Thanks Cheleker, my order is in for some red line.

Here is a site that lists the non-ethanol if you are interested:

https://www.pure-gas.org/

Wave, I use the same as dklawson: VR1 and Red Line lead additive.

Nope. NOT leaded.

advantage is non-ethanol as I discussed. Lead or not has nothing to do with it

I just bought 5 gallons today from my usual rural country store. 

I passed a Circle K that now carries "boat gas". I was told this was a marketing ploy because some people cannot understand the term
"non-ethanol" but they can handle the easier "boat gas". LOL

Recreational fuel is probably leaded and of a decent octane & quality for use in light aircraft, boats and lawnmowers.

There are websites that list "non-ethanol" gas in your county or state.

I, too, have not heard it called recreational gas but that is was it is.

I have repaired umpteen small engines that suffered from ethanol. The usual problem is that an "ethanol-resistance" carb part is not up to snuff. I had one red primer bulb that melted after one hour. Turned the fuel pink, and clogged up the jet. Brand new engine. Other issues have been that ethanol dissolves stuff in tanks or carb bowls that has been sitting there silently. The resultant loosening of that sludge clogs up small orifices. Yep seen that, too. Or, the ethanol attracts moisture and turns to jelly.

At one time, here in VA we could get premium non-ethanol gas. Not any more, just regular. The guy I get it from orders 1500 gallons at a time for his tank, separate from the other tanks at his small store. ( and he charges about $1 more per gal). Marinas or stores near marinas also sell this gas. Go online and find a non-ethanol site near you. For small engines, or car or boat engines that might sit for long periods of time, I recommend it.

ALL gasoline will leave gum and varnish in the fuel system over time if the car is left standing.  Please don't confuse that with an ethanol related problem.

So what is "recreational gas"?  I understand "no ethanol" but how is it labeled at the pumps?  Are there separate islands?  Do the tanks have warnings about "not for road use" like they have for some farm diesel pumps?

Thanks for the replies. After more research I was also advised to used recreational gasoline with an additive. Ethanol should be avoided at all costs as it stickies up if you are not using your car everyday. More and more gas stations sell the recreational gas that has no ethanol in it. I tried it and so far so good.

Three lead additives passed the extremely stringent tests over here - Castrol Valvemaster, Miller VSP, & Red Line.  I use Valvemaster on the vehicles I need to with excellent results.

In-line catalysts or lead balls dangling in the tank are total snake-oil.

Joe Gibbs Racing mineral 20w50 is my current oil of choice, as it contains all the bits we need for our small engine packed with ancient technology.  Old-school oil tech is what is needed as it contains the additives required.  Check the API numbers on the tins before use.

Anything modern and synthetic will inevitably be blended for modern cars with catalysts, and they have totally different requirements.

Evans waterless coolant is on the cusp of snake-oil, for reasons that will take too much time to type here.
The BEST coolant is plain water, with a dash of antifreeze for its corrosion inhibiting properties.  Premixed 50/50 is far from ideal as you're throwing away huge amounts of your cooling potential.

The original A-Series engines were low compression low output 803cc devices designed to run on crappy post-war pool fuel.  We've come a long way since then, so just put the best petrol in you can find - American fuel is generally not as high quality as it is here, where I can run std 95 octane unleaded but wouldn't dream of using your 87.  (Note, the octane numbers are not directly comparable, so just take it as our worst fuel is comparable to your best).

You will receive a lot of differing opinions, there is not necessarily a single "right" answer.

The old motors were designed to use 20W50.  My preference is Castrol or Valvoline traditional oil.  In particular, Valvoline VR1 when I can find it.  Over the years, oil companies have removed an additive (ZDDP) which helps protect the tappets and cam.  Valvoline VR1 still has ZDDP as does Brad Penn oil.  The ZDDP subject may spawn its own thread within yours.  I use traditional oil, not synthetic but I believe a few people on the board use synthetic.  Remember that this is also the oil for the gearbox.

If you are driving your car a lot, you may want to consider having hardened exhaust seats put in the head.  If the head is an original AEG163 casting, that may not be possible.  If like my car, yours is a weekend fun car, you can add lead substitute to make you feel better or skip it completely.  When I can find it, I buy Red Line lead substitute.

Your gasoline choice depends on how you use your car, how its engine is built, and how you tune it.  You can run regular gasoline if you retard the timing to avoid pinging and knocking but this will lower the power output.  Alternatively, buy premium gas and advance the timing a bit to get more power out of the engine.  Running premium will not help you develop more power unless you set the timing accordingly.  Premium does not have more energy.

I cannot comment on the Evans coolant.  I've seen numerous articles on it.  Personally I would not consider it until I was completely satisfied with the way the engine was running and  I was certain I wasn't going to need to drain the cooling system for some tweak or planned engine upgrade/fix.

Hi, I have a 1966 Cooper s 1275cc and it isn't an unleaded motor. Any recommendations on additives for gasoline (lead etc.) and octane level to use. Also what oil and coolant works best for this 50 year old car, I heard Evans is good coolant and Castrol Edge synthetic oil. Appreciate the help.
Thanks,
Neil.