Lawn Mower Fuel Brand Experiment

[n0rt0npr0]

I see what you are saying. I know Water and Gas will not mix and thats why Alcohol is added, it "helps" dissolve the water into the gasoline. Preventing it from floating assures it gets run through.

I can begin todays testing with 70% isopropyl alcohol added into the fuel(instead of a baseline run), then I'll follow with ethos fr to 100% marathon.Or maybe better to do this: four runs with isopropyl added, then one baseline run, then four runs with ethos fr added

I think I will use a high dose of isopropyl, how about 4oz to 10 gallon ratio?

Testing starts in an hour.

[n0rt0npr0]

Also the mower is doing "work" as it runs. It's a mulcher, so its creating a helluva lot of wind beneath it. As the air temps cool(among other things too), the air gets more dense, and that engine has to "work" harder to move that blade thru that air.

In other news, I now know what the max RPM of the test mower is: 3,454RPM

[n0rt0npr0]

This round was more complicated. I tried to complete it before dark.
Alternating lone marathon to marathon with isopropyl x3
Then four Marathon with Ethos FR runs.



Run #1 lone Marathon (baseline)
-Length: 23:18.66 minutes OR 1398.66sec
-Temp remained inside 63°F
-Humidity was 40%
-8.8mph average windspeed
-30.20 inches pressure

Run #2 Marathon with 70% isopropyl alcohol
-Length: 22:25.25 minutes OR 1345.25sec
-Temp remained inside 62°F
-Humidity: 40%
-6.4mph average windspeed
-30.20 inches pressure

Run #3 lone Marathon (baseline)
-Length: 23:08.14 minutes OR 1388.14sec
-Temp remained iside 61°F
-Humidity was 41%
-6.6mph average windspeed
-30.19 inches pressure

Run #4 Marathon with 70% isopropyl alcohol ( really hard to start!)
-Length: 21:59.56 minutes OR 1319.56sec
-Temp remained exactly 62.5°F
-Humidity was 39%
-8mph average windspeed
-30.18 inches pressure

Run #5 lone Marathon (baseline)
-Length: 23:00.40 minutes OR 1380.40sec
-Temp remained exactly 62.1°F
-Humidity was 39%
-6.2mph average windspeed
-30.18 inches pressure

Run #6 Marathon with 70% isopropyl alcohol
-Length: 22:06.76 minutes OR 1326.76sec
-Temp remained exactly 61.1°F
-Humidity was 40%
-6.8mph average windspeed
-30.17 inches pressure

Run #7 Marathon with Ethos FR (yay!! easy to start!)
-Length: 23:38.78 minutes OR 1410.78sec
-Temp remained exactly 60.9°F
-Humidity was 40%
-7.2mph average windspeed
-30.17 inches pressure

Run #8 Marathon with Ethos FR
-Length: 23:40.09 minutes OR 1420.09sec
-Temp remained inside 59°F
-Humidity was 41%
-6mph average windspeed
-30.17 inches pressure


Prelimz y0! (averages)
-Baseline Marathon = 1389.07sec
-Isopropyl added = 1330.52sec (4.4% less than baseline)
-Ethos FR (so far) = 1415.44sec (1.9% better than baseline)

And somewhere I heard that this Ethos won't work to its full ability till a couple tanks of it have been run through.

[GasSavers_Ryland]

ok, I'm convinced, and I agree, you've done some impressive work.
I guess the next step would be to find a car engine with all the knock sensors, and o2 sensors, and figure out a way to, in a controled enviroment, monitor the fuel usage, and of course that is going to varry a bit with car engine, just like they all react to differnt spark plugs differntly...

[SVOboy]

I considered the car engine idea and it's such a pain in the ***, because you'd have to wire the full harness, with ecu, with fuel supply and everything, just a huge not really possible for a normal person.

If someone would teach me how to build a go kart I'll make one out of a free engine I can get off one of jared's friends and just let it idle gas away,

[n0rt0npr0]

Thank you Ryland.

I've learned some crazy shyt from this forum. Props to all whom speak thier minds here. We're damn good at research around here.

[GasSavers_DaX]

Originally Posted by SVOboy

I considered the car engine idea and it's such a pain in the ***, because you'd have to wire the full harness, with ecu, with fuel supply and everything, just a huge not really possible for a normal person.

If someone would teach me how to build a go kart I'll make one out of a free engine I can get off one of jared's friends and just let it idle gas away,

I may be willing to build a test engine setup in about a year or so, but it's definately going to have to wait until after I get married and settled into a house.

SORRY FOR THE OT, BUT:

As for the go-kart thing SVO, me and another guy on H-T have tentatively scheduled plans to build an insane gokart with my old VX motor:

[kickflipjr]

That thing is going to be FAST! Very good power to weight ratio.

[Matt Timion]

Originally Posted by DaX

I may be willing to build a test engine setup in about a year or so, but it's definately going to have to wait until after I get married and settled into a house.

SORRY FOR THE OT, BUT:

As for the go-kart thing SVO, me and another guy on H-T have tentatively scheduled plans to build an insane gokart with my old VX motor:

You know, I will have a spare d15b2 in a month or so. I was considering parting it out, but I could save it and use it as a test motor. Not sure exactly where I'd keep it though.

[n0rt0npr0]

DI wrote:

>bikerscooby writes "Are Ford and BP against this "Top Tier" standard
>and have they allied together?"

Most things GM is for Ford is against and vice-versa.

GM = XM. Ford = Sirius.

In a more technical vein, the OBD-II connector (used for car debugging and emissions testing) has three data communications protocols: one for US GM, one for US Ford, and "the rest of the world" uses the third. Ford of Europe and GM of Europe use "the rest of the world" protocol over there, and it's also true about most of their captive imports.

Need I go further?

>I suspect that's a good explanation. BP doesn't seem to be willing
>to meet the TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline standards with its lower
>grades so why not come up with a diversionary tactic.

BP has a good enough reputation (even though they've been messing it up by first the Texas City blast and then the pipeline leak) that they don't need TOP TIER as a marketing ploy.

Chevron has Techron, the ConocoPhillips brands tout ProCLEAN, and Shell talks on and on about V-POWER.

I'd suspect any high-end additive package would be TOP TIER if they did the paperwork.

So I suspect the companies that tout TOP TIER do so they can get the recommendation of GM, Honda, and Toyota. (#1, #4, and #2 car makers, respectively.) Around Houston, the price difference is slim to nonexistent if you stay away from Shell.

>Of course, given that BP doesn't have stations in the western states,
>one wonders how effective such a promo is.

They could get six additional states if they would change over the ARCO stations (basically, Utah west to the Pacific Ocean). ARCO is a brand name of "BP West Coast Products LLC" -- in other words, BP.

ARCO has a completely different marketing paradigm that's incompatible with BP. Arco is a low-price, cash-and-carry business. BP positions itself as the Lincoln (I was going to say "Cadillac" or "Lexus" but I realized their partnership with Ford Motor Company) of gasoline. They even want to sign me up even though I'm probably two tankfuls away from the nearest BP station. (I used to be a BP stockholder but I dumped it a while back.)

They make lots and lots of BP fuel in Texas but it all goes in pipelines to the other parts of the country. Unless, of course, they take it out, add somebody else's additive package, and sell it as some other brand. I wouldn't rule that out.

Originally Posted by Matt Timion

Arco is huge on the west coast. It's a cheap gas station. I would say to use it if you have one in the area.