Re: Proper gas for 374 engine

Posted by Rusty O\'Toole On 2011/2/21 20:48:01

Tetraethyl lead will not improve performance. All it does is prevent knock.

Any engine will run best, perform best, and run coolest on the correct octane gas. In other words if you have an old, low compression engine it will run best on low octane fuel.

A high compression engine needs high octane fuel to prevent knock, ping and overheating. It does not contain any extra power. Water injection (actually water and alcohol) will cool down the firing charge and allow the use of lower octane fuel.

The article I linked to says the Vitameter uses a special anti knock mixture called Vitol consisting of alcohol, 85%. Water, 15% plus 3cc of Tetraethyl lead per gallon, and a rust inhibitor to protect the mechanism.

I'm not crazy about adding unnecessary gadgets either. But it is an option if all else fails.