Fuel in Brazil

[mmaarten]

Many stories about the fuel in Brazil... Here is an other one... Mostly to set your minds at easy.

Fuel in Brazil does NOT contain alcohol... Not even a drop can be found in what they call: Gasolina Commun.
You can safely use it and you don,t need to replace old rubber parts... they will not dissolve.

There is an other type of fuel. It,s called Alcool (pronounce Alcohol) and this, as you might have guessed, containes 25 % alcohol... But your bike will never run on it... You need a special setup for this... To bad course it,s half the price of commun.

I did find however that the fuel does contain something else... I dpon,t know what it is, but it makes the bike run a bit lean... Only while ideling, so I adjusted (after checking everything for false air etc...) the idle-jets a bit. For a honda africa twin, one turn out. (standaard is 2,5... so now 3,5... but do it on feeling)
I guess there is an aditive witch uses volume, but does not contribute to the burn... and thus... lean burn.

Since the africa twin is already a "lean burn" engine... other,s might not even pick it up... I just found it ideling a bit rough... and I dont like that.

I would advise against the expensive fuel... Some say it,s better but I think it,s not. It contains many aditives witch are not always consequent of mix... I tried it once and my bike did not like the taste of it... and it left a red deposit in the fuel-chambers... notting dangerous but stil...

So.. Stop your worries... and fill up with commun....

Maarten


------------------
- www.maartensworld.com -
- Some photo's -

[richardb]

Maarten, I hope all is well with you.

In fact I have it on good authority that the Gasolina Aditivada is unleaded, we have checked several times. My bike (F650) runs fine on it.

Richard

------------------
Richb
http://www.postmaster.co.uk/~richardbeaumont/60684/

[Fernando&Carmen]

Maarten

You are almost correct... but the aditive on the fuel is really alcohol.

Fuel here in Brasil is always a long,long history... so, let's go again...

TYPES:

All fuel is unleaded, it's use alcohol instead of lead...
The base mix for "gas" is: 76% gas + 24% alcohol

"Álcool" - In the stations we have the 100% alcohol! It's really popular here, cause it's cheaper than gas...
It's the commom Anhydrous or Ethil Alcohol, from sugarcane... never try to use (or drink.. heheh) it!!!

"Gasolina Comum" - low octane gas, base mix

"Gasolina Aditivada" - low octane, base mix + cleaning aditives
Each brand has it's own set of aditives and name... Shell V-Power, Texaco System-3,...
Indicated for use in modern EFI engines... The cleaning additives could remove the crap and rust in old engines and fuel tanks, what sometimes means carb problems and leaks...

"Gasolina Premium" - high octane, base mix + cleaning additives + anti-knock aditives
Each brand has it's own set of aditives and name...
For use in high compression engines...


ALCOHOL PROBLEMS

Yes, 1/4 of the gas is in truth ALCOHOL!
Problems with rubbers... maybe, I really don't know...
But fiberglass or epoxy "rust protected" tanks have problems... the alcohol dissolves the resin...

CARB ADJUSTS

Alcohol needs a fat mixture... so the foreign engines will run lean... but I think it's only a problem if the engine is already running too lean...
The fuel injecteds will manage this without problems... but if the engine is high than 10:1, is better to use "Premium"...

THIRD PART ADITIVES??

Well... today we have a big problem with falsified fuels... some distibutors buy cheap solvents and mix on Fuel... some do the trick putting more alcohol than indicated... so, be carefull WHERE you get the fuel... if possible, choose big gas stations in cities... the small stations on the road are all suspects...


regards


------------------
Fernando&Carmen
Webmasters
www.xt600.com.br

[This message has been edited by Fernando&Carmen (edited 18 April 2004).]

[Muno]

In Brazil all the petrol is mixt with 22% alcohol. But sometimes the petrolstation mix it up to over 30% because alcohol is cheaper than petrol. So you always have to be care when you get petrol. Best is you unly buy brandpetrol.

------------------
http://www.motorbike-tours.ch/Fotoseite.php

[mmaarten]

ehum....

Oficial statment from Petrobras (Brasilian oil company)
"We do not mix alcohol in out fuel"...

Unfortunatly... when I asked (after ready your reply,s) more and more... they started to add: "But the subdistributers do mix alcohol in the fuel up to a percentage set by the gouverment".

Well...

Maarten

By the way... Paraguay also put some alcohol in there fuel... but it seems (so they say) that the 97 octane fuel is pure...
(yes... you may shot this one down to... the truth is all that maters)


------------------
- www.maartensworld.com -
- Some photo's -

[This message has been edited by mmaarten (edited 02 May 2004).]