Just a quick question, what would be the fuel tank capacity on a 1980 280ZX, going to see what kind of mileage this thing gets.
Thanks,
Luke

 

The only capacity I could find was in liters-80. I don't how that translates into our shitty American measurment of gallons. But it'll get you started.

 

Mine ran out one time at the gas station Ijust looked at the reciept.. 18.136 gallons overflowing mine is an 82

 

Capacity is supposed to be 21 gallons.

 

ARE you serious?? Im gonna look in the haynes when I get home that is more than an SUV..

 

Yup, dead serious. That's why it costs nearly $50 here in CA to fill my tank, though it does allow me to drive from the San Francisco area down to Anaheim without stopping.

 

21 and an 1/8th gallons.. That is rediculous, I wonder if there is a reserve or something?? it costs 40.00 on 91 octane to fill mine up from and 1/8th..

 

91 octane.. we use 93 octane here for supreme and i run nothing but

 

I am just glad these cars were designed to run on 87 octane, or else my gas bill would be even higher!

 

Haha - yeah. Gotta love the fact you can run 'em cheap.

I thought about putting a fuel cell in my hatch area with a separate pump and ball valve to attach it to the existing fuel system. Then fill the cell with Chevron 115-octane race fuel (only $4.15 per gallon out here!) and blamo - you can run 115 at the track, then drive home on 85-87 (depending on which station I stop at). Sound good?

Now, if only Utah would kill that stupid mandate so we can have 93 octane again ...

 

how devastating would it be to my bone stock L28 with 194,000 miles on it to fill it up with 115-octane fuel for a weekend of fun? it's never had anything higher than 89-octane. I almost did it two weeks ago, but figured I should find out the consiquences first, not possibly get stuck with no car.

 

Depends on if you have a coupe or a 2+2. The 2+2 gives up several gallons for the back seat so only about 18 in the 2+2 and 21 in the coupe.

 

Damn! 21 gallons, wow, I figured it'd be at most 16.
I must be driving it too hard then; cause my mileage is suckin' the big one, that'd mean I'm not even getting 15 mpg... gotta fix that, this is supposed to be my economical car. My Mustang at 300 hp gets 18 on the highway!
What are these cars "supposedly" supposed to get?
Thanks,
Luke

 

HI; I usually got between 19 and 25 with my '81. And that was combined freeway and city driving. Just depended on how and how long my foot was in it!

 

Yup, something's not right with your fuel delivery. Could be running rich. You should get 20+ mpg with little problem in the stock 280ZX.

Remember, if it's a 2+2 it only has an 18 gallon tank.

 

the same situation was going on with my ZX. My mechanic took the fuel tank off, and cleaned out the inside. It was disgusting man. just this brownish/black ... I cant even think of a word to describe it other than utter ****. We'll see how it works now... although I dont expect to see anything different due to the sbc swap.

 

I have an 18 gallon tank but I have a coupe.. hmmmmm Maybe I need to look into that.

 

If you're stock, it's totally pointless to put in super high octane like that. Also, as I understand it, race fuels with an octane above 100-something, are LEADED. Remember, the whole point of higher octane is to prevent detonation, so if you're not in danger of detonating, you're just wasting your own money.

 

I would assume if you ran higher-octane fuel, you could advance the ignition further than you could otherwise with lower-grade fuels. More advanced timing on an NA engine usually means more power - correct me if I'm wrong - so if tuned accordingly, wouldn't an otherwise stock engine be more powerful with 115?

 

True, advancing the timing on an NA car usually yields some benefits. However, I don't know if he could advance it so far on a stock motor that it would require 115 octane. More importantly, doesn't leaded fuels damage the catalytic converter?

 

catalytic converter will be gone in a month only to be put on once every two years for emissions. how do I advance the timing, and will leaded fuel do damage to anything else?

 

I believe the Chevron 115 here is unleaded - but you are right, most higher octane fuels are leaded. If I remember correctly, leaded fuels tend to leave deposits and residue, especially in the exhaust.

Now, if you're like me and run a straight-pipe at the track, clogging the cat shouldn't be a problem.

 

Leaded fuels will kill your O2 sensor as well.

 

It wouldn't hurt your car, but on a stock, unmodified engine you'd probably lose some power because you're car couldn't burn all that fuel. The higher the octane rating, the harder and slower the fuel burns. you raise octane to prevent detonation and what not. Uping octane doesn't up horsepower, it just allows your engine to have a higher HP because it allows more fuel in with all the extra air a high HP engine takes in.

 

Thanks guys, I was ignorant to the ways of octane! but thanks to everyone up here I can no longer say that. I'll stick to my cheap 87.