This is a topic that has interested me for a while now, since as Waller mentioned, 100LL is cheap. I was running it in dirt bikes for $2/gallon 15 years ago. A call to the local airport reveals it’s now $2.50/gallon, a whopping 25% increase in 15 years; whereas pump gas has more than doubled.
According to the one spec sheet I have, 100LL has 2 grams of tetraethyl lead per gallon. This puts it at about ½ (or less) the lead content of most leaded racing fuels, which seem to average between 4 and 6 grams of lead per gallon. Opinions are varied as to how much lead 02 sensors/cats will endure and for how long….
I have also heard the concern of it being a “dry” fuel. Airplanes are subject to mandatory overhauls at certain intervals, so compromises could be made in fuel formulation in regards to wear additives. I’ve asked some of the local stock car guys about that in the past, and one did tell me he quit using it because he saw increased piston crown wear. However, he did also say he was at the limit (octane wise) of what the AV gas would support, so perhaps the effects of detonation was what he was seeing.
Third point is the density of the fuel. AV gas is substantially lighter than automotive fuel (.3# to .4#’s/gal.) so running it with chips calibrated for auto fuel might be a problem. In this same vein, one other tech paper I have states the lesser weight is due to formulations that omit the “heavy end” of the gas molecule. The end result is a fuel that is lighter (good for aircraft) burns cooler (good for aircraft and us) but lacks the overall energy of auto fuel (not bad for small engine aircraft, bad for us). They advocate a 50/50 mix of auto/AV to capture the octane of the AV gas and still have some “heavy end” molecules.
Empirical data is far better than theory and speculation, so for you guys that have done it;
1) Are you mixing it or running it straight?
2) What fuel management are you using?
3) Does it make good power?
4) Have you had the opportunity to run it for a while, then inspect the top end?
Just trying to put this issue to bed, and maybe come up with a lower cost alternative for some applications.
