Non-Ethanol gasoline

[avantifred]

Here in central Virginia we're able to purchase 93 octane non-ethanol gas. Granted I pay a $0.40 per gallon premium..........BUT

After just 3 tank-fills the difference in unbelievable.! Before I had some bad detonation noise under full throttle accelerations !

Yesterday while trailing behind a slow-poke I passed him (her) ! Unbelievable...that old Paxton went to a full 5 pound boost & the old Avanti just rocketed past. The 1965 289 mustang behind me couldn't believe the acceleration......neither could I for that matter. No pinging just movin' up to 80mph in an instant in a 55 zone .........off the gas real quick too !! SO.... if you can get the "no-corn" gas -get it and see the difference after 3 fill-ups!

[Skip Lackie]

Since these postings are archived indefinitely, I thought I'd add a clarifying comment lest your comments be misinterpreted.

You didn't say what gas you were using before you switched, but if it was 93 octane with ethanol, then you should NOT have noticed a difference in pinging under any operating conditions. Overall performance might very well improve, as "real" gas has more energy content than fuel laced with 10% ethanol. But octane ratings and ethanol content are essentially separate issues -- the octane rating of a fuel is only a measure of the point at which detonation occurs -- it has very little to do with how much energy (power) the fuel has. There are many additives that will raise octane rating, some of which actually reduce the energy content of the fuel -- ethanol is only one of them. However, many of these other other additives are added in such small concentrations that they have essentially no effect on energy content.

That said, higher octane gas allows the use of higher compression, which in turn provides more horsepower -- so the two issues are related in that sense. The 93 octane, non-ethanol fuel you are now burning used one of the other octane additives to achieve the 93 octane rating and thus allow your supercharger to really extract the full potential of the fuel. The knocks against ethanol are: (1) In order to have a significant impact on exhaust emissions, it has to be added in such high concentrations (10%) that it significantly reduces fuel energy content and gas mileage, and (2) It can damage fuel system components in carbureted cars, .

If you were previously burning 93 octane ethanol-laced fuel, you should not have noticed any difference in a tendency to ping, but you can see better performance. If you previously were burning lower-octane fuel (whether with or without ethanol), then you should notice both better performance and less pinging.

[avantifred]

Thanks for the reply Skip. Let me clarify...... My '64 has never had any octane additives. I ONLY put in 93 octane (corn-laced) gasoline. I have never so much as even checked the timing with a light & have literally prayed over that beautiful set of dual-points. Old #5255 runs SOOOOO good, but like I mentioned previously the car did "ping" under full throttle kick-down into second gear. BUT not after the third tank-fill of no-ethanol 93 octane. I am not sure of the :brand" of gasoline that I purchase. We also must remember that the compression ratio of the R2 is lower than that of the R!. I totally agree with what you said but when the vacuum/boost gage is pinned to 5# with no detonation it's music to my old ears!!

[Skip Lackie]

I wonder if the oxygenated 93-octane fuel you were previously using was really 93 octane . . . . . .?

[avantifred]

Yea Skip, it makes you wonder about that. I was buying EXON from a local station before I found out about the non-ethanol gas .

Thanks for your interest & your replies !!

Avanti Fred