The Circle of Dumb = lead

I know we have broached this subject, but Jason from Engineering Explained gives us more reasons and examples why we should not be using lead in our fuel.

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I wish it didnt smell so good :smiley:

It needs to go from US karting though, I’m surprised a child protection group or similar has not intervened already. There’s no need for it. It’s a “nice to have” for two strokes don’t get me wrong, but the benfits don’t outweigh the risks IMO.

Heck even NASCAR got the lead out years ago…

You guys still have leaded gasoline? I can’t remember the last time I saw a leaded gas pump in Canada. Pretty sure I remember an article about the last leaded pump being removed and even that was ages ago.

I’ve been harping on this for years, and finally started to get some traction.

93 AKI Eastern pump gas is a nearly ideal 2-stroke fuel and every kart engine commonly raced runs perfectly well on it.

91 AKI Western gas is suitable for X30 and Rotax and tolerable in an SSE 175, but in California you can get 100 AKI unleaded at the pump for only $2 more per gallon than 91.

It’s very rare at the pump but it’s still commonly available and used as a racing fuel. In some cases leaded fuel is a spec for the series in karting.

Crazy.

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I don’t know this for fact in all cases but I believe most circle track race fuel is leaded as well. In the northeast where dirt modifies are the dominant class, I know for fact one of the spec fuels is leaded. Do you think the fans and parents in the stands know this?

Unfortunate part is in race fuel the leaded is cheaper than the unleaded, sometimes by a substantial margin. Whether that’s because it gets used so much more and thus they can just make it up on volume or not I do not know.

Yes. TEL is a very cheap way to increase knock resistance.

However, leaded race gas is much more expensive than the unleaded race gas you should be using - 93 AKI / 98 RON from a gas station that the track chooses.

Not everywhere has 93AKI gas available. The highest we get in my area is 91, which is also E-10 or E-15. Non-ethanol the highest we can get is 90, but with pump fuel I question the consistency from batch to batch. The 98 AKI Sunoco unleaded I run now is consistent and safer, albeit more expensive than the the 110 leaded Sunoco.

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The entire West Coast should switch to X30 and Rok Shifter because those run fine on 91 AKI.

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Awesome. I was a stripper in high school (hear me out). I worked in the paint shop at a regional airport every summer throughout high school. No PPE, exposed to all kinds of strippers and solvents, since I lacked the skill and experience to be a painter; so my job was to strip paint and prep small planes and helicopters for new paint jobs.

Most of the solivants we used have been banned for cancer concerns, now I have to worry about the lead fuel. :mask: