Hi fellers, For you early carb (pre cat) guys, do you add lead to your gas? Just curious. Thanks, Scott
Compression ratio is not high enough to require high octane gas. Just a waste of money. I put regular in it.
High octane too... Shell, BP or even Tesco!!! Nothing else added. However, I have an oldie-worldie garage near me that stocks 4 star. Worth a try???
I too ran regular til I mentioned this to local Ferrari mechanic/guru Carlo and he said use premium. As I recall it had something to do with the high RPMs, cheap enough to run premium for the 3000 miles I drive per year. Let's see 3000/10 mpg = 300 x .30 = $90 CHEAP INSURANCE
No - just unleaded gas. I wish I wasn't forced to put the 10% ethanol that Mass. so generously supplies in all of it's gasoline.
No offense Billy, but cheap insurance against what? High octane gas has additives that allow it to burn in a high-compression engine without knocking. Your engine is not high compression and doesn't need the additives. Believe it or not, high octane fuel is actually somewhat LESS "burnable" than low octane gas--which is why it won't "go off" by itself in a high-compression engine before the spark. There is absolutely nothing to be gained by using high octane fuel in an engine that doesn't require it. Won't likely hurt anything either though. In the northeast, and other parts of the U.S., ethanol is used to increase octane. In that case, the energy content per volume is reduced. I.e. High octane fuel actually contains less energy. Read here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octane_rating Birdman
Lead cools valves and raises octane. If your car doesn't detonate (pre-ignite) on regular, the benefit of premium is in your mind and in the pocket of your choice of fuel provider. In the boating world participants insist on referring to the anti-ventilation plate as the anti-cavitation plate. Cavitation is a function of pressure. The high pitched squeal heard during acceleration for some boats is in fact ventilation, i.e. air pulled down and mixed with water by the spinning propeller. Amazing how these misconceptions persist. Rick. PS For those who still believe their cars run better on premium, look up the definition of Octane.
Realize that lead solution was added to gasoline originally for 2 reasons --- Everybody knows of the the 1st one, but many overlook the 2nd one. 1) Cheap and effective way to increase octane level 2) To provide lubrication for valves / guides I no longer have any cars from the "lead" era (approx. pre-1976), but if I did..... I would run whatever fuel and add one of the many available additives designed to compensate for the lack of lead lubrication.
But l have been told that the stock valve and guides in an early 308 do not need lead for lubrication, so is this correct or not? Also in many countries lead was not phased out until the mid to late 80's.
The 308 has hardened seats, and is designed to run on unleaded. And as Jonathan has pointed out, you will see NO performance gains running premium unleaded in a "stock compression" 308. There is no debate, it's been dyno tested! Using a good quality gas with a detergent will keep things clean inside. Or if using a non-detergent fuel, add a bottle of cleaning agent every 6 months if you drive your car that much. All the Best! Dave
Totally agree with your conclusion but since Carlo has rebuilt more Ferraris than all of us combined I will go with his recommendation. However, if he ever advises me to buy a Turbolator, magnets for my fuel line, or some other scam item I'll go back to regular ;-)
My 78 308 runs great on regular (16-18 around town, shift at 5k most of the time). My 2000 M-B E320 wagon gets 2-3 mpg better on premium over mid range fuel. Works out to a slight savings. Randy
Regular gas........working for Shell that's my preference, but also have a Phillips 66 close to home and use that also...
It does vary a bit from country of origin, manufacturer, and even particular model of car as to when they went "lead free" with their engine designs. Most owner's manuals will state whether or not leaded fuel is required. Or, consult an expert about your particular car. As for the 308, I honestly don't know for sure about the early engines --- but, I'm sure someone on here does.
