What fuel is best to use?

[rob love]

Having been through the trials and tribulations of stuck needle valves, excessive pump failures, cracking rubber lines, and dealing with skunky fuel, I strongly suggest premium in anything with a carb. We had an in-tank electric fuel pump on a deuce actually stripped of it's coating in the space of a year, making the bottom of the fuel pump chamber an inch of sticky goo. The pump had to be replaced.

Edited to add: I forgot about the sticking valves. Seemed like my tractor was regularly throwing valve pushrods, especially in the winter. It now only burns premium for the past two winters and I have had no more sticking valves.

Ethanol is a gimmick and a curse brought to us by the corn lobby, and enacted by governments trying to somehow appear green. If you merely consider the fuel you will end up throwing away because of it going prematurely skunky, that alone should be enough to convince you to pay the extra 20¢ a liter for premium.

There is a reason why the owners manuals for any modern lawn mower, chain saw or other small engine states "Do not use ethanol fuel".

As for additives, since going over to the premium, I have not used any additives. Time will tell if that is the correct move. We are above 30°C these days, so if a vehicle was going to vapour-lok, now would be the time.