Cheap fuel

In general, fuel additives are good for your engine, mainly detergents, that help keep your engine free of carbon, and ash, by improving the burn. Big brands, like Shell, Esso, and BP, spend lots of pennies on developing their additives, and this is generally reflected in the price, as they are an addition to the base fuel. Fuel without additives still meets the E5 an E10 spec.
The good thing about E5, is that it contains little or no alcohol, (the 5 in E5 indicates no more than 5% alcohol), whereas E10 contains 10% alcohol. E5 is also higher octane, 98/99,compared with 95 octane for E10.
Alcohol is lower in energy than pure petrol, and older engines were not designed to run on fuel with alcohol. E5 is more expensive than E10, but you'll probably benefit a little in mpg, and general running. Your A2 will love you for it.
Mac.
And your lawnmower will love you for using E5 as well. I was told by 2 separate garden and agricultural machinery firms 'do NOT use E10 petrol in your mower or other machinery'.
 
Another good one - today the JET garage just off the A1(M) on the way into Catterick Garrison was cheap today - 161.9p per litre for diesel and 144.9p per litre for petrol. Better than Tesco in Catterick Garrison where diesel was 167.9p per litre.
And as for 196.9p per litre for diesel at Scotch Corner services, outrageous and always extremely expensive there.
 
And your lawnmower will love you for using E5 as well. I was told by 2 separate garden and agricultural machinery firms 'do NOT use E10 petrol in your mower or other machinery'.
I agree. Many think your poor old lawnmower will tolerate old, stale, low grade fuel.
Chances are you'll end up having to strip the carburettor to clean all the sludge and rust
from it, after it starts running poorly; that's if it runs at all.
Try to run it out of fuel; and definitely at the end of the cutting season.
 
The E5/E10 issue may not be so relevant to A2's, but for my carburetted motorbikes (Triumph Speed Triple, Honda FireBlade, Guzzi California and various bits of garden machinery) it is well worth understanding. Even E5 attracts moisture (ethanol is highly hygroscopic) and leads to the creation of a sludge in float bowls, pilot jets and the like if left to stand. Draining can result in seals drying out and although fuel stabilisers can help, I use Aspen fuel, ( https://aaoil.co.uk/brands/aspen/ ) expensive, but not compared to the hassle of stripping carbs every Spring!
My later, fuel injected, Speed Triple had its fuel tank made of a plastic which the ethanol penetrates and over time makes it enlarge (believe it or not), also causing bubbles in the paintwork - however this is reversible if the tank is drained (and some Aspen added to keep all the plumbing gubbins under fuel).
 
Shell E5 is normally zero alcohol. Other oil co E5 is too. Called E5 as max allowable alcohol is 5%, but doesn't have to have any.
Mac.
 
I stick E5 in my Robin and every other fill in the A2. I use fuel preserver in the E5 I put in my mower and it seems to work. I put a further octane booster in the Robin every other fill, and I can overtake uphill with that, but the corners over the other side are still looming. E10 is the devils work for older cars and garden equipment!
 
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