Hello everyone, I have started an experiment to see if fuel stabilizers actually work. I have wondered this for years and from what I could find no one seems to have actually done a study on this, so I am comparing pure gasoline to red Sta-Bil treated fuel and Star-Tron treated fuel. I have added both produces at the recommended dose to stabilize fuel for 2 years. Star-Tron claims that one ounce of their product in 6 gallons of gasoline will keep fuel fresh for 2 years and Sta-Bil claims that 2 ounces of their red stabilizer in 2.5 gallons of fuel will keep fuel fresh for up to 2 years as well, so those are the doses I used to keep things fair.
For this experiment, I have used Shell 93 octane fuel purchased from the same pump at the same station on the same day. Also, I filled my gas cans after filling my car in case any fuel of another grade was present in the pump or hose in order to ensure a fair test. I chose Shell 93 octane fuel because it is what I use in my car and small engines and because it is generally believed by me as well as many others to be the best gasoline that can be purchased at the pump.
I am going to be providing monthly updates on the color and smell of each of these fuels as well as if there is any visible differences, such as if one of the fuels is starting to gum up or something. I am also going to be trying each of these fuels in a small engine in a year to see if to see if these fuels are still usable. I am using clean 2 liter soda bottles for this test because they have tightly sealing caps and because they can handle a lot of pressure. As you can see in the picture, each bottle has the same amount of fuel in it.
Here is where I need your help making a decision. Where should I store these bottles? I could either store these bottles in my garage where the temp is less extreme and more stable or I could store these bottles outside where temperatures are more extreme and less stable to speed up degradation. Also, if I store these bottles outside, should I store them in a plastic bin to shield them from sunlight? I'm thinking since exposure to sunlight isn't realistic in most situations I will keep the bottles outside in a black plastic bin where they are exposed to temperature variations but not sunlight, but on the other hand I want to see results already! Does sunlight even degrade gasoline? What would you suggest?
For this experiment, I have used Shell 93 octane fuel purchased from the same pump at the same station on the same day. Also, I filled my gas cans after filling my car in case any fuel of another grade was present in the pump or hose in order to ensure a fair test. I chose Shell 93 octane fuel because it is what I use in my car and small engines and because it is generally believed by me as well as many others to be the best gasoline that can be purchased at the pump.
I am going to be providing monthly updates on the color and smell of each of these fuels as well as if there is any visible differences, such as if one of the fuels is starting to gum up or something. I am also going to be trying each of these fuels in a small engine in a year to see if to see if these fuels are still usable. I am using clean 2 liter soda bottles for this test because they have tightly sealing caps and because they can handle a lot of pressure. As you can see in the picture, each bottle has the same amount of fuel in it.
Here is where I need your help making a decision. Where should I store these bottles? I could either store these bottles in my garage where the temp is less extreme and more stable or I could store these bottles outside where temperatures are more extreme and less stable to speed up degradation. Also, if I store these bottles outside, should I store them in a plastic bin to shield them from sunlight? I'm thinking since exposure to sunlight isn't realistic in most situations I will keep the bottles outside in a black plastic bin where they are exposed to temperature variations but not sunlight, but on the other hand I want to see results already! Does sunlight even degrade gasoline? What would you suggest?