This was recommended to me by a Porsche fanatic.
Driven Racing Oil 70041 Carb Defender Fuel Additive, 8 oz. (speedwaymotors.com)
the claim by Drivenāis that it is effective in reducing this-the text from Driven is:
āThe growing use of Ethanol in modern pump fuel significantly increases the risk of carburetor and fuel system corrosion. Ethanol is hygroscopic, meaning it absorbs moisture, which causes corrosion in the fuel system and inside the engine. High levels of Ethanol dilution in the motor oil can lead to increased moisture in the crankcase, thereby causing rust and other corrosion problems. Plus, Ethanol by itself is corrosive to components made of Aluminum and Zinc, like carburetors. Both of these problems are compounded by long periods of storage between uses.Driven Racing Oil Carb Defender fuel additive utilizes special corrosion inhibitors to prevent costly repairs and poor performance caused by Ethanol blended gasoline and the moisture it attracts. Fuel additive also restores performance and protects carburetors from performance-robbing deposits. Designed for the unique needs of classic vehicles that spend much of their lives in storage between cruises and special events.
This is the only one I have seen so far to deal directly with carburetor metal.
Nick
Yeah right ā¦
I wouldnāt keep it in the tank in the winter, but I try to drive it whenever possible so I donāt have that question.
Additives are absolutely not needed. Keep that money for new jets and diaphragms etc.
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If you intend to store your XK during the Winter just fill the as empty as possible tank with AVGAS 100LL. This aircraft fuel (available at allmost every airfield) is much more stable over time than automotive fuel.
Best Regards
Lukas
looks like a copy / paste from an article. you getting commission for advertising, iāll re-quote myselfā¦iāve been running Ethanol blend e10 for over 10 years, NO sign of rust/corrosion/poor engine idle or performance - NO scale-pitting or damage to carbs, also read LLuis Gimeoās post
weāre getting way off the mark here which is typical of this forum, it appears RON the original poster doesnāt want to hear positive feed back from people who have proven it to be ok to use Ethanol blended fuels without the use of additives which the motor industry is good at scare mongering people to use a product you donāt needā¦much the same as pills - gums- patches to give up smoking, save ya money, just stop smoking, additives in fuel just makes someone elseās pocket bigger
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Tom; Apparently youāve misunderstood my questions and responses. I havenāt used any additives in the 120 and have been using high octane gas for a couple years now with no apparent ill effects. But, yes, reading the many comments about how ethanol is destructive to our engines I am asking for input from people who have/have not used additives, and which formulations seem to be best to combat the effects of the blend. Of course, I know about avgas but not too coinvent to drive to the airport every time Iām out of fuel, Of course I know about Stabil but donāt know if it protects the fuel lines or metal car parts, or if itās even necessary. Seems like your experience tells us that there is really no need to worry about the effects of ethanol/gas. Iād like to hear more from other drivers. Iād rather not want to worry about having to keep adding some dubious product to my tank every time I fill up.
Ron,
For what itās worth, I try to use the grade of Shell gasoline which sometimes still claims to contain no ethanol.
When I end up using other fuels, I sometimes use these additives.
I canāt really determine if they work or not, but luckily so far havenāt encountered any fuel related problems(yet) with my mostly stock fuel system. Most or all of the fuel related gaskets, seals etc. have been renewed over the past 20 years or so.
Hereās another question, if methyl alcohol is added to fuel to get rid of unwanted water in the fuel, does this lead to corrosion of metal parts similar to what may happen when ethanol is present in fuel ? In other words, do methyl alcohol and ethyl alcohol have different corrosive effects ?
there is ALWAYSā¦the one that will sayāI have never usedāXāand never had a problem, my car has never overheated, i drove 1,000 miles at 80 mph on 40 year old tires, I used horse pee instead of motor oil and never had a problem, my new electronic ignition has never failed !!
The original post question wasāwhat do drivers use to combat the destructive action of this additive (being ethanol). SOā¦forget whether ethanol is destructive or notāletās assume it isāwhat is used? : the replies shed some light and answers. A simple google search: fuel additives for ethanol gas will come up with more products: then the decision of whether to add about $6 to a fill up cost for a bottle of product is up to each.
Lucky me: no ethanol is available everywhere hereābut as I said, unbranded and the additive package not knownā¦so I STILL use some additives of Techron fuel system cleaner, Lucas Injector Cleaner-top lube, octane boost, and lead substitute.
If I had to use ethanol fuelāitād be the Driven, or Startron, or Lucas products. ANDāI would not let the ethanol fuel age in the tankā30-60 days max.
and for TOMāI did copy and paste from what Driven saidā¦and I said soā¦āthe text is from Drivenā is what I said. The question was about what productsāso talking about them is not advertising.
Nick
Does the car ping currently? What kind of terrain do you normally drive in? If you live in hilly country you might need to consider that. The hardened seats in our aluminum heads are more tolerant than you might fear. Any time I have had ping it was my fault and I fixed it with a timing light.
Ron, i know iām a bit of a stirrer, the bottom line is> itās your car you do what ever you feel is best for it, i will quote you> Seems like your experience tells us that there is really no need to worry about the effects of ethanol/gas (not only me but others in the same camp)ā¦andā¦Iād rather not want to worry about having to keep adding some dubious product to my tank every time I fill upā¦wishing you happy motoring from a real mechanic of the 60ās to 80ās & beyond
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what is ādubiousā is ethanol contacting the metallurgy of the 1950s and 60sā¦when no engineer/metallurgist considered anything but leaded gasoline. Cars of today are made for ethanol fuels, the rubber is different, the metals are different, roller cams are made for less zddp in oil, cooling system metals are made for certain anti-freeze colors-types, differentials and gearboxex made for certain differential hypoid oils and limited slip additives, made for higher fuel pressures, higher cooling system pressures, made for radial tires, shall I go onā¦but , sure you can just go on your merry way as if nothing is differentā¦your car, your way.
The bottom line REALLY is to do sensible things to maintain your classic carā¦not to just do whatever cuz you feel like it and its your car. This forum has a purpose of maintaining these cars. I am sure there is a psychological feel good forum somewhere.
Nick
I see the old ethanol bugaboo has raised its ugly head againā¦ 
I have run E10 fuel in the Jaguar, the Rover, and large number of other cars, with carburetors, and with other than Strombergs and SUs, and in the case of all engines, never had a single problem.
There was an issue with the earlier diaphragms, but that was cured quite a long time ago with ethanol-proof diaphragms. I maintain that if used regularly, not allowed to sit, there will be no problems with it in a well-maintained fuel system.
The assertion that it shouldnāt be used in any engine greater than 7:compression ratio is poppycock: in fact, ethanol has a higher octane rating than just plain fuel.
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Nick,
when you find ā¦tell us where
There must be some metallurgist who knows if ethanol 10 eats some metals.
Iāve run e-10 in a Jaguar 3.8S, two 63 year old Morris Minors, one 72 year old MGTD, one 1990 XJ6, and one 54 year old Austin 1300 all bone stock cars for at least 20 years with absolutely no issues. My recommendation is, āKeep calm and carry onā.
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Nick,
I am a Professional Automotive Engineer, and during my working career undertook a major project sponsored by the Australian Federal Government, the ACT and NSW State Governments as well as a major European Manufacturer of city-route Buses and also the inventor/supplier of a new Fuel that they called DIESAHOL - which was a blend of 10% ETHANOL in Diesel, rather than E10 being a blend of 10% Ethanol in Petrol (Diesel and Petrol are what we call it, so not sure what terms are used elsewhere). The trial ran 12 new buses in parallel over a 2 year period, which typically for route buses (in the ACT) approached 200,000 km. 6 buses were standard running on our standard Diesel fuel, the other 6 buses had their cylinder heads and entire fueling/injection system modified in the European makers experimental factory, and fitted/set up to these buses in Canberra. The project was managed by me, but heavily helped/monitored/assisted by the European Bus manufacturer and the NSW company that supplied the Diesahol, and the NSW Environmental Protection Agency who conducted several vehicle emissions tests at intervals through the trial (to assess claims of improved emissions)ā¦
I wonāt comment about all the findings/conclusions of overall project/trial except what is relevant to this current subject, but the 6 Diesahol buses spent a lot of time in the workshop fixing problems with the fuel-injection and fuel delivery system re corrosion in non-ferrous metals and adverse reactions with certain plastics - they were redesigned/remanufactured and fixed (the joy of having the bus manufacturer involved). But at end of trial the engines were stripped down and laboratory inspected, revealing developing corrosion problems in the head. Now at end of day, lessons learnt re the corrosion issues with D10, with that all fixable with new/redesigned componentry; but that doesnāt work for classic car owners with as-is original technology enginesā¦
Now I donāt know if E10 will have the same problems as D10 - maybe a chemical engineer could guess better than me. But for me, being close and personal at a professional engineering level with access to, and the full resources of a major European Bus manufacturer, that was enough for me to personally swear OFF to ever using E10 (or any other Ethanol blends) in any of my Jaguars. Not that E10 is available in Australia of a suitable octane rating either for 8:1 or 9:1 cr XK engines.
What other owners may want to do, is there own business, and good luck to those who claim/think they are not having any problems, and there is nothing potentially happening inside. But given my professional/manufacturer level first hand experience over a closely monitored 2 year period I simply will not touch E10ā¦
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Hi Rogerā¦was the D10 (Dieselhol) product that your refering to actually a Bio Diesel that was plant basedā¦we had problems in the UK in the farming industry with brand new tractors failing when the Bio Diesel was introduced the plant based ādieselā was gumming up the injectors and the added E10 was damaging the non ethanol rubber fuel hosesā¦its well known that added ethanol will corrode non ethanol rubber and plastic components and the glues in composite cork gasketsā¦Steve
In Ontario Shell premium fuel both 91 and 93 are no longer ethanol free. This is fact and confirmed by more than one person at Shell HQ.
I know of no other fuel in Ontario that will keep me and my old engines happy anymore. If you do, please let us know.
Yes, see company blurb about their Ethanol, but they claimed a special/patented process - then - to properly blend the D10 - as they called itā¦
# Leading the way in Sustainable Alcohol Production
by Manildra Group | Jun 22, 2022
Leading the way in Sustainable Alcohol Production
Manildra Group is celebrating after the Roundtable of Sustainable Biomaterial (RSB) re-certified the company, recognising the highest commitment to sustainable ethanol production world-wide at their state-of-the-art seven-column distillery, located at their Shoalhaven Starches site in Nowra, New South Wales.
In 2012, Manildra Group was the first plant in the world to receive the internationally recognised sustainability certification from the RSB, and this year completed their third re-certification.
āIt was an exceptional achievement to be the first ethanol plant in the world to be awarded the RSB certification, and this news of continued re-certification demonstrates our family-owned Australian businessesā unwavering commitment to sustainability,ā said Shoalhaven Starches Quality Assurance and Environmental Coordinator, John Studdert.
The RSB is a full member of the International Social and Environmental Accreditation and Labelling (ISEAL) Alliance and is focused on the global sustainability of bio-based fuel and material production and use. Manildra Group maintains this certification through the implementation of RSBās environmental, social, and economic principles and criteria.
āOur certification is a great achievement for the bioeconomy as it demonstrates that ethanol can be produced in a way that not only dramatically reduces greenhouse gas emissions but ensures real positive social and environmental benefits.
We are very proud to set the standard for truly sustainable ethanol production globally,ā said Manildra Group Head of Ethanol, Debbie Forster.
RSBās approach is internationally renowned as the most trusted, credible, and practical certification for the bioeconomy, with support from Non Government Organisations. It is also recognised in Australiaās biofuel regulations, ensuring that ethanol producers demonstrate that their operation is actively creating positive outcomes for people and the planet.
RSBās Executive Director, Elena Schmidt said, āWe are thrilled to see RSBās first ever operator re-certified for another five years. Manildra Groupās continued commitment to RSB certification is a testament to their focus on sustainability in their community and operations. As true āpioneersā of sustainability in the bioeconomy, they have served to inspire and encourage others around the world to follow their example.ā
For more information on Manildra Groupās RSB certification visit rsb.org/2021/03/18/rsbs- first-certified-operator- manildra-group- successfully-renews- certificate-for-third-timee/