~tc~ wrote:Sta-bil - seriously, you don't know about this?
I've known about it, but have never really needed to use it as the most my cars would sit is for a few months. Plus, I'd always make an effort to get 100% fuel to eliminate any issues like this.
But it's been better part of a year now since I've started some of them. Doesn't give me an easy feeling.
IDK if I buy in to all the Stabil hype...My Samurai sits for months on end when I don't wheel it for and it turns over a couple times and fires right up. Last 5 years it's been used for a day maybe 3 or 4 times a year idling around on the trails crawling over rocks. It hasn't been road legal since 2006, so it sits ALOT. However, it's always full of Sunoco premium. I replace the gallon, maybe two, I burn and then it goes back in the garage and it sits some more. There's easily gas mixed in there that's 4-5 years old. I've had that thing 14 years as a trail vehicle and never put anything in the tank but gas. However, it is always full. Same for the suburban I used to tow the Samurai. Run it a few times a year for towing or jaunts to work once in a while in the winter. It's always completely full of regular, whatever brand, gas was cheapest. Short of dead battery, it fires right up and runs smooth w/o issue.
I use Seafoam as my fuel injector cleaner at every oil change and fuel stabilizer for storing. Been using it for years in multiple cars. I like it.
I see Sta-bil as more a fuel treatment for ethanol-sensitive engines such as carbureted lawn mower engines but I know it can be used for vehicle engines too.
My lawn mower ran great on ethanol-mixed fuel until recently. I thought it was the ethanol-mixed fuel too until I examined it carefully and saw that the pin that controlled the choke on the carb was loose. The use of soft metals basically had the threading get stripped from mere operation. Cheap materials used in critical engine parts is why it was running poorly.
However, it's well known that ethanol-mixed fuel have caused older 2 stroke engine products to run poorly.
I've had both the Accord and Galant sit for more than a few years outside before I had my storage place. And in both cases, aside from a dead battery, the cranked up perfectly fine.
But this was before ethanol was being added in at 10%. I hope I don't run into any issues now because of it. I think it may be a bit too late for stabil--probably better to just fill up with a gallon or two of premium and some seafoam.
transmissions often offer better fuel economy compared to automatic counterparts due to their mechanical simplicity and direct driver control over gear selection. By actively engaging gears, drivers can optimize engine performance, enhancing efficiency. This makes manuals a preferred choice for fuel-conscious drivers seeking economical driving experiences.
travis53 wrote: ↑Sun Apr 21, 2024 1:12 pm
transmissions often offer better fuel economy compared to automatic counterparts due to their mechanical simplicity and direct driver control over gear selection. By actively engaging gears, drivers can optimize engine performance, enhancing efficiency. This makes manuals a preferred choice for fuel-conscious drivers seeking economical driving experiences.
That was true 20 years ago but not anymore. CVTs are inherently more efficient due to not having a set number of gears but using pulley ratios to optimize efficiency. Also, among traditional automatics, just about every single modern automatic transmission now has at least six gears or more, thus meeting or exceeding the gear count of manuals. You will now be hard-pressed to find any manual transmission model more fuel efficient than its automatic counterpart.
In fact, for some vehicles, the manual transmission is nearly non-sensical. A good example is the Subaru Crosstrek. The less powerful 2.0 liter model with the manual was less fuel-efficient than the 2.5 liter model with the CVT by a 5 MPG difference. It's hard to justify a less powerful engine with a manual that consumes significantly more fuel than a larger engine with a CVT. No wonder then why Subaru terminated the manual transmission for the Crosstrek for model year 2024.
Today, the main reason to drive a manual is for personal preference, enjoyment, and engagement. It's really no longer an economical advantage in fuel savings.
Doesn't give me an easy feeling.
sold)
