Hiya...

I've noticed the elcheapo 91 octane fuel popping up at my local BP... is this stuff ok to use?

Would i need to adjust some timing/fueling?

and also.. i noticed at a independant station that they had the NEW HIGH OCTANE Unleaded... and it was a 94...

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It is more than likely perfectly safe.

BUT

I will only buy my fuel from a site marked with supply from the following -
Caltex
BP
Shell.

You just dont know where an independant site is getting its fuel from and what is being put into it without their knowledge. Fuel diluted with ethanol and solvents isnt any sort of urban myth...it DOES happen.

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No more Minis!......For now.

Most independant servo's get their fuel from the big 3 refineries, most are 100% fuel, after all the crackdowns after the tolulene incidents, no one is game to mix fuels these days, most tanker drivers days can tell straight away if the fuel has been mixed in the tank in the ground by it's smell.

Cush the cheap 91 your talking about is the ethanol mixed fuel thats now be reifined. I assume it's perfectly safe to you, and it atteacts the "tight arse" market.

Doogie

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I won Hay once, here's the pic to prove it..


Hay, it's not about the car, it's not about the venue, it's about the people that come here. Peter Dwyer, Mayor of Hay NSW.

A mini is a simple robust creature, right?

Wouldnt it work on just about any petrol on the market thesedays?

One question I have re fuels is, Does a mini need an upper cylinder/valve lubricant additive or not?

My other classics all came standard with hardened valves and valve seats, so run perfectly on unleaded high octain fuels...

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YDO005 1965 stock standard MORRIS MINI DELUXE

mort, if your mini has hardened valve seats etc then regular unleaded will be fine. of course, if it has the standard gear you will need to use an upper cylinder lube.

but, IMO, the higher octane fuels are denser and therefore last longer, why not use them? i suppose you would have to test a full tank to see how many km's it would do to see if there was any significant difference

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78 Leyland Mini - Prince

I was under the impression that high octane fuel loses it's octane relatively quickly and therefore does not last as long as normal unleaded fuel?

I ran unleaded 91 on a couple of engines no problem, it basically boils down to the CR and timing as to whether it will ping or not, most standard 998/1098 motors have no problem with 91. You only need higher octane on an engine that is designed to run it, which is generally Cooper S and higher tuned small bore motors.

Valve saver additive is a different issue, yes it is required if you don't have hardened valve seats regardless of the octane fuel used.

i had no problems and didnt notice any difference putting 91 in a standard 1100

oh.. don't get me wrong...i've already used it..

who can say no to $1.23/L

just making sure there wasn't a drama with timing and whatnot..

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Does it run? Yes? Then leave it!

it's runs... sounded like there's were a few ball bearings in the muffler...

so i richened it up and they're gone..

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MOST do, but some dont. I'm not prepared to take the risk.

Yes, a tanker driver may notice the fuel is dodgy....but it doesnt mean they are going to say anything. No fuel deliveries = No work. Plus, one way they used to do it was get a delivery of good fuel, have them leave, then dump a heap of solvent in.

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No more Minis!......For now.

I always use 98 in my mini. But I have used 91 previously and the other mini I always use 95 (mostly due to the SAFF station between my house and school only does 95 and 98, and yes it's 10% Ethanol blend.). I also use a fuel star (on both mini's, always have).

Richening it up will reduce the chance of pinging, so will retarding the igntion timing. IMO as long as it doesn't blow up...who cares, might kill some vavles later but hey, deal with then!

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1964 Morris 850, 1330 Supercharged - 81.8hp atws.
1975 Leyland Mini S 1100S powered - Nice and reliable.
1977 Leyland Mini LS - Project LS-T

Right so I'm assuming then that my '65 will need the additive as it was not made with hardened valves and seats. I will go outside and put in the additive thats in the boot. Ive really only ever driven French cars and they all have hardened valves etc, from production.

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YDO005 1965 stock standard MORRIS MINI DELUXE

yep. it is possible to get an unleaded head with all the goodies, but for that it would not ahve them. go do it now!

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78 Leyland Mini - Prince

I was under the impression that ethanol in fuel can cause seals and rubber in some carbies to age more rapidly..? Did I read that on here? Can someone correct me?

$1.23 for 91 - I paid $1.22 for Vortex 98RON from the local Caltex yesterday! Queensland, beautiful one day, cheaper fuel every day.

Hey Maxi, being a Caltex employee, is there anything you can say about the Woolies fuel..? Can you confirm, on the life of your new Mini, that the fuel is absolutely safe..? The same trucks, etc? My local Caltex is a joint venture. Brand new, new tanks, etc. There wasn't even a road there 12 months ago! So I'm pretty confident, but... Always good to check. And, up here, I don't buy from yellow sites marked with a maritime symbol - I've heard too many stories about dirty fuel...