I was talking to a guy at a bike cafe the other day. who was riding a BSA. He told me that he puts a bag of lead balls in his petrol tank. which acts like an additive.
Does anybody have experience of these and what are your thoughts on them or any other additives for that matter?
I could only find them on Amazon and they were over £30.
people on ebay selling diamond shaped lumps of lead, supposedly does the same thing.
or you could use a lead supplement Silkolene, Castrol , Fuchs etc comes in squeezy bottles that dose per litre or gallon.
Im not a chemist/petrochem so cant say. how much is a ball worth, how long does it last?
if you leave it in the tank for a few months over winter does it affect the fuel, (too much) or if its on a long run and a tank refilled would it be too weak?
Snake oil. What goes into perrol ( or used to) was a compound of lead....and lead does not dissolve in petrol ( or much else) . Most engines that were used in leaded petrol times have enough deposits left to avoid valve recession. An engineer machinist i trusted refused to do " unleaded conversions" asa. They werent reliable and the seats would fracture or fall out.
b.there was no need in most " classics" as the mileages are small.
The best solution is build your motor ( and maintain it) to manufacturers spec and keep an eye on valve clearances.
Lots of things to put in your fuel tank are available to the gullible. As originally said, with the mileages done, little chance of any damage. I had an MGB and there were lots of discussions about unleaded petrol but there were many users who used their cars daily and had racked up many miles on unleaded with no damage at all to their engines/valves. Use an additive by all means if you are worried, but the things you put into your tank................. no use at all. Tis Snake Oil !
Now, ethanol in the petrol...................??
Thanks for the replies.