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Member
Posts: 31
| Ok, don't laugh I wasn't born in 60. I was wondering what type of gas to put in a 1960 Chrysler Saratoga? I was thinking the lowest octane since back then they probably didn't have the high grade octane gas?
Thanks for any help! |
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 7207
Location: Victoria, BC, on Vancouver Island, Canada | Back in 1960 you could get as high as 98 Octane Gas at BA and other stations. There is no gasoline out there to compare with it these days. Premium, or "Ethyl" gas back then contained Tetra-Ethyl Lead to boost the octane.
I also own a 1960 Chrysler Saratoga. The compression Ratio is 10.1 to 1 and it requires premium fuel. The factory rated horsepower is 325 with the standard four barrel Carter Carburetor that it came with, which is still on mine.
Where I live you can purchase Chevron 94 Octane fuel but I normally run my car on 91 Octane gas and it runs fine unless the weather is extremely hot and then sometimes I get a bit of pre-ignition ping. That is definitely hard on the engine so in hot weather I will sometimes put 94 Octane in. The other thing to note is that MOST modern gasoline contains about 10% Ethanol which is very detrimental to these old car fuel systems. If left in the tank for long periods, it will separate, & the ethanol absorbs water and ethanol will eat away at your rubber and carburetor parts. Both the Chevron 94 Octane and the Co-op 91 Octane here are ethanol-free. So I would recommend at the very least, 91 Octane fuel. The car will definitely suffer on 87 Octane fuel. |
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Member
Posts: 31
| Thank you so much for the detailed information. I will look for ethanol free higher octane. I am in Florida so heat is part of life...lol |
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Board Moderator & Exner Expert 10K+
Posts: 13054
Location: Southern Sweden - Sturkö island | We have only 95 octane or 98 octane here in Sweden.
There's 5% ethanol mixed into both types.
The ignition must be set closer to TDC though. |
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Expert
Posts: 3967
Location: DFW, TX | It's true that excess octane is just wasted - but why be cheap on gas for a collector car? The difference is a few bucks per tank. How much do you really drive it?
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Member
Posts: 31
| Was not trying to be cheap on gas. Just wanted to make sure I was putting the right gas and not cause damage. I used ethanol free 93. Seem to work great. Thanks |
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Expert
Posts: 3967
Location: DFW, TX | Sounds good. Welcome to the Forward Look. We are a pretty tight group around here. Share your new car by posting a few photos in the Members Rides forum. |
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