Bad news about race gas in california.

[Tougerenner]

http://www.arb.ca.gov/enf/advs/advs397.pdf

SALES, SUPPLY, AND USE REQUIREMENTS

The purpose of this advisory is to inform refiners, blenders, importers, and distributors of racing fuel of the regulations and requirements concerning the supply, sales, and use of gasoline used in racing vehicles (referred to herein as “racing fuel” or “racing gasoline”) in California. This advisory applies only to motor vehicles. See the definition of “motor vehicle” below.

The California Reformulated Gasoline Regulations (RFG) found in Title 13 of the California Code of Regulations (CCR), Sections 2250-2273.5 require California gasoline sold, offered for sale, supplied or offered for supply as a motor vehicle fuel to meet certain and specific chemical content and physical property specifications, including, essentially, a zero lead (Pb) content requirement.

“Supply” means to provide or transfer a product to a physically separate facility, vehicle, or transportation system. Thus, any person in the marketing chain, including an end user / purchaser fueling his own vehicle, is supplying gasoline and is subject to the California RFG Regulations.

“Motor vehicle” is defined as a self-propelled vehicle in section 415 of the California Vehicle Code. Therefore, racing vehicles are by definition motor vehicles. Please note that boats and airplanes are not defined as motor vehicles.

“Racing vehicle” is defined as a competition vehicle not used on public highways. Further, if you can drive it to the track, it is not a racing vehicle. Racing vehicles are exempted from California Air Resources Board (CARB) vehicular air pollution control requirements in section 43001 of the California Health and Safety Code. Racing fuel (gasoline used in racing vehicles), however, is not exempt from the California RFG requirements except as provided in Section 2261(f) of the CCR.

Section 2261(f) specifically provides, in part, that sub-article 2 (Standards for Gasoline) and section 2253.4 (Lead/Phosphorus in Gasoline) “shall not apply to gasoline where the person selling, offering or supplying the gasoline demonstrates as an affirmative defense that the person has taken reasonably prudent precautions to assure that the gasoline is used only in racing vehicles.”

CARB considers gasoline (leaded or unleaded) used in racing vehicles for testing, practice, or actual competition for and during a sanctioned racing event to be exempt from the reformulated gasoline (RFG) specifications. Competition vehicles driven to a racing event on a public highway rather than being transported on a trailer or other carrier are not racing vehicles. Motor vehicles used for work, pleasure, or recreation, i.e. cars, trucks, 4X4’s, motorcycles, dirt bikes, ATV’s, dune buggies, sand rails, and other vehicles not strictly used for racing events, are not racing vehicles and gasoline used in these vehicles is not exempt from California RFG requirements. Therefore, it is illegal to sell, offer for sale, supply, and offer for supply non- complying racing fuel (leaded and unleaded) for motor vehicles in California except in competition racing vehicles.

Many refiners, blenders, and distributors of racing fuel sell and supply a “street legal” high octane unleaded gasoline (racing fuel) blend that complies with the specifications for California RFG. This complying racing
ED – Form #075 (Rev. 07/04)
gasoline is readily available and is legal for use in all motor vehicles both on and off road. Retailers may sell this racing gasoline as complying California RFG.

Leaded and unleaded racing fuel that does not meet the California RFG specifications (non-complying racing gasoline) can only be sold, offered for sale, offered for supply, or supplied for use in true, competition racing vehicles. The retailer, i.e. service station, speed shop, auto parts store, fuel distributor, and race track fuel dispensing facility, etc., who is selling or supplying this non-complying gasoline must “take reasonable prudent precautions to assure that the gasoline will be used only in racing vehicles.” If the vehicle this fuel is to be used in is registered or licensed for on-road or off-road use, this usually indicates that non-complying racing fuel cannot be used in it and the sale or supply of the fuel should not take place. CARB will consider this and all other relevant circumstances to determine if “reasonable prudent precautions” were followed in any particular case. In evaluating whether “reasonable and prudent precautions” were followed, CARB will consider whether the retailer kept a record of each sale of non-complying racing gasoline and whether each sales record contains the following information:

 Date of Fuel Purchase
 Name, Address, and Telephone Number of Purchaser /User
 Brand, Name, and Grade (octane rating) of Fuel Purchased
 Type or Description of Vehicle(s) to be Fueled
 Is the vehicle(s) to be fueled registered or licensed for on-road use?
 Is the vehicle(s) to be fueled registered or licensed for off-road use?
 License Number and VIN, if any, of Vehicle(s) to be Fueled
 Name of Sanctioned Racing Event
 Date of Event
 Name of Racing Association or Sanctioning Body
 Racing Association or Sanctioning Body Membership ID Number
 Signature under penalty of perjury that the gasoline
will be used only in the above racing vehicle(s) for the above
sanctioned racing event

Refiners, blenders, importers, and distributors must also take “reasonable prudent precautions” and prove that adequate steps have been taken to limit sales of non-complying racing fuel to racing vehicles, exclusively. CARB will consider, but is not limited to, the following to be reasonable prudent precautions: import notifications, production reporting, labeling, record keeping, distributor training, and providing customer education materials. The requirement to take reasonable prudent precautions applies to all shipments of non- complying racing fuel regardless of container size, i.e. railcars, cargo tanks, barrels, drums, cans, etc. Specifically for importers and in-state refiners and blenders, in addition to the above, reasonable prudent precautions should include notification to CARB of the import shipment or in-state production, and labeling of each batch and container of non-complying racing gasoline. Refiners, blenders, importers, and distributors may enter into an enforcement protocol with CARB or modify their existing protocol as appropriate.

Bulk containers, including but not limited to railcars, cargo tanks, barrels, drums, and cans, as well as bills of lading, delivery tickets, and invoices for all shipments of non-complying racing fuel offered or supplied for sale and use in California must be conspicuously labeled with the following:

Legal For Use ONLY In Competition Racing Vehicles Not Legal For Use In Any Other Motor Vehicle

Letters or statements included with shipping documents outlining the legal uses of the racing fuel, instructions sent to distributors and retailers concerning legal sales and use of racing fuel, or other specific steps outlined in a new or modified enforcement protocol with CARB Enforcement Division, are additional ways for refiners, blenders, importers, and distributors to comply with the taking “reasonable prudent precautions” requirement.

CARB will evaluate whether all of the information discussed in this Advisory #397 is included in the records. The absence of such records or records that lack the above information argue against “reasonable and prudent precautions” having been taken.

Note: There is some confusion concerning the terms “on road” and “off road” fuels. In California, there is NO such distinction for motor vehicle fuels. All motor vehicle fuel specifications apply to all fuel used in non-racing motor vehicles operated on or off road.

[4agze]

holy sh*t that sucks sad for motorcycle riders i know few people who use that on their bikes

[NESW20]

sounds to me like there is now going to be "compliant" race fuel and "non-compliant" race fuel. if that's the case, use the compliant stuff, problem solved.

that's still a pain, though. they used to let me pump leaded 110 into my car here in NE (before i had my wideband, of course). now i think i'd have to pump it into a gas can, but i'll probably just stick with 100 octane and save my wideband from the lead.

-Mike

[RRnold]

Melvin, how do you figure?

I know there are several stations in El Cajon and Lakeside that sell race gas from the pump. Its still going to be available but you'll probably need to some proof that it's going to be used off road.

[NESW20]

Originally Posted by RRnold

Melvin, how do you figure?

who's melvin? haha

-Mike

[RRnold]

Originally Posted by NESW20

who's melvin? haha

-Mike

4agze

I emailed him for a copy of the Tacoma service manual that I still need to pick up.

[Myka]

Thank god they're saving mother earth from the terrible people that use this stuff flippantly. [/sarcasm]

[Midship Runabout]

If some of you guys would open up to this "green" gas E85, you wouldn't have to worry about race gas. Just my opinion

[RegisBou]

Originally Posted by Dixie Normous

If some of you guys would open up to this "green" gas E85, you wouldn't have to worry about race gas. Just my opinion

Alot of turbo guys are switching to E85 instead of going meth. Pretty cool actually!

EVOX forum has alot of documentation on it

[Tougerenner]

Originally Posted by RegisBou

Alot of turbo guys are switching to E85 instead of going meth. Pretty cool actually!

EVOX forum has alot of documentation on it

Yea, its cool stuff. you can really get alot more torque out of the tunes from what I have seen in Subarus.

The thing that sucks is there is only like one or two places in southern california that actually sells the stuff, and neither are near me.

The other option for turbo cars is meth injection, but I have personally seen 3 suby motors let go on the stuff because the owners got to greedy with it and were not paying attention.

[Myka]

Originally Posted by Dixie Normous

If some of you guys would open up to this "green" gas E85, you wouldn't have to worry about race gas. Just my opinion

E85 is an awesome fuel. I've read about everything from Evo's to GT3 porsches using it and getting great results (even better than what they should be getting in theory, considering all the properties of ethanol). The sad part is when this doesn't happen by choice. An option is being taken away because the bully gov't is hitching a ride on a bandwagon, so people suffer because of the gov'ts fling with hippies. This particular issue in itself is no biggie, but it's just one more thing - then, it will be another and another. I'll stop now before I get started.

[Tougerenner]

The down side to E85 is you need to make sure your car is ready for it.

Most non-E85 ready cars will run 20-30% ethanol before throwing a CEL.

Then there is the Fuel lines issue, if the rubber fuel line are not ready to deal with the higher alcohol content it will dry them out and they will deteriorate to the point of leaking fuel.

While E85 technically has a high anti knock rating, that is why it acts like race gas, its is calorically less dense than regular gas and requires volumetically more to be equivalent to gasoline, so a non-E85 car typically needs a bigger fuel pump and injectors along with alcohol ok fuel line in order not to damage your car.

Example: When I was talking to my tuner when I wanted a TDO5/6 20G turbo on my WRX I needed about 750cc injectors how ever if I wanted to run E85 I would need 850cc or bigger to be safe.

[Midship Runabout]

Originally Posted by exotisus;13247

just for the hell of it and ofcourse

[IMG

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a391/zeldax/1240126438010.jpg[/IMG]

you ran leaded fuel in your stratus???

Originally Posted by Tougerenner

While E85 technically has a high anti knock rating, that is why it acts like race gas, its is calorically less dense than regular gas and requires volumetically more to be equivalent to gasoline, so a non-E85 car typically needs a bigger fuel pump and injectors along with alcohol ok fuel line in order not to damage your car.

ya but what if your car was set up from the factory for e85? like the ft86 might be? (if turbocharged, NA doesnt really matter)


more discussion here http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=364

[Tougerenner]

Originally Posted by exotisus

theres a gas station out here in sunol

Where is this?