About low lead av gas, Please

[bahama flier]

I fly in the Bahamas and not many places have Av gas, but do have car gas.
I am just wondering if putting octane boost and lead additive into car gas would burn properly in my 260 HP aircraft.

If it would be OK, where would I get the proper ratio to add per gal?
I know someone has the answer to this as this site has many experts of all fields of aviation, and my thanks, Jim

 

[coloradobluesky]

There are STC's for running Mogas, which is regular gas but without the ethanol, but not if it is car gas with ethanol in it. Depends on the engine. But not for octane boosters no. Might be able to do it and it would probably work if your life depended on it, then again maybe not.
You really need an STC. Id be very careful about non-aviation gasoline. Lots of potential problems using it. The ethanol can damage to the plastics and rubbers etc and ethanol is hard to hold. You might start getting fuel leaks and parts failing. Some of the experimental airplanes are using car gasoline, or so Ive heard. But thats well you know, experimental.

 

[frfly172]

Have never had a problem getting av gas,check the nearby airports before leaving,always fly full. Wouldn't trust the car gas in the Bahamas.

 

[bahama flier]

There are STC's for running Mogas, which is regular gas but without the ethanol, but not if it is car gas with ethanol in it. Depends on the engine. But not for octane boosters no. Might be able to do it and it would probably work if your life depended on it, then again maybe not.
You really need an STC. Id be very careful about non-aviation gasoline. Lots of potential problems using it. The ethanol can damage to the plastics and rubbers etc and ethanol is hard to hold. You might start getting fuel leaks and parts failing. Some of the experimental airplanes are using car gasoline, or so Ive heard. But thats well you know, experimental.

 

[bahama flier]

I was told the gas in the Bahamas is from Aruba, and does not have alcohol added, unless it is purchased from the US, but no one knows for sure what gas it is. I know alcohol is bad for aircraft, did not know if adding lead would help, thanks for the reply.

 

[coloradobluesky]

See you don't know. Av gas is 100LL and generally has tighter controls, more filters and more inspections. It SHOULD be cleaner. Mogas is sometimes sold at airports and has 87 or 91 octane and doesn't have the alcohol in it. But it sounds like you just don't know. Some engines can use the lower octane and some can't. Thats what the STC is all about. They tested the mogas in the plane and you get to relabel and put a note in the POH on using it. A lot of times the supplier doesn't even know what the octane of his gasoline is.

 

[Zeldman]

I was told the gas in the Bahamas is from Aruba, and does not have alcohol added, unless it is purchased from the US, but no one knows for sure what gas it is. I know alcohol is bad for aircraft, did not know if adding lead would help, thanks for the reply.

Tetraethyl lead and alcohol are enemies when mixed together. It may work for a while, but eventually it will turn bad.

And I really don't like automotive fuel in my car so I certainly would not like it in my airplane. But that is just me.

However, I have been known to put a little ethanol inside me.....

 

[SoCal RV Flyer]

See you don't know. Av gas is 100LL and generally has tighter controls, more filters and more inspections. It SHOULD be cleaner.

I'm in the middle of my first condition inspection (112 hours of Hobbs time), and I was amazed at how clean the fuel filter was with 100LL. No recognizable flecks of anything on the screen.