I have heard that the extra ethanol content in the new petrol can cause problems in older engines and cause degradation of the rubber hoses etc.

Should I be worried about this or is it just another tabloid press scare story?

Thanks 😀👍

 

Smitty99XKR, the reason why they are not running higher ethanol than 10% (ie, E10) is above 10% ethanol, the acidity of the fuel starts to eat the plastics in the fuel system. This is why vehicles need to be "specially equipped" to handle E85. So, older cars should not have issues as long as you stick with E10. If anything, running the ethanol should help them some as the ethanol bumps up the octane rating and should allow you to dial in a few more degrees of timing, getting you a little bit more power.

 

Experiences vary widely, to the extent that I'm convinced other variables are at play beside just presence/absence of E10 gasoline.

FWIW, I've been running E10 in my 80s-90s vintage Jags for over 20 yeas with no problems.

The owners manual for my '85 Jag says E10 is OK. Your '99 should be fine. If ....if.....you were to have a problem it would be most likely occur during long term storage in a damp environment.

Cheers
DD

 

Thanks DD, I live in NE England which can be pretty damp and awful in the Winter. For the last 7 years I have always garaged it at night. The perceived wisdom here is to not take our older cars off the road for long periods in winter because it will cause a load of problems like rubber hose degradation, tyre flat spotting, fuel degradation, battery and electrics, brake seizing, etc etc, and they need to be driven. I agree so I intend to drive once a week on a dry day during the Winter months for about 50 miles. Thanks for the advice to confirm this 😀👍

Best regards, Smithy 😀 👍👍

 

Thanks Thermo, I think as long as the E10 is just as clean as the V Power E5 then I will probably give it a go. The extra RON performance does not interest me these days as I only tootle around now as an old man..... so saving 15p per litre £10.50 a 75L tank makes sense. Cheers 👍