Italy tour

Italy tour

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mezzogio

Original Poster:

59 posts

175 months

Saturday 6th August 2022
quotequote all
Hi,
I am planning a tour mid October around the lake maggiore in Italy with my 1995 griffith 500.
However, I am being told that finding sp98 fuel is not that easy if possible.
Anybody has experience on that?
Sp 95 is fairly easy to find but therefore the use of a octane booster would be necessary. Anybody has experience on this? Which octane booster? Any recommendation?
Thanks for your views

2 sMoKiN bArReLs

30,582 posts

242 months

Saturday 6th August 2022
quotequote all
I've done a few Italian trips in my Chimaera 500.

In the olden days 98 was very rare. I just used ordinary unleaded & other than a bit of pinking at high altitude it was mostly unnoticeable.

These days you can get super a bit more easily.....but it's not a showstopper.

Enjoy your trip!

2 sMoKiN bArReLs

30,582 posts

242 months

Saturday 6th August 2022
quotequote all

2 sMoKiN bArReLs

30,582 posts

242 months

Saturday 6th August 2022
quotequote all
Weirdly my Golf is supposed to run super. I used ordinary on a trip & got no less performance & better mpg!


2 sMoKiN bArReLs

30,582 posts

242 months

Saturday 6th August 2022
quotequote all
I should have said 98 is more available in France than in the uk. (I’m guessing much of your journey will be there)

Also, make sure you get a toll tag, it speeds things up!

mezzogio

Original Poster:

59 posts

175 months

Sunday 7th August 2022
quotequote all
Thanks for your replies.

I am currently living nearby Versailles and half of the mileage will be done in Italy (travelling around during 3 days).

I have identified the only garage who seems to know TVRs in the land of the cavallino rampante nearby Milan…just in case.

Anyone tried the octane booster on a 5.0 v8 rover? Any problem ?

LLantrisant

1,002 posts

166 months

Sunday 7th August 2022
quotequote all
situation in italy is quite ok with 98fuel....Super E5 with 95 Oktan „Senza piombo“ and Super Plus with 98 Oktan „Benzina verde“

Older cars WITHOUT a knock sensor COULD react sensitively. But there is a simple remedy.

1.If it knocks, take your foot off the accelerator, downshift, drive at higher speeds with less load. The only poison is accelerating in high gear from low revs at full throttle. (Exactly then you hear the knocking too, so the good driver!). So local exit, 5 gear and full throttle - THAT is what is meant. This is also the best and easiest test!

2. set the ignition a few degrees later. Be careful not to overdo it, because it will overheat, which would be even worse!

But as I said, this only applies to a few very, very few exceptions. These must be vehicles with a very high compression ratio and a relatively high degree of early ignition, and/or a fissured combustion chamber, or deposits there, or.....

There is no (standard) engine that cannot run on normal Super! It's just our brains that have problems with it, and that brings us back to the obviously functioning marketing machinery of the fuel-industry.

by the way: Italy is THE country of sportscars...Ferrari, Lambo, Maserati....and they should all have problems there? no way.




GrowlingGriff

6 posts

176 months

Thursday 11th August 2022
quotequote all
Hello,

I may be able to help here. We have just spent a couple of days in Stresa (lovely place, be sure to visit the islands) E5 and 98 can be found, the link below should help (these are stations around Stresa, and there are plenty):

https://www.fuelflash.eu/it/ip--rossi-alessandro-s...

The stations with Super are easy to spot, they have three hoses per pump!

Good luck and have a great time.

mezzogio

Original Poster:

59 posts

175 months

Saturday 13th August 2022
quotequote all
Hi
Thanks for the precious information.
I was about to leave my griffith at home for this trip due to poor correct fuel availability.
Very good news then and another example of the forum benefits.
Funny enough I am also going to Stresa.
Many thanks for the tip

tivver500

370 posts

277 months

Saturday 13th August 2022
quotequote all
More relevant than the fuel's octane rating is the Ethanol content...
It is NOT reccommended to run a TVR V8 on the latest E10 fuel (which contains 10% ethanol).

In the UK Super fuel (98 Octane) has a maximum of 5% ethanol, some brands a lot less than that.

When filling up overseas look carefully at the ethanol % content and only use fuels with 5% or less.

Enjoy your trip!!