Gull fuel?

[buggerit]

Is Gull fuel still imported from Singapore and if so, is it a better quality fuel?

[AllanB]

Serious? It's petrol. Put it in, ride, put more in .............

[Akzle]

dont buy it in whg.
It runs hot and will smoke your engine.

[Laava]

The difference between Gull and the big 4's petrol would be undetectable by performance. The Gull used to be about .5 octane higher and that is about it. From the company that tests ALL fuel for sale in NZ, IPL at marsden point. The I stands for independent by the way, they were going to call it NPL but decided that would be a bit too much like nipple. True story.

[nosebleed]

The difference between Gull and the big 4's petrol would be undetectable by performance. The Gull used to be about .5 octane higher and that is about it. From the company that tests ALL fuel for sale in NZ, IPL at marsden point. The I stands for independent by the way, they were going to call it NPL but decided that would be a bit too much like nipple. True story.

Sounds like they put effort into their name than The Business Advisory Group
True story

http://www.tbag.co.nz/

[Chooky]

Here's a bit about ethanol fuels..............


Ethanol-blended fuels now in Western Australia

26 March 2013
The RAC has released important information for motorists regarding the ethanol-blended fuels which have recently been introduced in Western Australia.

RAC Manager Vehicles and Fuels Alex Forrest said the arrival of two ethanol-blended fuels (E10 and Premium 100) means motorists should take extra notice when they are filling up their vehicles.

“The choice of fuels being offered at some petrol stations may change and motorists filling up their vehicles should ensure they choose a fuel which is suitable for their vehicle.”

“Most vehicles built after 1986 can use ethanol fuels,” Mr Forrest said.

“However, owners of vehicles built after of 1986 should still check their manuals or go to the manufacturer directly to ensure ethanol-blended fuels are suitable for the engine and won’t cause fuel system damage.”

Both the new ethanol-blended fuels – E10 and Premium 100 – have up to 10% ethanol and carry Research Octane Numbers (RON) of 95 and 100 respectively.

“Although their higher RON numbers mean these fuels have a better resistance to detonation, their lower energy content means they may deliver slightly increased fuel consumption compared to straight petrol,” Mr Forrest said.

“Often the discounted price of E10 does not offset the increased fuel consumption experienced by motorists who use it.”

Ethanol blended fuels may not be suitable for use in some small engines such as those in whipper-snippers, leaf blowers, chainsaws, and some motorcycles. Owners of such machines should use premium 95 if straight unleaded is not available, unless the engine manual says otherwise.

More information about ethanol-blended fuels can be found at rac.com.au/ethanol.

[Flettner]

My 1973 Kawasaki runs quite happily on Ethanol E90. It's a good fuel.

[Hitcher]

Gull is the best fuel in New Zealand. Why? Because it erodes the value of all other fuels by 6 cents a litre in the centres where it's sold.

[strandedinnz]

Doesn't ethanol have a few side effects like slowly rotting the rubbery bits in the carbs and soaking up water from the atmosphere if you leave it too long ?

[slofox]

Doesn't ethanol have a few side effects like slowly rotting the rubbery bits in the carbs and soaking up water from the atmosphere if you leave it too long ?

That depends upon whether the rubbery bits are designed to withstand ethanol. Ethanol is a chain molecule. Petrol is based on ring molecules. They have different solvent properties so require different materials for fuel lines etc. Not hard to make alcohol tolerant engines and parts. BUT, this is why you have to be sure your engine WILL tolerate alcohol fuel.

Soaks up water from the atmosphere? At 10% I doubt that would be a problem. Small additions of alcohol to fuel have been reported as useful for removing water from fuel tanks. Given the limited exposure to air in a fuel tank, I doubt this would be a major.

I have run many motorbike engines on alcohol fuels over the years without any of them falling apart. What I did notice was a cleaner engine internally after a given period of running. Seems alcohol fuels leave less carbon inside. Or something...

Having said all that, once upon a time, in the early days on the I.C.E., they all ran on alcohol fuels. Oil fuels came later.

[Gremlin]

Doesn't ethanol have a few side effects like slowly rotting the rubbery bits in the carbs and soaking up water from the atmosphere if you leave it too long ?

As slofox said, depends if the bike is designed to handle ethanol.

Age is no guarantee. I saw a set of KTM RC8 fuel lines disolve to mush in ethanol. They were testing why an RC8 was having issues.

Avoid it like the plague unless you've been guaranteed it will be fine. I asked about my BMW, and was told all BMWs (inc cars) have been fine for at least a decade. Not specific enough for me thanks, I'll keep avoiding it as much as possible.

Oh, also, some places in the states only have E10 type fuels, and the guys there are complaining as well. Bear in mind you'll likely use more fuel for the same distance, so any saving from a cheaper price is dubious.

[Owl]

Avoid it like the plague unless you've been guaranteed it will be fine.

Too right!

My bike is apparently fine to run on ethanol, except the tank (plastic) won't handle it and they have a tendancy to absorb alcohol and swell. Often becoming apparent after the tank is removed, only to find they don't go back on again.

[Flettner]

If you have an air cooled engine ethanol has quite an advantage, lots more power to be had.

[caspernz]

If you have an air cooled engine ethanol has quite an advantage, lots more power to be had.

Keep dreaming, once you add ethanol the calorific value of the fuel goes down. Less power, less clicks per tank. Cheap to buy yes, expensive in the long run.

But yeah, like Hitcher mentioned the main value of Gull fuel is that it drags down the price of the big 4s product, so fill up at one of the big 4 in a location where a Gull is located

[Flettner]

It's no dream, yes the calorific value is down but stuffing it in at twice the rate ( approx ) more BTU's are released, more power! Cooling effect ( air cooled twostroke ) is valuable, higher compression, detonation controlled! more sustained power, so don't dream, use it. I do, E90.