Using Aviation Fuel from your local airport ... in your Vette

"Vandervecken" > wrote in message
news:2_zbf.5146$UF4.2311@fed1read02...
> Please recheck your facts.
>
>> 100 octane low lead as they call it has more lead in it than automotive
>> fuel ever had.
>
> Leaded autogas typically used a lead content of two to three grams /
> gallon. Current formulation of 100LL AVGAS uses 0.57 g / gal. This is
> why most air-cooled piston aviation engines can be STC'd to use
> 'unleaded' mogas.
>
>
>> The only down side to the aviation fuel is it is formulated for air
>> cooled aircraft piston engines that are designed to use just enough oil
>> to keep the upper cylinders lubricated.
>
> Piston aircraft engines' upper cylinders are lubed about like those in
> cars - oil from the sump. Piston skirts and cylinder walls are lubed (and
> in part cooled) by oil jets, valve gear by oil pumped into the heads. Lead
> additive in gas does not lubricate any part of an aviation piston engine,
> including (contrary to myth) valve stems or seats. AV engines use nice
> hard valve guides and seats, and often sodium-cooled exhaust valves, to
> let the oil do its work. Note also that essentially all piston aviation
> engines can be STC'd to use 80/87 low-lead mogas, and this obviously could
> not be done if aviation engines really needed more lead in ther fuel.
>
>
>> Avgas is very dry and will wipe the oil film from the cylinder walls of a
>> automobile engine which in turn causes premature ring wear.
>
> Then it'd also tend to remove oil coatings in aviation engines, which it
> does not.
>
>
>> Also, aviation engines have duel ignition systems for safety reasons one
>> of them being lead
>> fouling of the spark plugs.
>
> In over thirty years of flying piston-powered airplanes I have seen
> exactly one fouled spark plug, and it was not lead-fouled. I have never
> heard any case of an aviation spark plug becoming lead fouled.
>
>
> -- V

Pete, as an impartial and ill-informed observer on the subject matter,
thanks for some interesting information.

> Pete, as an impartial and ill-informed observer on the subject matter,
> thanks for some interesting information.

I'm certainly as subject to error and false belief as anyone else, but
this being a discussion forum I thought I'd toss in what I think I know.
No doubt others have strongly differing opinions, and are welcome to
them. Most of what I offered is subjective except the figures on lead
content, and I took those from a couple of refineries' sites and the EPA
site - I judge middlin' reliable sources.

The core issue of this discussion thread is addressed unambiguously by
EPA regulation, excerpted here from their website:

"Prohibition on the Use of Leaded Gasoline in On-Road Vehicles. Section
211(n) of the 1990 CAAA states: 'After December 31, 1995, it shall be
unlawful for any person to sell, offer for sale, supply, offer for
supply, dispense, transport, or introduce into commerce, for use as fuel
in any motor vehicle (as defined in Section 219(2)) any gasoline which
contains lead or lead additives.' This provision applies only to on-road
vehicles. Enacting regulations were promulgated [61FR3837, February 2,
1996]."

[excerpted from http://www.epa.gov/grtlakes/bns/lead/steplead.html, para
4.1]

-- V

"Vandervecken" > wrote in message
newsAAbf.5159$UF4.2132@fed1read02...
>> Pete, as an impartial and ill-informed observer on the subject matter,
>> thanks for some interesting information.
>
> I'm certainly as subject to error and false belief as anyone else, but
> this being a discussion forum I thought I'd toss in what I think I know.
> No doubt others have strongly differing opinions, and are welcome to them.
> Most of what I offered is subjective except the figures on lead content,
> and I took those from a couple of refineries' sites and the EPA site - I
> judge middlin' reliable sources.
>
> The core issue of this discussion thread is addressed unambiguously by EPA
> regulation, excerpted here from their website:
>
> "Prohibition on the Use of Leaded Gasoline in On-Road Vehicles. Section
> 211(n) of the 1990 CAAA states: 'After December 31, 1995, it shall be
> unlawful for any person to sell, offer for sale, supply, offer for supply,
> dispense, transport, or introduce into commerce, for use as fuel in any
> motor vehicle (as defined in Section 219(2)) any gasoline which contains
> lead or lead additives.' This provision applies only to on-road vehicles.
> Enacting regulations were promulgated [61FR3837, February 2, 1996]."
>
> [excerpted from http://www.epa.gov/grtlakes/bns/lead/steplead.html, para
> 4.1]
>
> -- V

Thanks for the link and your elaboration on the whole issue. Makes sense to
me.