BIOFUEL TIMEBOMB

pistonheads

Our car is detailed here:

I saw this as well and decided that the table is wrong. It says that Rovers are ok on the 5% mix and all Land Rovers are ok on both 5% and 10%. As these cars have the engines as the S1.

Of course, that does not mean it’s ok, just the table is wrong!

Perhaps the Land Rover bit refers to the petrol V8, etc. not the K-series?

The Rover V8 could certainly be run on 3star petrol, how long ago was that last available :sunglasses:

It is not just the engine, but the tank, pump, sender unit.
At 10% the fuel is hydroscopic to the point it will form Sulphuric acid that will eat into seals, tank and piping materials etc. It will also form crystals on the injectors as well as other deposits.

That said without testing any manufacture is going to take the safe route and claim their engine is not 10% compatible.

I am concerned about this and know the lengths that he been taken to get modern engines ready for this change.

There are additives about, Club Lotus ran an article in a recent mag.

My understanding is that there will not be an instant issue but one over many months or many thousand miles.

I read just the opposite , and that there was NO additive at present !!

There are so many other issues with ethanol mix fuels, such as the increased fuel consumption because you need to burn more ethanol than petrol to make the same power.

Then, funnily enough, the amount of CO2 produced will be just the same as if you were using 100% petrol…

Modern ECUs/FI systems will automatically compensate on matters such as weak running on light throttle etc, something a carburettor cannot do on its own. I would be surprised if the K series in any guise was not E5 or E10 compatible. Also, most of the components in the fuel system will be compatible as development of fuels containing ethanol is all post 2000.

For example, there are several components in ‘period’ weber carbs that are susceptible to attack but all recent manufcature of these is E5 and E10 compliant. All manufacturers have known about this and all post 2000 production is supposed to be ‘safe’. There is a chance that some components might not be but it is unlikely that any Exige will be badly affected.

You may not realise that you have been running E5 for a couple of years now whether you liked it or not. It is mixed into the tankers as they leave the depots and there are regional variations, even within UK. Total fuels have been one of the few to be ethanol free - at least until recently.


A lot of research has been done and FBHVC has taken a lead. You can read their reports here FBHVC FUEL REPORTS and here FBHVC BIO FUELS REPORTS

The full blown scientific research by QINETIC is here: QINETIC REPORT if you really want to get into this and understand it properly.

(I should add that I am not defending the move to E10 - in fact I abhor it and it will have a huge impact on my life in the coming years as thousands of old car users find out what the latest vulnerable component is.)

(I should also add that there are a number of corrosion inhibitor additives on the market already and FBHVC is currently testing them before making recommendations)

Indeed, the Qinetic report is one of the better ones, scientifically.

Unfortunately for too long there has been far too much politically-inspired spin and poor science pushed out into the public domain.

For a number of years I have questioned the primary driver for adding ethanol as (see above) there is actually no environmental benefit as regards emissions.

Taking into account also the potential for >10% ethanol fuel mix to cause or accelerate corrosion failures, it is simply a blind alley with little or no tangible benefits.

First came across this problem 3 years ago in microlighting
Ethanol disolves the glue used in all Shadow aircraft fuel tanks and the whole country was affected with leaking tanks ,the fix was to either use avgas or swap to alloy tanks which was an uncertified mod .
Worse news was to follow … Ethanol supports microbial cultures … ie.they grow in your fuel tank especially if light can get in , a major area for concern was using glass fuel filters as they would quickly gel up with the pink critters!
Bloody nightmare is ethanol …

Can we run our cars on avgas? It’s not really far off the price of V-Power and I’m close to Sywell Airfield in Northants so I shiuld this it can be supplied easily? :slight_smile:

Most avgas contains lead, so the answer’s no, I’m afraid, as it would damage the CAT and lambda sensor…

Cat? Lamba sensor? what if you run a track car with out these? :wink:

You mean that 2012 is actually going to see your car running :astonished:

Is it possible/legal to buy Avgas for a car?

No not running mate… Flying. :sunglasses:

(just want to say I was thinking like this last year, could be 2013 when it’s ready)

I believe that Av Gas has a slow burn speed and needs to be mixed with a road fuel to get the most out of it.

AvGas specs here:

http://www.shell.com/home/content/aviation/products/fuels/types/avgas/

Damn … I shouldn’t have told Ayrton Fluffy … You’re fast enough already !!
:wink:
And yes Pesky … It’s easy enough to buy in steel jerry cans.

Haha JFK, my kart had avgas in it! :smiley:

So the result of this thread is:

Avgas 100 is a YES
Biofuel is a NO

So if I upgrade my ECU is will have

Switch 1: Pit lane speed limiter (for 30mph zones)
Switch 2: Avgas 100 (for the boy racers)
Switch 3: Shell V-Power (for the drive home after a trackday)


:sunglasses: :sunglasses: :sunglasses: