where to buy 4 star petrol i london

[rob07]

Is 4 star petrol still available and where can I buy it from,preferably in london.

[PoshTwit]

Yes it is still available, but expect to pay through the nose for it.

I do one 4* fill to each 3 of Super Unleaded and it costs ~£2/litre at Berkeley Heath garage near me. A long way from London though and I don't know the availability of any up-to-date lists of stockists.

[Cliftonite]

See here (half way down page) for list of suppliers:

http://www.fbhvc.co.uk/legislation-and-fuels/fuel-...

HTH

[v8250]

rob07 said:

Is 4 star petrol still available and where can I buy it from,preferably in london.

for what car are you wanting 4star? there are other ways of achieving the same octane rating. adding an appropriate/carefully chosen octane booster will do exactly the same job and you can achieve 100+RON if needed.

tell us more...

[richardgcs]

It isnt the octane rating that matters, its replacing the lead which lubricates the valve seats (to prevent valve seat recession). the FBHVC list approved additives including millers, tetraboost, castrol etc. If you want to increase the octane rating then fill up with shell v-power (tesco do a 99 octane as well). The additives add about 12p per litre so its a lot cheaper than £2.00 litre

[roscobbc]

I thought the valve seat recession 'thing' had long been put to death - i.e. provided you don't drive the car at 10/10ths all the time and perhaps knock the timing back a degree or two there shouldn't be any issues. I wonder if the old stories of issues were about engines that already had knackered heads.

[rob07]

I'm no expert on these matters but I was hoping that with the 4 star fuel I would eliminate the ethanol that's in normal petrol.

[richardgcs]

VSR is a fact with older cars that have cast iron blocks/cylinder heads. You can have the valve seats replaced or use additives. Ethanol is currently 5% but will increase to 10% before long (EU making us go green(ish)- dont get me started.) Again the FBHVC have tested anti-ethanol additives, there is all the info you need on their website.

[v8250]

OP, two quite separate subjects here - both are technically well documented. If it's the 5% to 10% ethanol increase you're concerned about what age is your car? It's the fuel line components that need to be ethanol okay i.e. fuel sender, tank sender seal, flexible fuel lines and some carburettor/injector seals.

Whilst it's been reported that some owners have seen issues i.e. leaking seals/lines, it's very straight forward to change these components. Again, what car are you concerned for? The PH massive should be able to help. If not, talk with your car make Club as they'll be sure to have a technical advisory board.

For info' I changed all my lines and seals a couple of years ago - it's only a morning's work.

+ if you've old steel fuel lines you may like to change these to cupro nickel[cunifer] whilst you're at it.

[austin]

The majority of "super" type petrol sold in this country doesn't have ethanol in it. IIRC Cornwall is different. Of course this could change soon.

I run some vintage cars and use it, mainly because I got fed up of the normal grade petrol with ethanol "going off" and making the cars, (and lawnmower) difficult to start if they don't have "fresh" petrol in them. I can't remember the exact reason why but if you search some vintage car forums you will probably find the answer.

[roscobbc]

richardgcs said:

VSR is a fact with older cars that have cast iron blocks/cylinder heads. You can have the valve seats replaced or use additives. Ethanol is currently 5% but will increase to 10% before long (EU making us go green(ish)- dont get me started.) Again the FBHVC have tested anti-ethanol additives, there is all the info you need on their website.

I'm still not convinced - it would be nice to see documentation with actual vehicles that have suffered from this (and only this, rather than wear and tear or other reasons)

[Agrispeed]

austin said:

IIRC Cornwall is different.

Eh?

sounds intresting, any info?

[austin]

Agrispeed said:

austin said:

IIRC Cornwall is different.

Eh?

sounds intresting, any info?

Something to do with the processing plant in Plymouth I believe.

Read a bit more on the Austin 7 forum for here.

[rob07]

I have a 63 sprite,a 68 fiat dino and an 81 ferrari 308.I would rather simply buy a less harmful fuel than have to change alot of bits.

[plasticpig]

Why not just buy tetraethyl lead additive and then you can mix your own to suit? I used to use Tetraboost. You can even mix up race fuel if you want to.

[RichB]

Look for Bayford Thrust 4 Star Leaded Petrol. The price is significantly higher so you could use lead additives. Yes, Super petrol in the West Country contains more ethanol.

[Agrispeed]

austin said:

Agrispeed said:

austin said:

IIRC Cornwall is different.

Eh?

sounds intresting, any info?

Something to do with the processing plant in Plymouth I believe.

Read a bit more on the Austin 7 forum for here.

Thanks for that how odd!