ethanol free gas, should I use ethanol free gas for my 1975 914 2.0? Options

[wd40togo]

I have a 1975 914 2.0, should I be using ethanol free gas? It appears to have the orginal metal gas tank.

[vitamin914]

Yes, very old thread. Couldn't find anything much more recent and relevant.

Up until now, I had ethanol free gas options in Ontario. Not anywhere at a road gas pump in Canada anymore. If any still exists, it won't for much longer.

My go to gas was Shell premium 91 V-Power. Sticker on the pump said zero ethanol. Used it with everything from chainsaws to 914s - anything that could sit around without frequent use. Late last year I noticed the sticker disappeared and changed to may contain up to 10% ethanol. At first I didn't think much of it, but it nagged at me...

Why the change? Did some digging and it seems it is now as of 2022, a Canadian regulation that all fuel must contain ethanol. There seems to have been an exemption because of ethanol availability constraints. Fuel companies could avoid putting alcohol in some fuels. It was great marketing for Shell and the classic car crowd - not so anymore, exemptions are over. Someone claimed to have tested V-power and got 1.25% ethanol. Not verified, but better than having 10%.

Since I had an ethanol free fuel until now it wasn't a big deal. Seems all good things come to an end. I know my 74 with Webers won't like ethanol and I wonder if the 73 2.0 FI is the same?

Every winter I put in a can of Porsche Classic Fuel Additive before hibernation in with a full tank of Shell V-Power.
https://www.porsche.com/international/acces...ights/additive/

I used to be adding it to a ethanol free gas - not now. Is this a solution anymore? add it with every fill up? just for storage? does it even do anything while the car sits for 4 months???

All the fuel stabilizers, ethanol fixes, are on that additive shelf of snake oils. Do any of them actually work? or is it a "pretends to work because you can't tell if it works" snake oil? It can't get rid of the ethanol, maybe it helps suspend it better than just the refinery's additives but the ethanol is still there to attack the rubber, the injectors, the carbs, the fuel tank...

Sure, new cars don't care about ethanol and the government doesn't care about our old classics and in fact would be happy to see them all go to the scrap crusher. What are are the options for our old cars? Avgas I know cannot contain alcohol by aviation laws (vapor lock of an aircraft engine is not good) and ethanol is a big problem in marine gasoline too. Something about trying to fill up with dyed avgas or marine gas tells me that I can't just roll up with the 914 and ask for a fill up (road tax cops?). Maybe show up with the pickup truck and a 55 gallon drum and claim it is for off road use?

What are our options as ethanol creeps into everything? buy drums of toluene or xylene?