Lynn,
No indication of tensile strength. The description of the bolts is just that, not a full specification. "Alloy Steel" is the hint that these are not low grade material but that is not much help. Somewhere there will be a full specification of both the exact alloy and the properties required of the finished bolt but finding it will be a challenge. It might be possible to have a bolt analyzed but while real ones are still to be found it is cheaper to use them and be extra careful with torquing them up.
My personal opinion is that the failures are fatigue failures caused by the bolts flexing over a long period and not that they acted as a safety device. This could be due to them being wrongly torqued when the engine is built up (allowing a small angular movement of the gear) or that they were not really suitable for the constantly changing engine speed in an AFV and that this was not addressed until the '46' version. I wonder if one could fit a '46' crank and gear into a C4 ?
Dan,
I would strongly advise that one gives the engine some gas when downshifting, just as you would with a manual transmission. This is not a fully auto transmission, just easier than a manual - the driver has to help !
I agree with your views regarding fuel. You don't need the extra octane rating of AV gas but it will do no harm other than to your wallet. The ethanol content is certainly relevant though and I think that you have made a good call.
Have a safe Christmas everyone
David
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