De Lorean EuroTec

I've just been reading this:


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/cars/a ... duced.html



Although i think this proposed move could cause some real headaches for other cars (my M3 for one!, probably also my Civic!), I'm not sure if that means much for our D's or not since they were originally spec'd to run on really low US Octane fuel. Am i right?


This move, if it goes forward, means that as soon as another couple of years, we could see the disappearance of super fuels in the UK, and our good old traditional RON 95 fuel being replaced by a new "cleaner" standard minimum, which *seems* to be a proposed equivalent to around about a 90 RON fuel. If so, and considering i think the D' is spec'd to be a minimum of 91 RON (i think), does that mean a headache for our D's too?

This could really be a pain! Surely they will have to keep higher octane fuel for classic car owners and enthusiasts.

FWIW, E10 is the standard petrol stateside for years and all of my cars run fine on it, though petrolheads bemoan it's use. There are many articles on the belief that it "ruins engines" which is more a concern for Ferrari owners than Micras.

Many new cars here are designed to run on E85 fuel too which is cheaper but gets worst mpg.

There are stations that stock "ethanol-free gas" though, so it is still available

The real problems occur with storage. The ethanol attract’s water. So that’s not good for classic cars that sit in storage over the winter.
Ideally the last fill up before storage wants to be with ethanol free fuel.

If you watch some of the US car restoration shows on TV they often mention how bad the smell is of
low grade gas when it goes off. Sometimes they mention that someone put hi grade Race gas in a car before storage and this saves the fuel system from deteriorating.


It’s also a issue for garden machinery (lawn mowers, chain saws etc.) that gets stored over the winter or for extended periods.
In the States I saw special pure gas zero ethanol fuel for garden equipment. Not seen it here in the U.K.

I did find this though.
http://www.ethanil.co.uk/

Nick H

Looks like you can get race fuel in the U.K.

And they do a specific zero ethanol storage fuel
https://aaoil.co.uk/product-category/racing-fuel/storage-fuel/

Nick H

I personally put low ash 2 stroke oil in my D about 200ml per full tank (50 litres) to lubricate the k jet.

Usual disclaimer, this is my personal choice and not a recommendation for you to put this in your own car etc etc.

I also run the car as low as possible before winter storage, so in spring time it gets a full tank of fresh fuel.

Be grateful that we have plastic petrol tanks that don't corrode

Nick H wrote:The real problems occur with storage. The ethanol attract’s water. So that’s not good for classic cars that sit in storage over the winter.
Ideally the last fill up before storage wants to be with ethanol free fuel.

If you watch some of the US car restoration shows on TV they often mention how bad the smell is of
low grade gas when it goes off. Sometimes they mention that someone put hi grade Race gas in a car before storage and this saves the fuel system from deteriorating.


It’s also a issue for garden machinery (lawn mowers, chain saws etc.) that gets stored over the winter or for extended periods.
In the States I saw special pure gas zero ethanol fuel for garden equipment. Not seen it here in the U.K.

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Nick H

Yes, it does go "off" fairly quickly.

I use "Stabil" as an additive for lawnmowers, DeLoreans etc when I know I will be storing it for a while

https://www.walmart.com/ip/STA-BIL-xc2- ... 54&veh=sem

I use my car all year round so fuel doesn't hang around for long in my tank, so hopefully the water issues will be less of an problem for me.

There is however the other ares of concern which is how the Ethanol reacts/effects the integrity of old rubber fuel lines. This is getting a lot of coverage in the classic car press as various cars have burned to the ground through lines possibly weekend by the ethanol in the fuel. Obviously fuel line maintenance it key regardless of what fuel you are using.

J