How fuel stabilizers work...or not

Grit dog wrote:

Well you’re about 100% wrong with it damaging small engines. 110% wrong on causing them to run hotter.
About 90% wrong on it making them run poorly....and yes I understand how octane and engine design work. And 100LL is only about 96 octane. Not a huge jump like race gas. Hence why it’s comparatively so cheap. Best part is it’s stable for a couple years, stored properly unlike any Normal pump gas.
Can’t speak to availability but here, I can pull up to the pump, pull a tail number out of my arse and it will dispense fuel. Even directly into my car or trucks fuel tank.
Save the lecture on that one for someone who cares.

Cost? No $2 gas here. Like I said compare to non ethanol + stabilizer it’s about a wash for a FAR better fuel. My money, my problem anyways.

And if your reading comprehension skills were astute, I actually said drain and run dry is the cheapest and best method.

You obviously no nothing about gas OR how gas engines work then.

Higher octane SLOWS the FLAME FRONT when ignited under pressure, that not only means there is more HEAT inside the cylinder, it also means that when the exhaust valve OPENS that BURNING FUEL is now being ejected out of the engine right across the exhaust valve and seat right into the exhaust pipe.

Higher octane fuels were developed to reduce PREIGNITION (PINGING/KNOCK under light or heavy load) of the fuel in HIGH COMPRESSION ENGINES (10 to 1 - 11 to 1).

Higher compression engines also have a different valve timing and even ignition timing to take full advantage of that slower flame front, unmodified small engines do not have the correct valve timing or ignition timing to take full advantage of the energy.. That means much more heat IS retained in the engine and exhaust valve.

Small aircooled engines unlike water cooled engines also have a very limited way of shedding any extra heat, you can only shed the heat as fast as the air going across the heat sinks (that IS what the fins on the cylinder and head are) and ambient air temp can severely reduce the effectiveness of aircooling.

Yes, I HAVE had plenty of play time with gas engines, cut my teeth on playing with old oil well hit and miss engines (low compression)in the PA oil fields, have tinkered a lot with hopping up quite a few small (lawnmower) and large auto engines..

My Dad had even more experience and yes, he burned up a lot of engines/pistons/valves/heads doing stupid things to gain more power and "fuel economy". Worst one for him was getting stranded 8hrs from home with two completely missing burned out pistons out of a 8 cyl engine once, all of the plugs were cracked, most of the exhaust valves were turned into something resembling those canned stacked potato chips..

Pouring anything over 87 in any unmodified lawn mower style air cooled engine is a waste of your money and potentially damaging to it.

And yes, I did acknowledge your wisdom of draining the carb, that IS much better than chasing down a fuel that was not designed for your engine.

As far as the cost of "stabilizers" goes, I don't spend a dime on them, have not had ANY need to waste my money on them by draining the fuel. I don't feel they will really help, from what I have read, most supposedly work by spreading a oily layer overtop of the gas. The idea to to prevent moisture laden air from getting to the fuel. It might help but then again may not.

Many folks go by the marketing hype and Internet stories saying it works for them.. They really do not know if it works or not but because they have "never" had and issue using it, they fully believe it works.

Great snake oil salesmanship.