Back in the 1970s when we switched to unleaded gas, what did the vehicles that ran on leaded gas do?
Back in the 1970s when we switched to unleaded gas, what did the vehicles that ran on leaded gas do?
Did they have to track down leaded gas? Did they just use unleaded? Did they suffer engine knock?
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so, from what I read, some people actually still use leaded gasoline?
In the US the only source of leaded gasoline that I'm aware of is aviation gas. Lots of (all?) older piston-driven airplanes use it.
I looked this up, many do but the new additives are supposed to be good enough to replace it. (For piston planes).
Funny thing, that additive is pretty much just diesel
it's used in small plane aviation.
https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/leaded-aviation-fuel-and-environment
Boats, planes, gopeds, racing cars, farm equipment, old cars.
If you arent going to an actual boat/plane/tractor filling station and you just want to, for example, fuel up your goped, you just get regular unleaded and a lead additive and mix them before putting the fuel in the tank.
Airplanes still use leaded gasoline.
Just to clarify, a few airplanes still use leaded gasoline. The vast majority do not.
Turbine engines (jets) do not burn leaded fuels. Jet fuel is similar to kerosene or diesel fuel, with certain additives to meet aviation needs.
The overwhelming majority of piston powered aircraft use 100LL, which has a relatively tiny amount of lead compared to automotive fuels of the 1970s. The FAA has recently certified 100UL for use in all aircraft, but production does not yet meet demand.
Jet-A has higher energy density and is cheaper than 100LL or 100UL, but can't be used in spark-ignition engines.
Compression-ignition ("diesel") piston engines are coming on the market as new and retrofit kits, allowing the use of Jet-A in general aviation aircraft.