Low mileage vehicle

[Carson Dyle]

I don't drive much, but I have a car because I need one. It gets used for shopping, errands, short weekends trips. I was looking at my fillup record and noticed that I put less than 1000 miles on the car in the past year. Although the car doesn't get stored or sit for periods longer than maybe a week, I filled the tank exactly 3 times in 12 months.

My brother recommended adding STA-BIL fuel stabilizer to the gas to keep it from going bad and doing damage to the fuel system. I figure the gas might get to up to four months old. Any thoughts on whether this is really necessary? Haven't had any issues to date.

 

[Viper GTS]

Four months is not a problem, my car sits through the winter without so much as being started for more than four months and has no issues.

Viper GTS

 

[qr25nismo]

Four months is not too bad, you can add the stabilizer to be safe.

Is your vehicle old enough for antique plates? if so, with how much you drive, you could be saving some money.

 

[pauldun170]

Now that our only option is ethanol blended gas I've stopped with the regular Stabil and switched to Startron. Stabil now has an ethanol version so may grab a bottle of that.

 

[Nessism]

I'd do it. Marine grade Sta-bil and go to the max dosage. The alcohol in the fuel absorbs moisture in the air and then the raw steel in the fuel tank and lines can rust from the inside. The Sta-bil is designed to ward against this sort of damage.

 

[pcgeek11]

Most modern cars now have composite gas tanks now don't they?

 

[Raizinman]

There are many factors that must be known before a definitive answer can be made.

1) What type of car? Fuel injected or Carburation?
2) What type of gas is in the tank? E10, regular, etc.
3) What type of storage is the vehicle in? Climate control garage?
4) The age of the vehicle? Could the tank or fuel lines be partially rusted?
5) Do you run each tank of gas empty or do you top off at 1/2 full?
6) How often do you go through a tank of gas?

 

[WhoBeDaPlaya]

Add some fuel stabilizer and don't fill up the tank to full.

 

[ronbo613]

I've used Berrymans B-12 Chemtool for years. Once every couple months should do it. Sta-Bil is more for engines with a lot of exposure to the environment, like chainsaws and lawnmowers.

 

[jlee]

If you're cycling a complete tank every few months it should be completely fine. I know a guy who pulled 872rwhp out of year-old E85...your gas isn't going to go bad in 4 months.