General Tech Petrol/Gas with high ethanol

[Hamish Racing]

Hi Guys

over here in the UK the fuel companies are having to up the % of ethanol/alcohol in the petrol/gas
its now (standard grade)10% with premium still at ( UP TO) 5%

i understand that you have had this alcohol mix fuel a while now ? what do you have to do to stop the cars deteriorating ?
we have advice about rubber hoses and rubber parts having to be changed to cope with E10 and even some metals being "eaten" away over time. eg solder on brass carb floats.

i guess its worse if you have an injection car
mine is a 3a on H6 SU soon to be webers
any hints and tips welcome to avoid issues driving or in storage
thanks

H

 

[CJD]

It was a problem when they started adding the ethanol back in 2007, as none of the cars were prepped for it. The rubber fuel lines, especially, would leave a black residue in the filters, which would then clog up. 14 years later it is not so much a problem. All our fuel hoses and such are now rated for the ethanol, so they don't degrade as rapidly. I have not seen any issues with the Triumph. All my fuel lines are metal or braided teflon, which are unaffected. I have not seen any more corrosion in the fuel tank than there was previous to the fuel change. I have to rebuild the carbs about every 4 years...but that seems about the way it always was with SU's.

The biggest change with ethanol is the mileage. When they added 10% ethanol to the gas, my mileage went down by 15%!

 

[Bobdad]

As Above. The fuel lines on my motorcycle swole mostly closed, allowing enough fuel to idle, but die from starvation once you accelerated out into traffic...
Many places we now have 'marine grade' (non-ethanol), at higher prices, which you might look for. Stabil fuel additive for ethanol gas helps if the vehicle isn't driven regularly.
THe ETOH will actually clean out some residue in lines and tanks, so keep an eye on filters for clogging, and your mileage will go down.

 

[Hamish Racing]

thanks guys
i will be buying the premium grade here. higher octane and lower ethanol content - but most still have some.
i will be changing the "rubber" fuel line to E proof versions.
but pleased that you haven't noticed "metals" being corroded away.