Model Forum / Radio Controlled / Land Models / May 2005

Nitro fuel is not like a whiskey, or a red wine.

A friend of mine is almost finished burning through some old nitro fuel he
got some 10 years ago. It's been stored in airtight containers and not
exposed to extremes of temperatures etc. It seems to run well in his
aircraft but a certain budget brand of engine hates the stuff.

I even used a litre of it recently, ran much better than a fresh jug of fuel
I had just finished.

Still, I'd rather not let fuel get that old.

PS. This was 5% nitro fuel, so it may be a different story with the higher
nitro content car fuels.

On p119 of the Radio Control Car Action 2005 Buyer's Guide they
recommend squeezing the bottle as it gradually empties when you use it.
 The idea appears to be to leave as small a surface area as possible
where the fuel is exposed to air.  By squeezing the bottle as it gets
emptier, you end up storing away a very crumpled bottle towards the end
but the surface area of the liquid to the air within the bottle remains
around the thin neck tube instead of the wider base.  If you can get a
copy of ths mag in a newsagent you'll see the pic on the page I
indicated and understamnd what I'm trying to say.