What fuel does a Model T Ford take and what mileage do they get?

I can’t answer you about mileage, but I’m betting the valves won’t seat right if you run it very long with unleaded fuel. I could be wrong, but I’m afraid I might be right.

According to Ford Motor, the Model T had fuel economy on the order of 13 to 21 mpg (5 to 9 kilometres per litre or 11.1 to 18.7 litres per 100 km). The engine was capable of running on gasoline, kerosene, or ethanol, though the decreasing cost of gasoline and the later introduction of Prohibition made ethanol an impractical fuel. (via)

Oh, and major cool points for wanting to buy a Model T.

They run on regular gasoline, low octane, but can be easily run on alcohol (Henry Ford designed the carburetor that way). The fuel economy is rather poor by modern standards, about 10–15 mpg. I’ve never owned a Model T car, but my great uncle had a Model TT truck on the farm. The cars might get slightly better fuel economy because of the final drive arrangement (the TT had a worm-drive rear axle, only 20 hp but gobs of torque).

The Model T is a fun antique car. It’s not really safe in modern traffic though. It has very dodgy brakes, drums on the rear wheels only and those are unlined and only intended as emergency/parking brakes; the main braking action (the brake pedal) only works on the transmission, the braking power can be doubled by using the reverse as well as brake pedals. The cars have a top speed of only about 40 mph. One advantage of the Model T is that they are incredibly easy to maintain and repair. The electrical system is a simple magneto, the transmission has easy to replace liner “bands”. You do have to get used to hand controls for spark and throttle and shifting gears with your feet.

The Model T engine was designed before tetraethyl lead was added to gasoline, so no “unleaded” problems. I have tons of info on Model T’s. PM me if you need more specifics.

Oh, good, I’m glad I was wrong.

@dpworkin The refineries didn’t start adding lead to gasoline until the 1930s, after the Model T went out of production. (oops, off-topic, dope-slaps self)

At least one was modded to run on Flubber.

I just checked my copy of “The Modern Gasoline Automobile – It’s Construction, Operation, Maintenance and Repair – Up to Date 1917 Edition.” by Page.
They mention gasoline, ethanol, kerosene and benzol in England. You have to change the timing with the lever mounted on the steering column.

I have not opened that book in 30 years. Thanks for the excuse!

At the risk of being flagged “off-topic”: The T will run on kerosene but won’t start easily on it unless the engine is already warmed up. Same as my John Deere Model B tractor. The tractor actually has two fuel tanks; a small one intended for gasoline to start and warm the engine, and a larger tank for cheaper fuel to run it on during the day. Also you run the risk of fouling the plugs if you shut down the engine after running on kerosene; with the tractor you switch back over to gasoline for a few minutes before shutting it down.

13–21mpg…. its comforting to know that by upgrading our fuel octane by a ton, and 100 years of research into making our cars more fuel efficient has given us an average fuel economy of about 5–10 mpg more than we were getting with the model T.

Awesome answers all! Lurve!

@tedd Welcome to Fluther. Great comparison. Very interesting.

And nobody is off topic. This discussion is a valuable resource for me and anything related to the Model T even vaguely is welcome here.

Since I cannot spam Fluther with all the questions I have I will add some here.

Can one change the tires themselves much like how we changed our bicycle tires?

Are they fairly reliable on the road- if one was to take them out for a jaunt? (I had a small British sportscar once that could not be trusted to get beyond walking distance from home.)

Do modern collectors add seatbelts. (It would seem a shame to do so but may be required in my state)

They ran on white gas at least to start with. Most restorations have hardened valves and seats added so they can run on modern unleaded gas.

@Dog – You’re in CA, is that correct? I used to have a classic car and I remember at the time that prior to certain years, classic cars are grandfathered out of some of the requirements for modern cars, such as smog check. I seem to remember the same thing about seat belts, but I’m not positive about that. I took a look at the CA laws regarding seat belts and the information is somewhat confusing because they don’t have a section addressing classic cars directly. It does say that no car made after 1962 can be legally sold without the car having at least two front seat belts. Then, there’s the following, which kind of sounds to me like they don’t require seat belts if they weren’t required by law at the time it was first sold:

The safety belts shall conform to motor vehicle safety standards established by the United States Department of Transportation. This subdivision does not, however, require installation or maintenance of safety belts where not required by the laws of the United States applicable to the vehicle at the time of its initial sale.

Also, if you don’t plan to take the car on the highway, it sounds like you have even more leeway. I would call the DMV to check to be sure, as much fun as that is in CA. ;)

@MissAnthrope Thank you! I appreciate that info and will check! I love Fluther!

I have a 1913 Model T speedster, basically an engine, seats and gas tank. You would build them on a chassis you bought from a dealer to whatever configuration you desired. Practice driving, and stopping, in a big parking lot, Very much use of hands and feet on the controls. Check out a local Model T club, they are all very passionate about the Flibber and can help you drive, maintain, and ENJOY the machine that was there at the beginning of it all. Good Luck.

Thanks @kelly!
I checked and we have a local Model T club. I will join for sure if I am fortunate enough to purchase it. (I have to sell my beloved 95 Mustang Cobra first but I really want the T)

How did the nickname Flibber come about? I have never heard of it.

Here are a couple of shots:

1923 Doctors Coupe
Side View

That’s awesome.