Are there side effects of running leaded fuel in the car? (100+)?

 

Cook the cat, and the 02 sensors.

Screw up the air.

Matt

 

Thats what I was afraid of. No leaded fuel for me, 100 is my limit.

 

you can get up to 109 unleaded ...maybe even better now....the best I have found for regular access is 104....but I belive when I looked at the chart for buying it by the drum that there was 109 or something...

 

With the catalytic converter fouled and O2 sensors non-functional, isn't there a possibility of throwing a Check Engine condition and putting the car in EML mode?

 

you will have a check engine light of you do not have a cat...but the car will run fine....as long as it's the bank 2 sensor....if bank 1 goes you will have a problem...but that would only be from running full leaded fuel...and even then it wouldn;t go right away....it would just shorten it's life....

 

but that would screw with closed loop operation. There are 02 sensors that live better in leaded environments too, but as Tuls said, they would die faster.....

Matt

But really, there isn't much of a need to run our cars with leaded gas. Like I said earlier, I don't think the stock tune can really use the combustion properties of the 100, much less stuff that is even higher octane....

 

For those of us who live in California, there is another potentially very expensive issue when it comes time to either sell the car or when the annual inspections start (after 6 years from date of first registration?) - failed SMOG test. As soon as it is determined that the car was fed a diet of leaded gas, you are in intentional destruction of emission control system territory. A flag is set in the DMV computer system and the car can not be registered until the emission control system is certified by the manufacturer as being fully compliant to the specification that was in effect as of the date of vehicle manufacture. To get to that level basically involves replacement of everything from the catalytic converter back through the engine to the gas tank cap. (Remember, if you want MINI/BMW to certify it, you are going to have to replace whatever they tell you will have to be replaced; not what you think should be replaced....) I haven't priced such a replacement, but I could easily see it being somewhere in the $20,000 territory for parts and labor.

 

closed loop.....WHO NEED CLOSED LOOP?