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Your Synthetic Oil Change Experts in Mission Present A Brief History of Leaded Fuel

Tetraethyl lead was used as a gasoline additive in the United States up until it was banned in 1995. Before that, it was slowly phased out in the 1970s. The whole purpose of using lead in gasoline was to increase the octane rating of the fuel, which helped to reduce engine knocking and reduce wear and tear on valve seats within the motor. ;In today's post, your synthetic oil change experts in Mission are going to give you a brief history on leaded fuel. ;

;In order to understand why lead used to be added to gasoline, it's important to understand a bit more about gasoline and what different properties make it a good combustion material in vehicle engines. ;Gasoline is simply a product that comes from crude oil that is made up of carbon atoms that are joined together into carbon chains. You will get a different type of fuel based on the number of carbon atoms in the chain. The varying length of the chains create different types of fuel. For example, methane has one carbon atom on its chain, propane has three carbon atoms, and octane has eight carbon atoms. All of the chains have characteristics that behave differently under different situations. ;Characteristics that are different can be boiling point and ignition temperature for example.

If a fuel has the property to withstand compression without auto-igniting, it is much more desirable than a fuel that cannot. This is because if a fuel reaches its ignition temperature during compression, it will auto-ignite at the wrong time which can cause loss of power and engine damage. Also, if the fuel auto-ignites at the wrong time, this will create engine knocking and engine knocking or ping is very bad and can even disintegrate your engine. ;

;If a vehicle's engine can produce higher compression in the cylinders, it can get more power out of each stroke of the piston. ;This is why it is important to produce fuels that can handle higher compression without auto-igniting under pressure. In other words, a fuel with a higher octane rating can handle more compression than a fuel with a lower octane rating. ;

;Whether you use high or low octane gasoline, it's a proven fact that using synthetic oil is better ;for the environment and increases vehicle fuel economy. ;Call Ed Welliver in Mission, ;today for more information on AMSOIL synthetic oil and why it is the right choice for you. Our main number is (956) 458-9399. ;Also, check out our online store ;to get ;AMSOIL synthetic oil in Mission.

;In the year 1919, Dayton Metal Products Co. merged with General Motors. A research division was formed that set out to solve two big problems at the time: the need for high compression engines and the very low supply of fuel available that would run them. In 1921, scientists added lead to the fuel in a laboratory engine and the results were astonishing. ;The engine didn't knock at all; in fact, it was almost silent. Mostly all vehicles at the time suffered from engine knock so the team was overcome with joy. Over time, other producers discovered that by adding lead to their fuel they could significantly improve the octane rating of gas at a very low cost. ;

However, all was not smooth sailing for people working with lead gasoline because the health risks associated with the usage of it were well documented and known even before major oil companies began using it. ;In the year 1922, while plans for production of leaded gasoline were just beginning to take off, Thomas Midgley received a letter from Charles Klaus, a German scientist, stating that lead was a dangerous and poisonous substance and that it even killed a colleague of his. This didn't seem to bother Midgley at all, who himself succumbed to lead poisoning during the planning phase and while recovering in Miami, Midgley wrote to an oil industry engineer that public poisoning was "almost impossible, as no one will repeatedly get their hands covered in gasoline containing lead..." Other opposition towards lead came from a lab director for the Public Health Service who wrote to the assistant surgeon general that lead was a "serious menace to public health".

Although there were many warnings, production on leaded gasoline began in 1923. With many oil manufacturing workers succumbing to lead poisoning, it took too long for The Public Health Service to make their move and hold a conference in 1925 to address the problem of leaded gasoline. Despite the evidence that lead was dangerous to work with, no real action was taken and leaded gasoline was allowed to remain on the market. ;

;It wasn't until 1974, after the environmental hazards of leaded gasoline became overwhelmingly apparent, that the Environmental Protection Agency stepped in and announced the scheduled phase out of lead content in gasoline. ;

;To summarize, the environmental standards required by the EPA, emission control mechanisms on cars, and the advent of other octane boosting alternatives, started the beginning of the end for leaded gasoline. ;

Treat Your Engine to a Synthetic Oil Change in Mission

You can trust Ed Welliver in Mission ;to provide you with the best synthetic oil in the market, AMSOIL 100% synthetic oil. ;Call ;(956) 458-9399 ;for more information on the best products for your next synthetic oil change in Mission. Also, check out our online store ;to place an order for ;AMSOIL synthetic oil in Mission.