additive that actually works...
Hall Of Fame
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 12,204
Likes: 10
From: Gainesville, Ga.
i'm going to remain skeptical on anything that claims to improve MPG. as much as i'd like to have something that did, and as much as i'd like to believe it.... i'll wait for some controlled tests.
looking at the star tron, it says its secret stuff mixed into naptha, like most other fuel additives. naptha itself is not an mpg booster, so don't go off cockeyed and add naptha only. its just a low octane solvent that in significant amounts would probably cause pinging.
looking at the star tron, it says its secret stuff mixed into naptha, like most other fuel additives. naptha itself is not an mpg booster, so don't go off cockeyed and add naptha only. its just a low octane solvent that in significant amounts would probably cause pinging.
Rookie
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 53
Likes: 0
Avgas has quite a bit of lead in it ... 80/87, 100/130 and 100LL (Low Lead) usually have more lead than old style "Ethyl" auto gas. Those are basically the grades you find everywhere.
For 80/87 and 100/130, the first number is Lean Octane ... pretty much the same as the octane rating on pump gas (I think they call it "Aviation Lean Octane Rating").
The second number is Rich Octane ... supercharged, high altitude, rich mixture condition. There is no real automotive equivalent, but to get a rough idea of how much lead they use, they take basic 80 octane unleaded and then add lead until they get 87. Same with 100/130.
They don't use a set formula any more ... they only add enough lead to get the second number, whereas before it usually resulted in fuel that tested higher for the second number. That means less lead is used than before, but it's been that way for a long time; maybe before unleaded fuel arrived for cars.
100 LL has about half the lead that 100/130 does, but that's still about 2 grams a gallon. No second number, in other words not recommended for supercharged aircraft. I believe that's roughly the same as racing fuel lead content.
There is an unleaded avgas standard, but nobody actually makes that fuel, so you can't buy it. Some airplanes can use auto gas, but not from established OEMs. Basically homebuilts with auto engine conversions plus some Rotax engines.
Avgas has no detergent additives like auto gas does.
I've run 100/130 (you don't really want to run 80/87 in a normal-compression auto engine). The AME (Aircraft Maintenance Engineer; you have to do both in Canada so equivalent to Airframe & Powerplant endorsements together) had me add about 4 ounces of 2-stroke oil mix to a 20-gallon tank of avgas; said it will burn too hot otherwise.
The truck had no catalyst and was built for leaded fuel. I've mentioned before that I like old used vehicles; well the AMEs looked around camp and saw I had the only truck that could run leaded fuel, so over supper one day they told me to come on over to the strip. The fuel came out of a DC-4 that crashed and they were salvaging way up in Northern Canada. They had to load it into drums and ship it out, so they were happy to have me burn it instead. Saved the company money. They had a fuel nozzle hooked up to the wing tank; I just drove under it and filled up.
Truck ran really well; half way home I added 87 unleaded which would have been about a 50:50 mix, and you could feel a difference (not for the better). I probably could have made it the whole 300+ miles to civilization on the avgas ... normally I'd have a 1/4 tank by then ... but wasn't sure how it would affect my fuel consumption, and there is only one gas station along the way. Totally illegal in Canada, by the way ... you can't run leaded fuel off-road, in racing, nada. Airplane only.
I have a few more stories on using 100/130 but can't really tell them because others could conceivably get into trouble, so that's all I have for you.
Winter formula gas definitely does affect mileage ... I'm up 0.5 mpg averaged over the six months I've been keeping solid track on the PT Cruiser, 1 fill of summer, no other changes. The Ram still has winter fuel in the tank right now.
I've used Seafoam as a first fill additive on engines that sit all winter, but I ran across some evidence that it contains Alcohol, so it's off my list for now. Some of the Octane Boost formulas also have alcohol in them. Might try the Startron instead, as far as I can tell it's Alcohol free.
For 80/87 and 100/130, the first number is Lean Octane ... pretty much the same as the octane rating on pump gas (I think they call it "Aviation Lean Octane Rating").
The second number is Rich Octane ... supercharged, high altitude, rich mixture condition. There is no real automotive equivalent, but to get a rough idea of how much lead they use, they take basic 80 octane unleaded and then add lead until they get 87. Same with 100/130.
They don't use a set formula any more ... they only add enough lead to get the second number, whereas before it usually resulted in fuel that tested higher for the second number. That means less lead is used than before, but it's been that way for a long time; maybe before unleaded fuel arrived for cars.
100 LL has about half the lead that 100/130 does, but that's still about 2 grams a gallon. No second number, in other words not recommended for supercharged aircraft. I believe that's roughly the same as racing fuel lead content.
There is an unleaded avgas standard, but nobody actually makes that fuel, so you can't buy it. Some airplanes can use auto gas, but not from established OEMs. Basically homebuilts with auto engine conversions plus some Rotax engines.
Avgas has no detergent additives like auto gas does.
I've run 100/130 (you don't really want to run 80/87 in a normal-compression auto engine). The AME (Aircraft Maintenance Engineer; you have to do both in Canada so equivalent to Airframe & Powerplant endorsements together) had me add about 4 ounces of 2-stroke oil mix to a 20-gallon tank of avgas; said it will burn too hot otherwise.
The truck had no catalyst and was built for leaded fuel. I've mentioned before that I like old used vehicles; well the AMEs looked around camp and saw I had the only truck that could run leaded fuel, so over supper one day they told me to come on over to the strip. The fuel came out of a DC-4 that crashed and they were salvaging way up in Northern Canada. They had to load it into drums and ship it out, so they were happy to have me burn it instead. Saved the company money. They had a fuel nozzle hooked up to the wing tank; I just drove under it and filled up.
Truck ran really well; half way home I added 87 unleaded which would have been about a 50:50 mix, and you could feel a difference (not for the better). I probably could have made it the whole 300+ miles to civilization on the avgas ... normally I'd have a 1/4 tank by then ... but wasn't sure how it would affect my fuel consumption, and there is only one gas station along the way. Totally illegal in Canada, by the way ... you can't run leaded fuel off-road, in racing, nada. Airplane only.
I have a few more stories on using 100/130 but can't really tell them because others could conceivably get into trouble, so that's all I have for you.
Winter formula gas definitely does affect mileage ... I'm up 0.5 mpg averaged over the six months I've been keeping solid track on the PT Cruiser, 1 fill of summer, no other changes. The Ram still has winter fuel in the tank right now.
I've used Seafoam as a first fill additive on engines that sit all winter, but I ran across some evidence that it contains Alcohol, so it's off my list for now. Some of the Octane Boost formulas also have alcohol in them. Might try the Startron instead, as far as I can tell it's Alcohol free.
What about fuel injection cleaner? What should be used if Seafoam isn't safe? Cheap stuff at Autozone?
Thread Starter
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Champion
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 2,697
Likes: 3
From: Cape Carteret NC
Star tron, remember now, isn't made to increase mileage... It's made to counter the ill effects of ethanol in gas, namely its propensity attract water.. it does a good job of countering the oxidizing characteristics, however it does what it does...
The mileage increases, by my guess, is the result of running a better fuel through a cleaner engine.. I don't really know though, to be honest.. I just know it works.. it isn't a silver bullet, though..
The mileage increases, by my guess, is the result of running a better fuel through a cleaner engine.. I don't really know though, to be honest.. I just know it works.. it isn't a silver bullet, though..
Legend
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 8,914
Likes: 4
From: Fredericksburg, Virginia
I've run through a few tanks without using star tron and my mpg's took a noticeable decrease, sometime's as much as 2mpg.
It's definitely worth keeping a bottle or two in the tool box. After the initial use it only takes a little bit each fill up after.
It's definitely worth keeping a bottle or two in the tool box. After the initial use it only takes a little bit each fill up after.
Amateur
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 42
Likes: 0
From: Born,raised and currently reside in eastern Ohio
Interesting thread..Im going to give it a try in my wifes van.And my truck after I get some repairs done..
Last edited by Ohio Mossy Oak; Apr 11, 2012 at 12:12 AM.
Professional
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 189
Likes: 0
From: Canada
These guys are selling test kits, so they do have an agenda, they are getting referral money if you click one of the additive links, but there is good info there.
http://www.fuel-testers.com/fuel_add...reatments.html
Last edited by Johnny2Bad; Apr 10, 2012 at 05:43 PM.
