mtnman82

I just found out I can get aviation fuel, 100 octane, from a local airport. Is this safe to use with our cars? Maybe with some Marvel Mystery oil added? Supposedly some place in town also sells 110 octane race gas for ~$6/gal, but the AV fuel is a lot cheaper.

Perry 951

As long as it is unleaded... FYI most aviation gasoline still contains lead. Not good for O2 sensors and cat converters.

reno808

How much for the gal??

reno808

Lead is also bad for the heads. Becuase our cars have harden seats. Its not design for our type of heads.

toddk911

Will they sell to you knowing it is going in your car or you bring a gas can?

I am pretty sure the 110 stuff you can get is usally leaded.

zerMATT951

I thought aviation fuel was pretty close to kerosene? Or is that Jet-A that I'm thinking of?

cwigg66

That is Jet A... what I believe he is talking about is 100LL which is your run of the mill AvGas... I wouldn't use it and expect that fancy O2 sensor to keep working.... Plus, at about $4 per gallon and up, who wants AvGas anyways... go buy some toluene and have fun!

Porsche-O-Phile

What he said. The 100LL is "low lead". That ain't the same as "no lead". It is far less expensive than toluene, but I wouldn't run it in my car. Don't even think about running Jet-A - your CHTs will go through the roof and you'll likely melt the head, valves, pistons, etc. if the engine even lasts that long.

mtnman82

Did some more checking, and you guys are right on top of things. The AV fuel is low lead, and the 110 octane is leaded. My buddy also said he thought one of the motorcycle shops in town had VP race gas - any chance that stuff is unleaded? I don't think they're open today. My buddy said he's pulled his car up to the pump at the airport, but they're only allowed to put it in cans at his shop (a tire/alignment/exhaust/... shop).

EDIT: they were open - $9/gal for VP C12 (106 octane?), $12/gal for ultimate 4 (didn't know the octane), and he had something even more expensive. He 'thinks' it's unleaded ..... I don't think I'll try at $9/gal.

Landjet

You can not pull your car up to the pump and fill up. You can put in into a proper gas container with no problem. They should not even ask what it is for since it is legal to buy this way. I live in Wichita KS, home to a lot of aircraft companys. I had a friend who did fuel testing for Cessna and told me I could run the 100 octane LL without any issue. I did for 2 years with no problems. Just my 2 cents.

sweanders

You are kidding right? Unleaded gasd wasn't even available when my car was sold..

A Pilot

I use 100LL in my '62 Triumph TR4, and it LOVES it. As an FYI, it's Blue in color. All 100 low lead is dyed blue. I wouldn't put it in my 951 with cat/O2 sensor, etc.

A Pilot

As a side note, if there is any confusion whether or not you have a container of Jet A or 100LL, pour some on the ground.....the Jet A will not evaporate nearly as easily, and it will leave a greasy residue on the ground. ...Just a fun fact for you non-aviation people ;-)

DHC8FO

Jet A is basically kerosene, probably wouldn't even run in your car, 100LL is Blue, There is a 130 grade that I think is green, but I haven't seen it sold in years. One thing cool about av gas is that if it gets mixed with another grade of fuel it turns clear. This way you can determine if the fuel in your airplane has been contaminated with another grade. This was more of a problem when they sold 80.

ttwitc9516

Like DHC8FO said, jet fuel is very similar to kerosene. It probably won't even run in our cars, but if it did, it would burn so inefficiently that most of it would go past the rings and wreck your bottom end. One thin leaded fuel will do for sure is ruin any emissin equipment still on the car. Leaded fuel became extinct in the early to mid 80's for just this reason and the demand was so small.