It’s finally arrived in the UK…
British drivers are none too happy about the introduction of E10 biofuels in their island nation. All Americans can probably think upon hearing this is “welcome to the party!” There are definite drawbacks to E10 and E15 (don’t tell the Brits about that one yet) but one of the many things people are experiencing in jolly ol’ England is anxiety about their classic cars suffering from using the new fuel blend.
Learn about how classic cars in Britain have been threatened recently by legislation here.
If you’re face palming right now, that’s likely because you realize classic cars weren’t engineered to run on E10 or anything of the sort. To help sound the alarm, Managing Director at Parkers MOT Jonathan Barbara spoke with Express, warning older vehicles are going to “suffer a whole lot more” because of the switch. But I’m sure the Brits will gladly sacrifice their beloved Morgan to fight global warming or some such thing.
While it’s easy to laugh at the naivety of the Brits, I actually feel badly for them. But at the same time I’m jealous. They haven’t had to dodge putting E10 in their vehicles for years now. As Barbara points out, the alternative fuel blend is hell on metal fuel tanks, pipes, etc. Ethanol absorbs a fair amount of water, something you don’t want to introduce to your fuel delivery system if it’s subject to corrosion. After all, it can make all sorts of components fail, from the carb to the fuel filter or pump.
Now I could insert a joke about how easily classic British cars corrode without the help of ethanol, but that would be cruel. Instead, it’s worth point out that fuel system degradation is just the tip of the iceberg. E10 can also lead to pre-detonation, rough idle, and rough cold starts. For Americans this all should be review, but if you don’t already know this and you own an older, classic car, you need to be aware of what you’re putting in the gas tank.
Sure, you can get away with using E10 occassionally, at least that’s what some experts claim, but I would just avoid the stuff if possible. This is just one of the many costs associated with carbon emissions reduction initiatives, which supposedly will help us all experience colder winters or some such thing. Welcome to the party, Brits!
Check out the Express article for yourself here.
