Seasonal gasoline formula - should I care?

Discussion in 'Clarity' started by Tangible, Oct 23, 2019.

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  1. Tangible

    Tangible Active Member

    I sometimes go for months on a single tank of gas because of my driving pattern. I know that there are different summer and winter formulas for gas. Will there be any ill-effects from driving in cold weather with summer gas from my last refueling in August?
     
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  3. Sandroad

    Sandroad Well-Known Member

    My usual ill-informed and anecdotal opinion is you have no worries. The formulation changes are for emissions considerations and won't harm the engine systems.
     
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  4. KentuckyKen

    KentuckyKen Well-Known Member

    My driving habits let me keep the same gas in the tank for 6 to 8 months so I always use Stabil. (And @insightman thought I only shilled for RainX!)
    I should get paid for endorsing
    Stabil, RainX and 303 Protectant.
     
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  5. 4sallypat

    4sallypat Active Member

    Winter blend vs Summer blend here in California just means cost of fuel differs....
     
  6. HagerHedgie

    HagerHedgie Member

    RaniX is awesome!


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  8. skylines

    skylines New Member

    Possibly. But I wouldn't worry too much. Winter gasoline is mixed to have higher volatility so it can be ignited more easily in cold weather. Summer blends reduce the volatility to lower the chances of it evaporating before it ever gets to the engine and causing excess pollution. So in principle if it gets really cold a summer blend can make the engine run rough in winter.

    But these cars are over-engineered and standards are usually set for the lowest common denominators. I suspect the car will run just fine. The pressurized tank should take care of most of the humidity and volatility issues that makes gas "go bad".
     
  9. HagerHedgie

    HagerHedgie Member

    I’ve heard that gasoline loses its octane rating over time. I’m sure the pressurized fuel system on the clarity helps with this, but I don’t know if it stops it completely.
    I’d be more concerned with that then summer versus winter blends unless you’re dealing with Arctic temperatures.
    If I only filled up a few times a year I might put high-octane in for that reason. I’m not a fuel engineer though, that’s just my amateur opinion.


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  10. Mowcowbell

    Mowcowbell Well-Known Member

    Don't bother with high octane fuel. What you really want is ethanol free fuel. The ethanol is what causes fuel line issues if it sits long enough.
     
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  11. HagerHedgie

    HagerHedgie Member

    Very true. It’s hard to find in some areas though.


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