, my car sits in the garage in Delaware while we are in FLA.  Besides starting to use Starbrite in each tank fill up, I might start doing 50/50 with regular and premium.  I also never thought of running the engine to get gas through the system after I added the Stabil in the fall.  Good idea! 

Good feedback everyone, THANKS

Yeah, I take the stabilizer with me to the gas station, put in the required StaBil/Starbrite amount, fill it up with gas to mix everything and then drive home (2 miles) and put it to sleep.  If I take it out later if the weather is nice, I just top it off and then add a bit more stabilizer, noting how much gas I added and then stabilizer to match (I just eyeball it and probably over-treat it).

Craig- do you know the compression ratio of your engine and what cam is in it? Feeding it only 89 octane regularly may be hurting it long term if it's set up premium, and you might find that it gets better mileage with the higher octane fuel.

Al,

I wish I did know that.  I have no idea what's in the case.  The only info I have is what the stamped motor number gave me.  I tried to find the PO without luck.  I bought this from a person who had a business in FLA working for Disney, Universal Studio and local celebrity managers.  He would procure cars for special needs, rent them to the client then when done, would re-sell them.  I should contact FLA motor vehicle to see if they can track it from the only info I have, a Florida Temporary Plate issued to me.  To me the engine is only a stock 1600 with dual Kadrons added.

Would running premium full time starting now hurt a standard engine?

Since I have had my car, 2 years now, I have been using 91 octane and Startron fuel additive. I replaced all my fuel lines with the best rubber fuel lines I could find. My car doesn't sit very often, the max was 30 days once, but that was anomaly. Since I've had the car I have had no issues. I keep a bottle of the Startron in the trunk next to the battery. I don't bother measuring the stuff I just pour a couple shots in the tank before I fill up to help mix it in with the gas.

I use the same stuff plus I put a couple of shots of Marvel in as well. (Go ahead gimme some grief)! Recent reports clearly show that Marvel extends engine life over 300 percent...

I don't want my engine to outlive me, I want it to run good right now.  How about using Emzite male enhancer?  They say it will make it be larger and perform better. 

When my gas gauge gets to 1/4 tank I use the best hi test gas I can find and put in 5 gallons with 1 ounce of Marine Sta bil 360.  I use it in everything I have and no problems.  With these cars you always have to add "so far".

Yes, I got so far .... before it blew.... I got so far before the engine let go... before the tranny went... before I lost my mind  

I use Startron. I put it in an old Stabil bottle so I could measure it when using.

IaM-Ray posted:

Yes, I got so far .... before it blew.... I got so far before the engine let go... before the tranny went... before I lost my mind  

You know, if your car was pan based, it's a good chance the engine and transmission were antiques.  45-50 years old I'd guess.  Letting go at that age can be costly.  Did you apply for Obama Auto Care?

Craig:  If you have an engine sized 1,600 - 1915 and it's a mild build, i.e. mostly stock with roughly stock compression ratio, running higher octane, like 91, shouldn't hurt anything.  As Al mentioned, you might get slightly better mileage, but if it's mostly stock with small Kadrons than the increase won't be much.

OTOH, you could also try a small amount of 87 to see how it runs, too.  Run the tank down to "reserve" or so, put in a couple of gallons of 87 and test drive it.  The worst I can think of is that it might ping a bit on acceleration with the lower octane.  If it does, go back and fill it with 91 (to bring the octane back up) and then you'll know that 89 is your lower limit for the future.

Unless you guys are named MUSBJIM, and drive your car everywhere, everyday, just put hi-test in it and be done.  I use the Sinclair Ultra (or whatever their top octane mix is) and it works great.  Would it run well on regular?  I have no idea.  Plus the Stabil or other storage enhancer at the end of the season.  How many bucks are we talking about here?  In the grand scheme, I'm sayin' not too many.

I run ethanol-free, which is pretty easy to find here.  It is usually the middle grade (89 octane), but some places have it in premium.  I guess it's plentiful due to the number of boats people have here.  My car rarely sits for more than a week, so no problems there.

I meant Sunoco, not Sinclair.  They have four octane ratings (where most places have but three), and I use the highest one -- hey, its NASCAR approved !

87 octane usually, for Bridget, which is what Subaru spec'd. 

How about using Emzite male enhancer?  They say it will make it be larger and perform better. 

 Ok, Craig, that's very funny at the end of a long day!

Ethanol hysteria aside: you all know that the octane rating is for knock resistance, correct?

If you're running a Gene Berg approved 7:1 1600 cc engine, 93 octane (ethanol or no) is probably going to amount to diddly. Get the cheapest gas that works. If you have a Subaru or Audi engine, and it's got knock sensors and an ECU: run whatever you want (Mexican gas, kerosene, creosote, whatever)-- the ECU will back off the timing to make it all work.

On the other hand: if you struggle to say cool, and you're compression is high, and the engine seems to be right on the edge of pre-ignition when hot: getting the highest octane you can at the pump is .50/gal well spent.

If you are really, really out on the edge, and trying to run something close to stoich under low vacuum conditions (WOT) and lean of peak on cruise-- then high octane E10 is going to work better for you. It just is.

Yes, first and foremost, its all about octane and knock resistance, i.e., compression ratio and like Stan said.  Modern ECUs can keep you right at the edge with their knock sensors -- pretty cool shyt, when you think about it.  That said: Not that I know for sure, but my understanding is that the higher octane gas also has additional (beneficial??) additives that are not put in the lower cost grades.  So it might not be just about the octane.

I doubt that the additives in Hi Test do anything bad for your car. But having disassembled (and watched disassembly of) quite a few engines over the past three decades, here is what I think: lead was really bad. Carbs are marginal.

When I had to pull the heads on the Soob a couple years back I was astonished to see clean combustion chambers. The gaskets were blown; the oil in the engine looked ancient. Yet the cylinders had beautiful cross-hatching and the valves were not crusty. Intake and exhaust ports were clean. It was beautiful. This engine had certainly lived on cheap gas and, again, I emphasize, infrequent oil changes. 

Contrast it to the 230 ci 6 in my mom's old Chevy II. That had the same 83,000 miles on it and had been babied. Looked good in 1983 but nowhere near as good as this Subi. The 350 engine I replaced that with had literal chunks of carbon in the combustion chambers, which I discovered only after revving it past 5,000 rpm, whence one such chunk broke off and made me think I'd developed a rod knock.

Almost every engine we took apart during the Reagan Administration looked like hell inside. Almost any engine you pull now will look new inside.

Oil technology is some of it. Leaded gas is some of it. And fuel metering is almost all of the rest.

Running an A/C VW now gives you the benefit of modern gas (and alcohol, for all its annoyances, is really not worse than lead) and modern oil. If you can get your carbs set up not too rich and don't over-time your sparks, your engine will look almost as good when you pull the heads off as my much-abused mystery Subi did. 

http://pure-gas.org/index.jsp?stateprov=NC

Click on the "Map" mode to pinpoint stations in your area. The station info is sometimes incorrect, so a drive by is necessary to verify what level of gas they actually carry.

The one station in my area that carries the no corn 93, is still out of it from the shortage we had a couple of weeks ago.