Hi,
I am considering buying an ST220, but have been warned that I may need to run it on Super Unleaded fuel, rather than regular 95 Octane.
Does anyone have experience as to whether this is the case ?
Thanks
Adge
Hi,
Yeah, I was suprise when I was in the US as to how low the octane of your fuel is, no wonder it's so cheap :-)
In the UK (sorry .. Europe :-) ) we get 2 types 95 & 98.
Adge
Not REALLY that different. UK uses RON (Research OCtane Number) North America uses both RON and Motor OCtane Number - MON- added together and divided by 2
So, typically ADD 5 points to the US # and you have the RON..
So UK uses 90 and 93 in NA terms
NTL opined in news:f7H3b.208$ snipped-for-privacy@newsfep1-gui.server.ntli.net:
That does explain it !
I had wondered why there should be such a difference
Adge
If you want to run a lower octane fuel retard your timing a bit. So long as the vehicle doesn't diesel you can most likely tune the timing to not ping or knock with that octane rating. Pinging and knocking _will_ destroy an engine. That little ping noise is the gas either burning or exploding prematurely and pushing down on a cylinder when the cylinder is moving up in it's bore. Ignoring pinging and knocking is a surefire way to kill your rings real fast if your lucky, if your not lucky, you will need a total rebuild when your bearings go south from all that extra pressure in the wrong direction.
I say this from experience. My grandma's '68 302 was in great condition until she let my uncle use it. He ran it with 87 octane for ~6 years, ignoring the knocking and pinging. The rings are beat, two cylinders barely hold any compression, and I believe it has some loose bearings in the bottom end as it makes a hollow knocking sound mostly at low engine speeds. When I got it from him I did my best to take care of the car but it wasn't enough, and it didn't even go a year before the parts weakened from his abuse finally had enough. He saved maybe $200 on gas, and now it's gonna cost me a fortune. The moral of the story is that it's a lot cheaper to take care of your car and do it right. If you want to run a lower octane, try it. But make the proper adjustments and if it still doesn't like it, don't force it. You'll save a lot of money in the long run.
MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.