Old racing gas

[thundersalt]

What are some of your guys thoughts on using racing gas that's 6-9 months old. I still have 5 gallons of ERC left from WF. I don't have a problem using it up for start up and tuning at the shop but when I get to speed week should I drain and replace or just mix with new.

[Seldom Seen Slim]

I'm not the expert on this story -- but I'll take an EWAG.  If the can has been well-sealed can -- sealed so the volatile elements didn't evaporate -- it might just work.  If the can isn't sealed -- unh, it smells great when used in the lawnmower.

Yeah, I know it's expensive -- but what if you only get one run when you go racing.  why not use stuff that you know is fresh.  Go ahead and use it for warmup and basic tuning, or better yet -- put it in the snowthrower and revel in the boquet during a blizzard.

[jimmy six]

Thunder, Opened containers will lose "potentcy" according to the experts.

You don't say what you want to do with it. If it is still in the sealed/full container you could possibly add it to your tank under the eyes of an official buying more to fill up.

If you are planning on qualifying on your first run I would go to the fuel area empty and fill up fresh.
 
If you are going to use it to run your engine a home it would do that. I add some of my extra race gas to my lawnmowers and for my 1939 motorcycle for the lead content. At $10 a gallon is hard to throw away.......Good Luck

[Stainless1]

Tsalt, just poured the last I had in the old bike before riding down to look at some steel for a project.  Been putting a little in the lawn mower as well, smells better than fresh cut grass.
Running fuel class, you could probably use it if it has been sealed well, running gas class, pour it in the mower... or bike or generator or old car.

[jdincau]

Just don't pour five gallons of it undiluted into your wife's riding lawnmower, unless you want to clean the plugs every running hour or so.

"it's old race gas honey, it'l be fine"

Jim

[Dean Los Angeles]

Fuel Storage
How long will the gasoline last if I don’t use it all? Gasoline will last a long time if stored properly, but it’s losing energy the entire time. Gasoline forms gum or varnish from the acids in the gasoline and from contact with the oxygen in the air and from the metal in the gas can. Sunlight also degrades gasoline, so if you use a plastic can, keep it in a dark place. What is the scientific name for gum? Gum! I guess they couldn’t come up with something fancy. Don’t buy more than you can use now, don’t mix more than you can use now.

From a racing standpoint, it's very expensive gasoline. Buy how are you going to feel missing that record by .001 mph? If I had only . . .

More info:
http://www.landracing.com/forum/index.php/topic,2308.0.html

[Stainless1]

your wife's riding lawnmower, Jim

Jim, just figured out where I've been going wrong, I need to talk my girlfriend into marrying me and buy her a riding lawn mower for a wedding present....

Dean, thanks for the info, glad I'd been using the stuff as utility gas 

[Milwaukee Midget]

your wife's riding lawnmower, Jim

Jim, just figured out where I've been going wrong, I need to talk my girlfriend into marrying me and buy her a riding lawn mower for a wedding present....

Don't laugh - my wife and I received an air compressor as a wedding gift.  It pays to register at Sears, and NOTHING says love like an air compressor.

[thundersalt]

Thanks for the in-put. That's all pretty much was I was thinking. I did throw 5 gallons of old sunoco on top of 20 gallons of pump gas in my truck a few RV trips ago. Ran great but only got 5 MPG. Kept waiting for it to throw a code but never did.

[Blue]

What are some of your guys thoughts on using racing gas that's 6-9 months old. I still have 5 gallons of ERC left from WF. I don't have a problem using it up for start up and tuning at the shop but when I get to speed week should I drain and replace or just mix with new.

From our own painful experience, we ran fine on the Jet-A that was in the system the first time we started, but stale JP-8 was cold stuff...

[vette#128]

I'll use "old" gas to warm the engine in the pits, as well as "old" plugs, but come game time, new plugs & new gas.
ED

[1 fast evo 2]

I don't know how hard you are pushing your motor but if it where me I would burn the gasin a regular car or the lawn mowwer, or sell it to someone who doesn't really need potent gas anyway.
Once a can of race gas is opened and partially used it starts to go bad due to the air space in the can, all of the good bits seperate out.
I would not race on gas that was opened and resealed more than 2 weeks before, but I sqeeze my car pretty good. I f you run an understressed bigblock you can get away with alot more.

In other words use fresh gas to race on.

         Mike

[javajoe79]

 I was told by a 76 fuels rep that their race gas had a 1 year shelf life.

[Dean Los Angeles]

I was told by a 76 fuels rep that their race gas had a 1 year shelf life.

Did you read the fine print? "Your results may differ." 1 year shelf life would refer to an unopened container. Even at that it is deteriorating from contact with the container. The more air in the can the faster the degradation. If you insist on racing on something other than fresh, and giving the record to someone else, at least store it in a cool, dark place.

I know fuel is expensive, and getting worse, but just because you have that old can of gas doesn't mean you have to put it in your race vehicle.

If you are running gas be thankful you aren't paying $50 a gallon for nitro!

[javajoe79]

Was just putting that out there. If I was going to ask the same question, I would ask the gas mfgr.