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if you have a lada, you can run it on cheap russian vodka, i know this because i went touring, and went through russia, they seem to use it all the time, it works out at 21 pence per litre.
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Are you sure you weren't the one running on vodka? In the Philippines which grows an awful lot of sugar we also have rum at US$0.50/liter. I thought of experimenting with that in my Honda trailie but gasoline is only a bit more expensive. Some compensation for the world's worst traffic I suppose.
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I'm quite interested to hear this - being a smoker (oooh! sin!) and using a zippo lighter, I notice that the occasional fill-up with vodka makes the thing burn better and cleaner that the 'highly refined' stuff you buy in a tin from the tobacconists.
What would the effect of a few bottles of stolichnaya have on the modern engine, though ...
(Only problem is, you can't see the flame when the sun is shining...)
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I have heard of people running cars on whisky and all sorts of combustible spirit in an emergency. When we were in America we had a hire car and filled it with some evil-smelling fuel that came from a pump with pictures of corn ears on the front of it, which I think was a mixture of crude alcohol and gasoline.
By the way, if you are really interested in swapping your Soviet wagon for a Passat, drop me an email -as the link to your address doesn't work
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the lada is not for sale, but i am interested in a passat, try one of my other email addresses mrw@watson-fam.fsnet.co.uk and if that one wont work let me know.
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I have heard of people running cars on whisky and all sorts of combustible spirit in an emergency. When we were in America we had a hire car and filled it with some evil-smelling fuel that came from a pump with pictures of corn ears on the front of it, which I think was a mixture of crude alcohol and gasoline.
By the way, if you are really interested in swapping your Soviet wagon for a Passat, drop me an email -as the link to your address doesn't work
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Wasn't alcohol injection used as an emergency boost in aero engines in WWII? I think Bf 109's used to be boosted in this way....used to use nitrous oxide too - try that Chris - keep you laughing!
Had a friend years ago who used to spray petroleum ether into the air intake of his Healey 3000 on cold mornings - used to start with a gout of flame
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My question is this, can they run on bullsh*t?
Yes DW, I know I know!
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When the floor of Chris's Lada rusts through he can run it along himself, just like Fred Flintstone. Might need to change his shoes a few times on the run to Moscow.
HJ
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its only the front wings that rust badly on ladas, but people seem to think that its all parts of ladas that rust, i think people should know that ladas dont start rusting until about 7 years old.
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I remember this -- Holts (I think) used to do an aerosol of the stuff. Similar to the ether we used to mix with paraffin and castor oil for model aero engine fuel. It was the only thing that would get my Ford Prefect started on a winter's morning along with taking out the spark plugs the night before so my mum could heat them up in the oven before I got up.
As for the alcohol/gas mix bought in the US which was mentioned earlier I have used this in Colorado and I think Wyoming. It's sold in those states with high altitude highways.
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I used to use this on my Mk2 fiesta, worked, but I'm sure it did the engine no good whatsoever.
Jonathan
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Bur surely with alcohol fuel you had to run with far bigger jets? Otherwise you were far too weak and detonation destroyed your pistons.
I take it we are writing about the Fiat 124 type Ladas - did it occur to anyone else that they were in shape rather like a shrunk version of the Rolls of their day? A story used to be that they were more robust than the Fiat because the Soviets could not roll steel strip thin enough.
Then, there was the Polski-Fiat, based on the 125 and leading on to the Polonez.
One thing about these Soviet bloc cars was that you got a good toolkit - there was a shortage of service stations on the steppes.
Happy days! Tomo.
PS Less boring than post-Amazon Volvos, at least!
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Is it legal to use other fuel than either petrol or diesel in a car? As the government will loose a fortune on tax?
Kev
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You can run your car on anything you like, but you are obliged to pay HM Customs and Excise the duty.
Alcohol has a lower calorific value than petrol or diesel, so the carb jets have much bigger holes. Also a gallon won't get you nearly as far as a gallon of unleaded.
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i managed to do about 15 mpg on vodka, for about 15p - 25p per litre (25pence stuff was the creme de la creme stuff).
but with petrol you might get 30 mpg, but it costs 70 pence per litre, so you were better off with the vodka.
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The best scam on fuel I ever heard of was run by a friend who used to work for Shell, in one of their laboratories.
The staff used to be allowed to take home old cans. He used to take out cans - 5 gallon ones - but full of acetone, which he used to put in his car. He learned to carry these incredibly heavy things past the guard as though they were empty. This fuel cost him nothing - though since acetone costs a quid or so for a tiny bottle of the stuff in a chemist's, I hate to think how much it was costing Shell ....
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Acetone, or cellulose thinners, is quite cheap. The chemists price for it in a nail polish remover bottle with a dollop of oil and scent added is a rip-off.
Acetone is sold in litre cans in the French hypermarkets for about £1 (haven't been over for some time so can't be specific).
They also sell neat alcohol which has various uses like burning, cleaning things and so on at about the same price. Not, however recommended for drinking!
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