Just curious: Leaded gas?

Tim_B_172

Tim_B_172

New Member
It hit me out of the blue the other day, for no apparent reason I thought to myself "How would a 2 stroke engine do with leaded gas?". Any thoughts? Dare I ask, has anyone tried it?

Before you say it, leaded gas is still available, check at the airport. Of course, aviation gas is usually 100 octane. Plus there is "lead substitute" fuel additive.
 
Lead was added to gas as a lubricant for valves and octane booster, since a 2 stroke has no valves and only runs at 6:1 compression it's a waste of money.
 
Tim b 172,

I concur with Kevlarr, although not a total waste, here are some hardfast benifits
1. Smells great when it's runnin
2 . It is a true octane 100, not an average like you get from the gas station
3. It has tetra-ethyl lead @ .6gr per Gal for valve lubrication may help other
parts of the engine too
4. If your ever riding at 10,000 feet, you'd be in a sweet spot!!
 
100 octane does nothing for a low compression engine...but it would smell like an airplane with two stroke oil in it when running.
You would see a performance benefit from your lightened pockets though. ;)
 
This is one of the many cases where I can say I learned something good from this forum... Taco said in another thread about leaded gas that the lead is actually very good for the bearings in 2-stroke engines! (^)
 
Thanks for the replies. Bearing lubrication was the only benefit that I could think of. The cons that come to mind are lead fowling on the spark plug, and maybe higher running temperature. Then of course, there is the price of avgas, which is why I wasn't going to try it unless you guys thought it was the greatest idea ever. ;)
 
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