Modern Buddy

so my brother gave me a 5 gallon steel can of VP Racing fuel, (however i'm not sure if it's even VP inside), so... i'll be getting my Black Stella 4t this week and i'm thinking about using the gas inside after i'm done conditioning my engine (i hear you're supposed to not take it to the limits until you get your first service).

any thoughts? would it harm my engine? it's been sitting in the can untouched for about 2 years, could the can corrode? should i even use the can at all?

(sorry for the question dump, i'm just curious and i really like the blue can)

If you want to find out if it's genuine, find out what color that p;articular mix is supposed to be and check it out.

Sunoco leaded non-oxygenated racing fuels have a 2 year or longer shelf life, so you're closing in on the expiration.

That's really costly stuff, so don't let it go to waste.

I would dilute it with regular gas 1 part to 4... it will still be very high test. R

Your scooter will be breaking in until about 1500 miles. General consensus on best break-in procedure is to regularly vary the throttle and RPM's throughout the full range of speeds, slow to WOT, while avoiding staying at any one speed for very long.

As for the racing fuel, I imagine it is garbage being so old but I may be wrong about that. However, at great risk of starting the octane discussion yet again after it has already been beaten to death countless times here, even if the racing fuel is good as new it will be wasted your scooter just as any high octane gas is. The compression of the engine is not high enough for increased octane to make a lick of difference.

Personal request... before we all get tempted to re re re hash out this whole octane thing again, let's each do a quick search for the numerous octane threads here. This is a long dead and ruthlessly beaten horse.

What Skootz said. Just don't. Please.

Skootz Kabootz wrote:Personal request... before we all get tempted to re re re hash out this whole octane thing again, let's each do a quick search for the numerous octane threads here. This is a long dead and ruthlessly beaten horse.

I tried a quick search for VP and Racing Fuel and nothing came up... i guess i was looking for the wrong topic lol. Rookie mistake on my end.

this is very helpful.

what about the can though? i'm guessing, empty it and shine a light inside and check for corrosion?
i guess i'll just find a way to *waste the fuel and use the cool tin for spare gas at home.

*i just took a trip to new mexico and brought back $100 worth of "buy one get one free" fireworks (california illegal {awesome fireball shooting fun})

Why would you want to use racing fuel in a scooter? Sounds like a recipe for disaster! Free world though, do what you want...

gilbee wrote:

Skootz Kabootz wrote:Personal request... before we all get tempted to re re re hash out this whole octane thing again, let's each do a quick search for the numerous octane threads here. This is a long dead and ruthlessly beaten horse.

I tried a quick search for VP and Racing Fuel and nothing came up... i guess i was looking for the wrong topic lol. Rookie mistake on my end.

No worries. Here's a couple... there are soooo many Lot's of good information though.

viewtopic.php?t=3305&postdays=0&postord ... t=50#35766
topic18165.html


I find for searching specific stuff it is easier to do a Google site specific search. Just enter your search in the following format minus the quotation marks: "search terms here site:www.site-name-here.com"

ie "octane site:www.modernbuddy.com"

A couple thoughts:
(1) If you still have the stock exhaust on there, you have a catalytic converter. Racing fuel is usually leaded. Those two don't play nicely.
(2) Two years is desperately stale for most additives and "oxygenators". It's pushing the limit of real dino juice that's not oxygenated, so it may not burn very well anyway.
(3) Even if the stuff was fresh and your scooter didn't have a cat, you'd see no benefit from it.

If you're looking to get rid of it and you know it's still good, put it in whatever vehicle you own that has the highest compression. If you're not sure if it's still good, put it in your lawnmower.

Two-year-old fuel just needs to be disposed of. It goes bad eventually.

In general, using racing anything in your scooter is a bad idea if you want it to be a reliable daily rider. Racing gas, racing-only performance parts, etc. are all intended for scooters that are primarily used for going around a track as quickly as possible, then getting some serious maintenance and service after every day of use. Other performance parts are more reliable and meant for long-term, high-mileage use.

If not for race gas, where can one buy ethanol free fuel?

roasteroo wrote:If not for race gas, where can one buy ethanol free fuel?

Depends on where you live. All gas in CA has ethanol, but it's in lower concentrations than the seasonal blend in many other states.

Check: http://pure-gas.org/

Unfortunately it's NJ. There is no hope for ethanol free.
Other than race gas, or av fuel.

I used to run cam2 in a 1973 Kawasaki jet ski I had. Loved that smell!

If it were my race gas that the OP had, and it was sealed and smelled good. I would run it in my Stella. Probably mixed with pump gas. That's my .02

If the can is still sealed with the tab over the pop-up plastic spout, its still good. If it has been opened most of the "free radicals" have evaporated off. Shine a flashlight down in the can. If no rust, you should be fine. I would cut it with gas to use it up. The scoot will love it

what blend is it Vpred, ms103, etc? It matters which one it is. There are some fuels such as U4 that are VERY corrosive have have to be drained right after use. but Red, ms103 and a host of others are great, just expensive to "waste" on a normal engine.

Post up what kind it is and I can tell you if its safe.

Remind me again: what's the compression ratio on the Stella 4T?
.

jprestonian wrote:Remind me again: what's the compression ratio on the Stella 4T?
.

9:1

talindsay wrote:A couple thoughts:
(1) If you still have the stock exhaust on there, you have a catalytic converter. Racing fuel is usually leaded. Those two don't play nicely

If you remember nothing else in this thread, remember this.

Syd wrote:

talindsay wrote:A couple thoughts:
(1) If you still have the stock exhaust on there, you have a catalytic converter. Racing fuel is usually leaded. Those two don't play nicely

If you remember nothing else in this thread, remember this.

This is awesome. Thanks.
And thanks again for all of the great responses.
I just got my 2012 black Stella 4t yesterday and rode it the 30 miles into work today. So far, I really enjoy the ride.

roasteroo wrote:If not for race gas, where can one buy ethanol free fuel?

Several Sunoco racing fuel mixtures are ethanol free.

Ethanol free fuels may not be street legal in your state though.

Someone else commented that racing fuel is generally leaded. That would not be true because there are racing classes that require fuels true to the original stock engine condition. There are as many unleaded racing fuels as leaded.

roasteroo wrote:If not for race gas, where can one buy ethanol free fuel?

http://pure-gas.org

roasteroo wrote:If not for race gas, where can one buy ethanol free fuel?

Many marine fuel docks sell ethanol free fuel. Ethanol is tough on the tanks and fuel systems on older boats.