Realli n00b petrol question

[fr335tyl3r]

Hey all,

I was just reading through some of the other posts, and I know that this is a realli realli dumb question, but i just dont know the answer. My 1982 staz runs on LRP, but i have noticed in other threads people talking bout changing from LRP to regular unleaded or premium. Is it just a case of putting a different fuel into the engine, or do i need to do other modification to the engine first?

TIA

[tmz_99]

just run it on premium, do not put regular undleaded in. find out what the highest octane petrol is in your area (theres always debate about that as well) and use that.

[Cookiemonster]

TMZ_99 is correct.

I prefer Shell Optimax or BP Ultimate. They guarantee their octane rating.

[fr335tyl3r]

how should i go about the change over? Im guessing i should run all of the current LRP out of the engine before changing to premium?

[Cookiemonster]

Nah just bung premium in next time.

[fr335tyl3r]

what will happen when i change over from leaded to premium? Is there any reason i should continue running leaded over premium? Why would the previous owner have told me to run leaded when i could have been running premium. Will i get better fuel efficiency with the premium as i am running the entire 75L tank dry in a week at the moment.

[fr335tyl3r]

So am i going to have a big backfire or something when i start the car for the first time when it has some leaded and premium in it?

[Cookiemonster]

You really are paranoid about this, aren't you? :)

You want to run a high octane fuel. Premium unleaded is the highest octane fuel (98ron). Leaded fuel is 96ron. Who knows what lead replacement fuel is - or whats even in it. Using unleaded fuel will also enable you to run an O2 sensor if you desire.

Im guessing the guy didn't know that Starions had hardened valves seats and thus told you that you had to run lead or lead replacement fuel.

There should be no problem running a mix of leaded and premium unleaded fuel. Eventually all the leaded fuel will be gone after a few tank loads.

I've run premium unleaded in my starions since the late 80's. I would never run leaded fuel.

[hcca]

You can use whatever fuel you like (except diesel :)), and they will all mix together so nothing scary is going to happen. However, cheaper or lower octane fuel will not perform as well as a more expensive high octane fuel. In a turbo car, you're best to use premium (which should be 95+) or a 98RON fuel (Optimax/Ultimate) as you know what octane you're getting. Normal unleaded is supposed to be around 91RON, but there's no guarantee so be safe and don't use it.

LRP is for older cars (generally ones that run an iron head). The Starion has an alloy head and the engine runs fine on unleaded fuel so there's no reason to use LRP or any other fuel additives.

EDIT: Damn you Cookie.. beating my post :) LOL

[pcuser51]

:D Gooday fr335tyl3r unleaded was introduced into this country in 1986
in japan where our cars were made they changed over to unleaded
approxmatley 4 years before, so therefore it goes to say use unleaded
The leaded substatute is " SHIT " TO PUT IT BLUNTLY.

[scum]

I mixed prem and lead replacement in my staz. it melted the tank straps and it fell out, which pulled the fuel line off and made fuel go everywhere, then the engine got a mouthful and exploded, the fire hose like fuel line lit up and arced across the road straight into the servo I just left. of course this caught on fire and exploded too . I then got a call from NASA saying they found my rear numberplate embedded in the O2 tanks of there space station and it had killed all the crew. I apologised, but they still made me pay for it.....

JUST MIX IT YA NOOB! :D

[Chris 83JA]

Older cars needed leaded because they have soft valve seats, and thus they need a nice covering of lead.
Most Japanese cars from the 70's onwards had hardened valve seats from the 70's onwards, and as such don't need leaded or LRP to run.

Even cars with soft valve seats only need to have leaded put in once every 3 tanks or so.

Starions have hardened valve seats, and from factory were specified to run with at least a 96 octance fuel, so you are fine running Optimax, Mobil 8000 or BP Ultimate.

I've heard bad things about LRP petrol, including reports that it's stuffed engines (though i haven't seen any proof myself). Why use it when you don't need to?

They're phasing LRP out anyway. I work at a servo, and hardly anyone uses it any more. Go with Optimax and do yourself and your car a favour

[Black JA]

Hey fr335tyl3r , i understand ur concern, i was a bit iffy about the whole thing too..however i decided to trust my fellow starion owners and just gave it a go... i've now been using optimax/premium for 2 weeks. It has actually made my stazza run smoother and more responsive. i regret not using it all these years. its supposed to cleanse ur engine too so u'll be doin ur baby a favor.
i first tried optimax when i had a little less than quarter of a tank of LRP. It worked fine and didnt backfire or have trouble starting up.
So trust me and da gang, u wont regret it...

[merlin]

i have had better fuel consumption from every car i have run ultimate and optimax in. just fill it with BP Ultimate, twice, and tell us if the engine runs better. $10 says you will agree.

[SpidersWeb]

You can't buy leaded petrol in NZ, and nobody even bothers with the supplements, too much extra cost.

If unleaded petrol was so bad, there wouldn't be a Staz left in NZ :)

Also use Premium (96 octane or higher). I put 91 in, and my knock sensor smelt it and totally freaked out. :x

My car is now tuned for 91 (since thats what was in it when it went to the mechanics), and I must say its a lot more dull perfromance wise now. :glare: :glare: :glare:

96 Unleaded or 98 Unleaded :beer
Best way to go.