Welcome
Welcome to the Austin Healey Club Thames Valley Centre – a regional centre of the UK’s National Austin Healey Club. Not a member yet? Click
here for membership details. Every month members receive a glossy 36 page magasine full of club activities, technical tips, cars & parts for sale
etc. To download a sample copy, click here.
Our next event
10th August - Cotswolds drive and Sunday lunch
We will meet at a cafe for a coffee, then follow a suggested route taking in Berkshire and Oxfordshire countryside, finishing at a Cotswold village pub The Double Red Duke to enjoy Sunday roast.
Contact James Bennett at chairman@austin-healey-club.co.uk for further details and to book your place.
See our events page and year planner for further details of our planned events
Petrol
The UK Government has now introduced E10 petrol as part of the global drive to reduce our carbon footprint. E10 petrol, as its name implies, contains 10% bioethanol. But what does it mean for classic cars? Will it damage our cars? Well take a look at our 2 articles on the technical tab to learn more.
However, the classic car fraternity have it on good authority that 5% bioethanol doesn't affect the rubber elements in the fuel system, though alcohol is hygroscopic and over time water may accumulate in your petrol tank, rusting the bottom out of it!!. Petrol with 5% bioethanol is available at most petrol stations and is often referred to as E5 Super or Supreme. It's more expensive that E10 but has other engine benefits too, such as additives and detergents to keep the inside of the engine clean.. I'm not one to promote brands, but in this instance I'm going to. Most E5 petrols I've seen to date are 95-97 octane - except for Shell which is 99 octane and Esso. Esso somewhat confusingly sell two E5 fuels, the Synergy Supreme+ 99 and also Synergy Supreme+97. Until a couple of years ago they only had the 97 octane, but maybe because they were losing sales to customers who wanted minimum 98 - (eg Healeys and modern performance cars), they introduced the 99 octane formula. I suspect the 99 will replace the 97 in due course.
Esso are also unique in the UK in that their 99 octane fuel has zero ethanol in most of the country even though it is labelled E5 (there is no E0 label). Some Esso 99 has up to 5% ethanol, depending upon where you buy it. . If you want your Healey to drive at it's peak performance and not pink (pre-ignition) then I highly recommend you stick to Shell V-Power or Esso Synergy Supreme+ 99.
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