Blue "Super" Petrol

[Goodlife]

Does anyone know what the octane rating of French "Super" petrol is?  Also, is Super still leaded, or unleaded?

We're running our 1966 MGB GT over here (no unleaded conversion) so currently use unleaded 98 fuel, plus octane booster + lead additives, but just wondering whether using Super would remove the need for these additives.  The car needs 100 Octane leaded fuel to run correctly.

 

[AnOther]

You shouldn't need 100 Octane for a standard MGB and only need octane booster if pinking is evident, even then make sure it's not just cra ppy petrol causing it. Also lead additives are probably a bit of a waste of money.

Unless you're doing high mileages, and at motorway speeds, then using unleaded petrol with an unconverted head and no additives it will still take many thousands of miles before valve recession sets in.

I have first hand experience of this because before leaded disappeared in UK I drove my BGT for something like 44,000 miles (in 1 year I might add - 150 mile daily round trip commute !) on unleaded before there was any noticeable deteroration by which time what I'd saved on the price of the unleaded was enough to pay for a converted head. When it started to show though the valve recession was both sudden and rapid, and I was adjusting the valve clearances almost daily until I fitted the unleaded head.

The one thing I'd say contrary is that if you've recently had your head worked on and the valve seats re-ground then recession can set in much much more quickly because the seats won't have had a chance to work harden in which case, unless you want to convert sooner rather than later, it would be wise to carry on with the additives.

 

[Val_2]

All sales of essence Super round here ceased months ago and you now have to put an additive into the sans plomb like we are currently doing for our ten year old mower to run properly. I still have my VW Scirocco of 22 years old and that was converted to run on either four star or 98 unleaded here with no problems whatsoever even when they got mixed in the tank.

[Dave&Olive]

[quote user="Val_2"]All sales of essence Super round here ceased months ago and you now have to put an additive into the sans plomb like we are currently doing for our ten year old mower to run properly. I still have my VW Scirocco of 22 years old and that was converted to run on either four star or 98 unleaded here with no problems whatsoever even when they got mixed in the tank.[/quote]

hi

 ok sorry to say if your 10year old mower will not run on 95 unleaded there is something wrong with it . any petrol engine built after 1994 should run on un leaded and low compression engines will run happily on 95 .you could even be causing more damage to it by running it on 98 never mind the additives !!!

Dave

[Paul Bradford]

Hi,

Just a thought for those out there with older vehicles. The Broquet fuel catalyser (www.broquet.co.uk) might be useful to you. I used to run my Mark 1 Golf GTI on unleaded fuel with a catalyser in the tank. The car had completed over 220,000 by the time I got rid of it. Having just checked the website, I see that it can be used in diesel engines and oil fired central heating. It's also useful for motorcycles and marine engines. Now, I have no connection with the company, only satisfaction with the product. I'm thinking about getting another now for my VW diesel and possibly my oil burner!

Please don't shoot the messenger! I've only read the bumf, I'm not a technician, chemist or an engineer. It seems to work and has been working since WW2. Have a look at their guestbook for comments.

Hope this helps

Paul

[PaulT]

[quote user="Paul Bradford"]

Hi,

Just a thought for those out there with older vehicles. The Broquet fuel catalyser (www.broquet.co.uk) might be useful to you. I used to run my Mark 1 Golf GTI on unleaded fuel with a catalyser in the tank. The car had completed over 220,000 by the time I got rid of it. Having just checked the website, I see that it can be used in diesel engines and oil fired central heating. It's also useful for motorcycles and marine engines. Now, I have no connection with the company, only satisfaction with the product. I'm thinking about getting another now for my VW diesel and possibly my oil burner!

Please don't shoot the messenger! I've only read the bumf, I'm not a technician, chemist or an engineer. It seems to work and has been working since WW2. Have a look at their guestbook for comments.

Hope this helps

Paul

[/quote]

Do look at what the Vintage and Veteran vehicles club (not correct title) came up with on their findings - Broquet was not one of the recommended ones. I believe it was this device that Practical Classics started to do a long-term test with on an Austing 1800 but had to give up part way through due to excessive valve seat regression.

[AnOther]

Ah, good old Broquet, or Carbonflo as it used to be known as, it brings back memories.

Supposedly it was invented (discovered ?) during the second world war when the petrol available in Russia was too poor to fuel the planes supplied by the allies and these "magic" lead like pellets apparently cured all that.

Very conveniently it was re-discovered and appeared in UK just as wholesale panic was setting in over the proposed abolition of 4* leaded fuel.

This is what prompted the Practical Classics test and it was indeed on an Austin 1800 and took place in 1990.

Prior to the test they overhauled the cylinder head, ground the seats and valves etc. put the Carbonflo in the tank, filled up with unleaded and set off down the M4. I believe they got less than 100 miles before the car ground to a halt due to massive valve recession closing up the clearances and had to be rescued. A spectacular failure if ever there was one.

There is another glaring flaw in the claims made for both Broquet and Carbonflo and that is that it reduces emissions AND improves MPG, typically between 8 - 10%, if this were true can you imagine one vehicle manufacturer NOT fitting it as standard to their cars. The economies of scale would soon reduce the unit cost, which incidentally, was £19.99 in 1990.

I see that Carbonflo actually have their own website www.carbonflo.com which make an interesting read and makes reference to the Practical classics test.

I must admit that it's a source of some puzzlement to me that it has survived this long, especially in an the current environment where the panic has long since subsided to be replaced with common sense and practical experience, but a fool and his money as they say.............[blink]

As in all things though, the customer must be the judge but the one absolute fact you can say about it is that it will definately do no harm.......................[:D]

[PaulT]

Do also check whether the cylinder head on an older car is capable of running on unleaded. I have a Triumph TR7 and you can buy unleaded cylinder heads with some specialists advertising both standard and unleaded versions. A quick check of the parts books shows that the UK and US heads are identical and the US was unleaded when the vehicles were new proves that the valve seat inserts are hard enough to run unleaded.

Unfortunately, the MGB does not have hardened valve seat inserts. However, with the cost of the various additives the pay back time should not be too great to have hardened insets fitted and should also prove beneficial if selling.

Paul

[Val_2]

[quote user="Dave&Olive"]

[quote user="Val_2"]All sales of essence Super round here ceased months ago and you now have to put an additive into the sans plomb like we are currently doing for our ten year old mower to run properly. I still have my VW Scirocco of 22 years old and that was converted to run on either four star or 98 unleaded here with no problems whatsoever even when they got mixed in the tank.[/quote]

hi

 ok sorry to say if your 10year old mower will not run on 95 unleaded there is something wrong with it . any petrol engine built after 1994 should run on un leaded and low compression engines will run happily on 95 .you could even be causing more damage to it by running it on 98 never mind the additives !!!

Dave

Dave. Havn't actually tried running it on lead free yet as I built up a large stock of super just before it ceased at the local petrol station earlier this year but when that finally runs out, will give 95 a go and see how it performs althought the bodywork is on its last legs now. Thanks for the tip about the 95, we had no idea we could use that.

[AnOther]

Don't know what you posted but it's screwed up the page layout for me at least............[8-)]