# Why do pumps still specify "Unleaded" gasoline? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 18, 2010, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-pumps-still-specify-unleaded-gasoline/532816 "2010-03-18T00:19:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-pumps-still-specify-unleaded-gasoline/532816/21 "2010-03-18T15:57:18Z")
I still remember Fred Flintstone pulling up to the pumps and greeting the elephant named “Ethel” because he wanted ethyl gas. What _was_ ethyl gasoline? ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-pumps-still-specify-unleaded-gasoline/532816/22 "2010-03-18T16:01:41Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > What _was_ ethyl gasoline? Ethyl gasoline was gasoline produced by the [Ethyl Corporation](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethyl_Corporation), later a genericized trademark. But what was it? it was gasoline with [tetraethyl lead](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetra-ethyl_lead), the old “regular” gasoline that was phased out in favor of unleaded. ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-pumps-still-specify-unleaded-gasoline/532816/23 "2010-03-18T17:57:29Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > I remember when AMOCO sold 100 octane unleaded gasoline. > Just why they sold it was a mystery-I don’t think and cars were sold in the USA (save a few Ferraris and Maseratis) that had engines with compression ratios \>10.5:1. > The stuff must have sold though-it was available until the early 1990’s, i think. Race gas. Now it’s 105ish octane, and you can find it, but unless you’ve got racetracks in your area, it’s going to be tough. But any drag strip, or track that folks can run street cars on will have a station right near by, doing a swift business in it. The nearest to my house is about 30 minutes away, right next to the track. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-pumps-still-specify-unleaded-gasoline/532816/24 "2010-03-18T18:03:04Z")
Long ago, unleaded was called white gas. > **[Coleman fuel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_gas)** > > Coleman fuel, also generically sold as white gas, is a petroleum naphtha product marketed by the Coleman Company. > Historically called white gas, it is a liquid petroleum fuel (100% light hydrotreated distillate), composed of cyclohexane, nonane, octane, heptane, and pentane. White gas was originally simply additive-free gasoline. This formulation is now rarely found. Coleman fuel, and other white gases, contain additives for inhibiting rust, ease of lighting, and fast burning. It is also cleane... Coleman Fuel was sold for their lanterns and stoves because it was unleaded. Some people foolishly used gas from a pump and inhaled lead fumes. Now, there’s not much difference in gas from a pump and Coleman fuel except it’s filtered more. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-pumps-still-specify-unleaded-gasoline/532816/25 "2010-03-18T19:38:59Z")
white gas for cook stoves is different from any kind of automobile gasoline. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-pumps-still-specify-unleaded-gasoline/532816/26 "2010-03-18T22:35:25Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > white gas for cook stoves is different from any kind of automobile gasoline. In the US, it’s not. It’s just ultra pure unleaded gasoline. In other countries, the term “White Gas” means a variety of different things, so you should do a bit of research before buying it for your camping stove. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-pumps-still-specify-unleaded-gasoline/532816/27 "2010-03-18T23:38:20Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > Ethyl gasoline was gasoline produced by the [Ethyl Corporation](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethyl_Corporation), later a genericized trademark. > > But what was it? it was gasoline with [tetraethyl lead](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetra-ethyl_lead), the old “regular” gasoline that was phased out in favor of unleaded. I had family members that recalled when they started selling gas with lead added, at a higher price than the regular gasoline. And I remember where ‘unleaded’ gas was introduced, also at a higher price. Seems like the oil companies always charge a higher price for it, whether they are adding lead or taking it out. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-pumps-still-specify-unleaded-gasoline/532816/28 "2010-03-19T01:17:48Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > The Avgas fuels are dyed to distinguish the different types. 100LL is blue, 80/87 is red, 130 is green, and 82 lead free is purple. About the only aviation fuel sold any more is 100LL which means people with engines designed for 80/87 have to add a lead scavenging additive to keep the plugs from fowling. Sorry, my “U’s” look like “W’s” when I type. ---
**Author:** ![zwede](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ac91a4/32.png) [@zwede](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zwede)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-pumps-still-specify-unleaded-gasoline/532816/29 "2010-03-19T13:43:00Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > Seems like the oil companies always charge a higher price for it, whether they are adding lead or taking it out. As much as I like conspiracy theories, this being GQ it should be mentioned that lead was added to increase octane ratings which is why it was initially priced higher. When unleaded fuel was introduced in the early 70’s, they didn’t simply remove the lead. Since cars by then needed more octane than in the pre-leaded gas era the lead had to be replaced with other octane boosting additives. These new additives were, at the time, new and incurred a higher cost than lead. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-pumps-still-specify-unleaded-gasoline/532816/30 "2010-03-19T16:19:53Z")
> [@jasonh300](#): > > > [@kunilou](#): > > > > Leaded gas is still sold for marine and aircraft engines as well as for agricultural equipment. It may be irrelevant 98% of the time, but it still makes sense to mark which is which. > > Can you provide a cite for this? Gimme a couple days to locate and copy for you all my receipts for buying aircraft fuel since 1995. No, seriously - aviation gasoline still contains lead compounds. I have flown some aircraft with engines that would only take unleaded, but it was a headache 'cause I’d usually have to drive to a gas station with a trunk full of gas cans and get unleaded premium because the airports I usually went to didn’t sell UNleaded gas, only the leaded aviation gas. And then there was the ethanol problem… ethanol apparently being corrosive or something to many of the hoses and stuff used in small airplane engines. I’m not quite clear on the details, but having no desire to be the Daring Young Girl in Her Flaming Machine I scrupulously avoided ethanol containing gasoline… which was a pain when trying to buy unleaded premium in the Midwest. Bottom line - yes, there really is leaded gas still sold in the US. In very limited quantities in a limited number of locations for a significantly higher price than what is put into cars. Last time I bought avgas it was around $5.30/gallon, and if I recall auto gas was under $3,00 at the time. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-pumps-still-specify-unleaded-gasoline/532816/31 "2010-03-19T16:52:00Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > I remember when AMOCO sold 100 octane unleaded gasoline. > Just why they sold it was a mystery- There are a lot of people who equate octane rating with “quality” for some reason, and think they’re making their cars last longer or produce more power or be more efficient or something if they spring for the higher octane. It ain’t true; any octane higher than you need to prevent knocking is just money down the drain. I wouldn’t doubt that Amoco, and every other refiner, made a higher margin off that stuff than off of “regular”, playing to that mistaken idea. Avgas costs more than mogas in part because it gets shipped by truck. The refiners don’t want to deal with lead contaminating the same pipelines they use to ship mogas, their cash cow. There is such a thing as non-ethanol mogas available at a few airports, for lower-compression aircraft engines certified for it, but you don’t see it often. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-pumps-still-specify-unleaded-gasoline/532816.md?page=1)