What gas do you guys put in your Charger? (I live in Midwest)

[indreams84]

Hey I know it sounds elementary but I had to ask...what you guys recommend as far as gasoline? We only have the 10% Ethanol blend crap  around my area (Milwaukee) but I have read stories about what that can do to lines/etc. I assume I would run 93 octane, but I do not want to risk any undue damage. BTW, it'll be going through a 69' R/T 440 with Edelbrock 750cfm carb. Thanks!

[myk]

91 octane here.  I'm told the gas here is as much as ethanol as it is anything else.  What can we do? 

[indreams84]

what about lead additives?

[Aero426]

If your cyl heads have had hardened valve seats installed at some point, leaded gas isn't needed.    If your engine has been rebuilt in recent years, any competent rebuilder would recommend this.

You can still get mid grade non-ethanol at one station in East Troy, off I-43 and Hwy 20.    You can go out there for the Gus' Drive in cruise night on a Saturday night and fill up.  

[Kern Dog]

Here in California, the gas is referred to a UP to 10% Ethanol. Independant testing has shown it to be at 6% on average.
I run 89 in my 193,000 mile 2007 Hemi truck. The Old beaters get 87 octane. The Charger gets the tip-top: 91 octane. I used to get detonation on 91 until I lowered the compression with thicker head gaskets.

[ACUDANUT]

If your cyl heads have had hardened valve seats installed at some point, leaded gas isn't needed.    If your engine has been rebuilt in recent years, any competent rebuilder would recommend this.

You can still get mid grade non-ethanol at one station in East Troy, off I-43 and Hwy 20.    You can go out there for the Gus' Drive in cruise night on a Saturday night and fill up.  

Your leaded valves will harden by them selves, over time.

[Dino]

93


I've only had to fill it up with 91 once as 93 was not available.  Maybe I'm wasting money on premium and should go with midgrade, I dunno.

[myk]

I guess you could try the lower grades and see what happens.  In any case, I'd love to feed my 90's cars with 93 octane..

[billssuperbird]

93 hear in pa.

[GD.Kiv]

does the U.S calculate the octane rating differently?

i use 98 on the charger, with lead additive, 95 is the normal gas around here.

[myk]

I would assume so; it's difficult to find 93 octane, let alone anything above that number...

[lloyd3]

I tried the lead additives and they put a nasty, corrosive film all over the back of the car. So, in order to make it less of a pain in the a## to drive, I set the timing back a wee-bit and started to run whatever premium gas (91 here) was available. It doesn't have the punch it might have, but it's far-easier to live with.  

[Dino]

does the U.S calculate the octane rating differently?

i use 98 on the charger, with lead additive, 95 is the normal gas around here.

Yes it is calculated differently.  Our normal is 87.  You can find the conversion online.

[indreams84]

My concern lies with the ethanol and it's effects on the inside of the carburetor, tank, etc. The current owner of my soon to be Charger does not have to worry about blend fuel on the east coast; and I swear I have read somewhere that some people were experiencing gunked-up internals as a result of the blended fuel? This doesn't apply to my BMW because that sucker had it's fuel fliter and pump replaced at 100k....almost as tempermental as cars from the 60s. 

[ODZKing]

I use 93 in the 67 with a additive and lead additive as well, especially on trips.

I haven't had the 73 that long but I know the seat are hardened on that and we have plenty of non Ethanol station around here so I just go for the few extra cents and put the 91 in that.
Try this site ... it will tell you all the stations near you.  US and Canada.
http://pure-gas.org/

[familymopar]

I run 93 or 91 in tx (depending on what the particular station has).  I do not have hardened valve seats.  I have never used an additive.

[charge69]

You cannot get anything but 10% ethanol-blended gas within a couple hundred miles of here so ........ I use what I do in my other rides,  Chevron premium 93 octane and add StarTron to it. One vehicle I own says put premium in it while my Dodge truck (2004 2500 quad cab 5.7 HEMI) says mid-grade and my other vehicle runs fine on recommended regular 87 octane gas.

I have thought about blending 100 octane Low-Lead Aviation fuel with the premium in the Charger but haven't done it yet.  The Charger is an ornery beast starting it up but, once warmed up, it runs fine on 93 octane. No pinging at all with 35* ignition lead and 11 to 1 compression JE pistons!  I still would like to put some 100 octane low-lead in it and see how it runs!

Just got in the habit of using Chevron gas in my vehicles because the Techron additive they use is the best cleaner around. At least,  that is what was best a few years ago.

When the 426 was rebuilt, hardened valve seats were installed in conjunction with the new Manley SS valves.

[Cooter]

Regular 87 octane as the low comp engine will prolly run on moonshine.

[c00nhunterjoe]

I run 93 with 38* total from whatever station i pull into. Pretty sure they are all 10% here. Car runs fine on it.

[taxspeaker]

We live and keep our cars about 1/2 mile from Makowsky Oil Company in Jeffersonville, Indiana. It is about 1 mile off of I-65 just north of Louisville, Ky. They still sell through the pump leaded 97 Octane gas. We run it in both the 70 Superbird and the 70 AAR Cuda. Since it has a sign on the pump that says "Not legal for street use" we of course never, ever drive the cars on the road. And I have never looked at the Chicks with Chargers thread either.

Bob

[Nickrc3]

BJ's Wholesale Club - 93 octane, then a bottle of Gunk Lead Additive.

[indreams84]

Just spoke to Ron, when the 69' Charger engine was restored in 02', the builder DID NOT use hardened valve seats.....but he also says there has never been an issue since then either. It seems like there is a half/half consensus here on who includes lead additive and who does not....

[Aero426]

Just spoke to Ron, when the 69' Charger engine was restored in 02', the builder DID NOT use hardened valve seats.....but he also says there has never been an issue since then either. It seems like there is a half/half consensus here on who includes lead additive and who does not....

That kind of wear isn't something that happens overnight either.   I would still run a lead additive or mix in some leaded race fuel.   The lead additive will be a lot cheaper.  

[Kern Dog]

does the U.S calculate the octane rating differently?

i use 98 on the charger, with lead additive, 95 is the normal gas around here.

Yes it is calculated differently.  Our normal is 87.  You can find the conversion online.

The octane rating in America is based on an average of two testing procedures. Research Octane and Motor octane. R plus M divided by 2.
The octane number can be found at less than 87 in higher altitudes. In CA we used to have 92 until some assclown thought 91 was adequate.

[XS29L9B2]

in France octon is 95 ou 98

[lloyd3]

I read an article a few years ago in a high-end restoration magazine that looked closely into the potential of valve recession caused by using unleaded fuels in "historic" vehicles. They were mostly interested in Duesenburgs and the like, but the net-net was that unless you're driving a fully loaded truck up a steep hill for endless hours, you're not going to have any problems with using unleaded fuel.  It is, essentially, a non-issue for street use, as far as the mechanical components of the engine are concerned. 

You might be able to make the argument that racing probably requires the use of either lead or a lead-substitute because these folks weren't racing their Cabriolet or Phaeton.

[Aero426]

A friend has an old Stutz, a higher end classic.   His recent engine rebuild did not get hardened seats.   But as the owner explains,  these old engines don't have the higher valve spring pressures that modern engines do.   His 1969 Firebird 400 on the other hand did get hardened seats.    I guess the point is, that there is no one size fits all answer.   

[68pplcharger]

93 in Kentucky

[69chargerboy]

I only run Shell 93 Octane here in Northern Ohio.

[UH60L]

I was running regular or plus from Chevron or Shell before the teardown.  Learned the hard way never to put Arco gas in it, had to push it half way home once, wouldn't run.

I was putting lead additive in about every other tank.  Now that it has a rebuilt engine with hardened valve seats, should be ok without it (I've been told...).

[MaxE48]

98 octane with lead replacement additive in Australia,  runs fine.