Max Lead Additive

[Brad H.]

Guys,
I have seen at several of the Corvette events over the past several years a vendor selling a product called MaxLead. It is supposed to be the real thing which when this supply is depleted will be gone forever. My 69 350 is putting out around 380 hp (11:1 CR) with some internal mods and my engine builder says I need to run octane booster and lead additive (stock valve seats) which I believe is unavailable commercially with the possible exception of MaxLead.

Does anyone know anything about this product or vendor? If it truely is what it is advertised to be, I need to use it.
Thanks,
Brad Hood

[Joe C.]

Re: Max Lead Additive

Guys,
I have seen at several of the Corvette events over the past several years a vendor selling a product called MaxLead. It is supposed to be the real thing which when this supply is depleted will be gone forever. My 69 350 is putting out around 380 hp (11:1 CR) with some internal mods and my engine builder says I need to run octane booster and lead additive (stock valve seats) which I believe is unavailable commercially with the possible exception of MaxLead.

Does anyone know anything about this product or vendor? If it truely is what it is advertised to be, I need to use it.
Thanks,
Brad Hood

If your engine detonates and needs slightly more octane, then the REAL TEL additives are a cheaper alternative than doping with race gas or avgas. If your engine doesn't detonate with optimal mixture and timing, then you are wasting your money. You don't need lead for your valve seats. If you need to boost your octane to anything more than (about) 97 PON, then the lead additives may not quell the pinging.

An alternative to the Max Lead which I have not used is this, which I have. I can attest to its effectiveness:

http://www.kemcooil.com/products.php?cId=4

[Bill C.]

Re: Max Lead Additive

I have used the LeadSupreme 130 (kemco) for the last 10 years in various cars.

Works just as advertised.

I blended 1.5-2.0 oz per gallon of 93 octane - got me around 96-97 old school octane.
The lead content in minimal (less than used in 100LL), but enough to do the job.

On long road trips it will turn the inside of the tips a yellow/white color. I also found out that on a C3 it will cover the back of the car with the white powder too....... I drove my car to Waco from Tallahassee FL for a regional to get judged (920 miles). My car is green and by the time I got there the rear of the car was covered up.
It is really important to keep the car washed. This residue will eat away at chrome (tips, bezels, bumpers) and cause rusting. I learned the hard way on this.

[Brad H.]

Re: Max Lead Additive

Bill & Joe,
Thanks for the info, I'll look into those as well.
Brad

[Larry M.]

Re: Max Lead Additive

I believe that both Max Lead 2000 and Octane (Lead) Supreme 130 are actually sourced from the same company, which is KEMCO. But they are distributed differently. Many years ago, KEMCO offered two lead products for sale and then dropped one of them. The one they dropped was lead blended with Jet A fuel (just like Max Lead). OC 130 is blended with toluene. Toluene can and will lift your lacquer paint, but it provides increased octane compared to Jet A.

Since TEL can no longer be manufacturered in the USA, KEMCO either has a storage supply from years gone by, or they are somehow able to import. The TEL blended into aviation fuel is imported.

To properly scavage the TEL byproducts in the combustion process, all TEL is sold as a blended mixture containing ethylene dichloride and ethylene dibromide and a red dye. It is called Tetraethyl Fluid or TEF. These chlorides and bromides are corrosive to steel. The white powder you see is a combination of lead oxide and lead chloride and lead bromide. I agree, keep your car washed to avoid paint and chrome problems.

During the 1960's and early 1970's there were three companies in the USA that produced TEL fuel additives: Dupont, Ethyl, and Houston Chemical (PPG). I was a young engineer working for Houston Chemical at this time.

Larry

[Stuart F.]

Re: Max Lead Additive

I have used Max Lead 2000 for many years in my L-76 63 (11.25 to 1). Besides the obvious detonation protection with this compression ratio, it also allows me to run a much more aggressive ignition map, and the engine runs cooler in traffic as a result. I now run a 180 degree thermostat here in Florida and never see any appreciable temperature increase in traffic, and the expected sluggish engine performance that results, i.e, stalling, hesitation, stumble, etc. I'm very happy with it.

Stu Fox

[Joe C.]

Re: Max Lead Additive

I believe that both Max Lead 2000 and Octane (Lead) Supreme 130 are actually sourced from the same company, which is KEMCO. But they are distributed differently. Many years ago, KEMCO offered two lead products for sale and then dropped one of them. The one they dropped was lead blended with Jet A fuel (just like Max Lead). OC 130 is blended with toluene. Toluene can and will lift your lacquer paint, but it provides increased octane compared to Jet A.

Since TEL can no longer be manufacturered in the USA, KEMCO either has a storage supply from years gone by, or they are somehow able to import. The TEL blended into aviation fuel is imported.

To properly scavage the TEL byproducts in the combustion process, all TEL is sold as a blended mixture containing ethylene dichloride and ethylene dibromide and a red dye. It is called Tetraethyl Fluid or TEF. These chlorides and bromides are corrosive to steel. The white powder you see is a combination of lead oxide and lead chloride and lead bromide. I agree, keep your car washed to avoid paint and chrome problems.

During the 1960's and early 1970's there were three companies in the USA that produced TEL fuel additives: Dupont, Ethyl, and Houston Chemical (PPG). I was a young engineer working for Houston Chemical at this time.

Larry

That is exactly right!
That is the reason why I used Octane Supreme 130 rather than Max Lead 2000.
A secondary reason is that the OS130 is sold directly from the manufacturer without a middleman (cheaper).
Difference in price is $23.00/case plus the cost of shipping.

[Clem Z.]

Re: Max Lead Additive

I believe that both Max Lead 2000 and Octane (Lead) Supreme 130 are actually sourced from the same company, which is KEMCO. But they are distributed differently. Many years ago, KEMCO offered two lead products for sale and then dropped one of them. The one they dropped was lead blended with Jet A fuel (just like Max Lead). OC 130 is blended with toluene. Toluene can and will lift your lacquer paint, but it provides increased octane compared to Jet A.

Since TEL can no longer be manufacturered in the USA, KEMCO either has a storage supply from years gone by, or they are somehow able to import. The TEL blended into aviation fuel is imported.

To properly scavage the TEL byproducts in the combustion process, all TEL is sold as a blended mixture containing ethylene dichloride and ethylene dibromide and a red dye. It is called Tetraethyl Fluid or TEF. These chlorides and bromides are corrosive to steel. The white powder you see is a combination of lead oxide and lead chloride and lead bromide. I agree, keep your car washed to avoid paint and chrome problems.

During the 1960's and early 1970's there were three companies in the USA that produced TEL fuel additives: Dupont, Ethyl, and Houston Chemical (PPG). I was a young engineer working for Houston Chemical at this time.

Larry

we used to get TEL in quart cans from gulf labs and we were not very careful when we handled it and that could have been a problem. that is why i wondered where kemco got the TEL because i know it was outlawed in the states

[Larry M.]

Re: Max Lead Additive

we used to get TEL in quart cans from gulf labs and we were not very careful when we handled it and that could have been a problem. that is why i wondered where kemco got the TEL because i know it was outlawed in the states

Clem:

You are fortunate that you and the other guys didn't get hurt.

In the TEL manufacturing and blending units, we were monitored constantly for lead in our body. I had elevated lead levels many times. The remedy was to go home for a few days and drink plenty of liquids to flush the lead through your body. So on the way home, we stopped and picked up a couple of cases of Budweiser to use as the flushing liquid. So it wasn't all bad.

Larry