High octane nonethanol gas in stock 1939 ford

[jon laing]

My local station carries this gas. What problems can I expect if I use it? I am driving in northern Michigan so hot daily temperatures are not an issue. Jon Laing

[charles in east texas]

I use the same type fuel in my 39 with no problems. Charles

[PeterC]

My thought is that "high octane" is overkill for a low compression flathead - I've spent big bucks for 110 leaded race fuel for my 11.1 compression classic Corvette but not too concerned with my flatheads re high octane. Regular fuel today is far better then 1939 fuel for consistent quality save for the problem of corn gas mixes.

Originally Posted by jon laing

My local station carries this gas. What problems can I expect if I use it? I am driving in northern Michigan so hot daily temperatures are not an issue. Jon Laing

[Bruno]

Octane level is actually too high for your engine unless you have super good compression. I found on my '52 F1 (V8) that it runs better on regular than on high test.

[jon laing]

I am willing to pay high octane gas prices in my stock 1939 ford 85 hp flathead as long as it does not cause problems. Are any problems anticipated? Jon Laing

[G.M.]

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Add a couple of gallons of diesel fuel to each tank of the high octane. This will also help lubricate the moving part. G.M.

[36-5window]

DO NOT ADD diesel!!! I can not ever believe that will run a gas engine.

[36-5window]

what are you calling high octane?? the local BP(british petroleum) station has a I think 91 octane premium.

[jon laing]

Premium is 91 octane. Jon Laing

[36-5window]

If I have what I think are fuel problems, I run a tank of the BP premium through it. It is by far the best gas I know of.

[rotorwrench]

The fuel we have now days doesn't have tetra-ethyl lead in it so the octane boosters are different than the fuels from the bygone era. They are expensive though so the cost reflects that. You don't have to worry about lead fouling of the spark plugs or any of that like you used to. It won't hurt the cars engine a bit. It will only cost more.

Brand names don't mean as much as they used to. Different brands call out differing amounts & types of formula blending by contract to the batch plants that mix the fuel. The same batch plant might mix fuel for any number of different brand names. They all start out with the same R BOB or Reformulated gasolene stock Blend for Oxygen Blending then they add varying amounts of more complex hydrocarbons to get the batch they are making for each customer. The EPA and different state environmental agencies regulate this stuff pretty close so the deviations are small between different brand names in any given state.

[Charlie Stephens]

The only thing about running a higher octane than you need in a modern car is you spend more money for the gas than you need to. It will not hurt the engine. In this case spending more money than you need is a good investment if it avoids the alcohol. Go for the high octane and pay a little more. If I could find it I would.

Charlie Stephens

[mhsprecher]

You could also do a mix - half regular and half high test. It would make the ethanol percentage lower and save some $, too.

[cushman man]

Here in Georgia BP best is 93 octane.BP bought out Amco gas and they had the only white gas on the market.They carried 93 white and so does BP.

[mrtexas]

Engine octane only affects engine knocking. The higher the octane the more resistance to knocking. Flatheads can be run on 80 octane or less due to the low compression ratio. Regular is 87, super 91-93 depending on elevation, the lower for higher altitudes. Buying more octane than you need wastes money. IMHO few cars need 93 super. I never buy it! I was a chemical engineer in a large refinery for 31 years.

[woodypecker]

It will not hurt your car. It will hurt your wallet.

[ford3]

old type rubber fuel lines and older fuel pumps dont like alcohol, it deterioates them, get the new rubber lines and a rebuilt fuel pump that will handle alcohol

[dean from bozeman]

I find that using a higher octane gas improves my gas mileage. So the miles per gallon is increased with a higher octane.

If I compute a miles per dollar comparison between lower and higher octane I find out that they are about the same. In other words, I am paying more for higher octane but am also getting better gas mileage.

[Tom Morookian]

OK chem/eng guy - tell them the octane rating and BTU's both make a difference. Something like Toluene has an octane of 107+/- and other constituents of gasoline have much lower octane ratings but may have higher BTU values. Higher BTU's give you miles per gallon, higher Octane ratings only give you resistance to pinging.

Originally Posted by mrtexas

Engine octane only affects engine knocking. The higher the octane the more resistance to knocking. Flatheads can be run on 80 octane or less due to the low compression ratio. Regular is 87, super 91-93 depending on elevation, the lower for higher altitudes. Buying more octane than you need wastes money. IMHO few cars need 93 super. I never buy it! I was a chemical engineer in a large refinery for 31 years.

[mike42]

Jon......do you guys have recreational fuel up there like we do in Gaylord. I've been using it and it's great.

Mike