i am a college student in a new state and when i went to go put gas the other day i pressed the premium gas which i normally put but this one said it contained 10 percent ethanol. Now i am not to sure if this is good or bad or if it just burns faster but if anyone could give me any information on this it would be appreciated. :us:

why do you use premium? explorers are rated for 87 octane; if your engine is pinging with the 87 and you switched up to the higher octane to stop the pinging, you've only masked the pinging and should search through the forums for ways on stopping the pinging (running some fuel injector cleaner, Seafoam, cleaning your MAF, etc--simple stuff). Also, before switch back to the lower grade, remember to disconnect the neg. battery terminal to clear out the "learned" fuel mixes that the computer has stored in it.


As far as ethanol... i believe that has something to do with cleaning the engine--but I'm not sure--from surfing the posts here, it looks like it will hurt your gas mileage though.

my engine is not pinging and it runs perfectly fine. Just where i am currently at and in my home town the minimum octane rating for regular unleaded is 86 therefore i put premium which is above 87 at 89. and i was just wondering if ethanol had any effect on gas mileage. :us:

Nope, you shouldn't notice any big difference. I've driven with and without it and noticed no change. I'd try using 86 octane and see what happens, its worth saving yourself $2 a tank if it makes no difference.

Hmmmm....Fordby4, I always fill-up with premium. I personally like the extra performance and "grunt" that the high octane offers. The ethanol, from what I've read is supposed to burn cleanly; I've also heard that the products of combustion include an increased water content which is no big deal. And a 10% mixture is said to have no negative effects on engine longevity, excessive parts wear, etc.

We have had 10% ethanol gas in our area for a very long time and I think the only difference is mileage. I can usually get 1 MPG more when I use regular gas in other states.

From what I've heard about premium fuel, its not going to improve performance unless you change your timing by upgrading to a high performance computer chip. The premium fuels do have additional additives that keep the fuel system clean.

stubborn1 is right, premium isn't doing a darn thing for your performance unless you have a chip that has adjusted your timing and you now need premium. It's all in your head. I have a friend who puts premium in all his vehicles, though they only require 87. I told him he's just throwing his money away, but he doesn't care. :rolleyes:

stubborn1 is right, premium isn't doing a darn thing for your performance unless you have a chip that has adjusted your timing and you now need premium. It's all in your head. I have a friend who puts premium in all his vehicles, though they only require 87. I told him he's just throwing his money away, but he doesn't care. :rolleyes:

Superchips chip, 24 lb injectors, lightning fuel pump, adjustable FPR, Cold air ram air intake, Paxton SC( being installed now), KB boost-a-spark, Accel coils, Torque thrust headers, mechanical shift kit, 4:56 traction-lok rear-end, flowmaster.

........ but it's all in my head......any premium gains- you bet.

Notice I said in my post, "unless you have a chip that has adjusted your timing."
Obviously, you do, so premium helps you.

Superchips chip, 24 lb injectors, lightning fuel pump, adjustable FPR, Cold air ram air intake, Paxton SC( being installed now), KB boost-a-spark, Accel coils, Torque thrust headers, mechanical shift kit, 4:56 traction-lok rear-end, flowmaster.

........ but it's all in my head......any premium gains- you bet. dude, where in eastern NC are you? cause i def wanna see that when you get done! im in wilson for school.

OK Subaru Impreza; have any data to back up your statement?

thanks for all the help guys. and one more thing the premium with 10 percent ethanol here is 5 cents cheaper than the regular unleaded and the octane level is 86 and the premiums is 89 so for know i think i will go with the cheaper gas that has a higher octane level :us:

OK Subaru Impreza; have any data to back up your statement?
The data has been around since gas was given octane ratings. Search for links such as Octane Myths (http://www.co.suffolk.ny.us/webtemp3.cfm?dept=3&id=2049) I'll admit when I was younger I ran 93 octane in my 5.0 stang because I thought it ran better. The car didn't run better, but the premium fuel kept it cleaner with its additives not found in lesser grades of fuel.

I live in Nyc and all the gas is now 10% i dont know why or care really but the prices are insane they are 2.11 a gallon

Higher octane means a slower burning flame front, and resistance to detonation. Best performance comes just prior to detonation, hence you should run the lowest octane your vehicle will burn without pinging. This will give you the best performance.

Ethanol acts as an octane booster (or slows the flame front down) but does it at the expense of thermal energy. So, Ethanol will give good ping prevention, but not better performance, hence the poorer mileage.

I like to run 10% ethanol every 5th tank or so to clean out any mosture in the tank. It's like putting in an 8oz can of Gas Dryer. Same stuff.

I'm no expert, but I did sleep at a Holiday Inn Express last night :)

i just run 87 octane (usually from chevron or mobil) and put in a bottle of fuel system treatment every 2000-2500 miles.

I'm no expert, but I did sleep at a Holiday Inn Express last night :)

Nice! :D

I can tell ya that I really don't get any difference in mpg with higher octane gas--the only time I've used it is when the pinging has gotten so bad I can't stand it (and havent had time to clean up my engine), or if they were out of 87 and I used 89 (heh... and at that place it was still a nickel cheaper than 87 I'd seen anywhere else cuz it was outside the city limits).

Last week I drove down to NYC, and even with some stop and go traffic on the Merritt parkway and city traffic, I got about 19 mpg on my normal tank of Hess 87. Coming back, I stopped at the lowest priced place I could find in NY/Conn, a Mobil on the Merritt (1.94), and filled up--rest of the way was highway driving, no traffic, but at half a tank or so, my mpg is definitely under 19--looks more like 16.

The only thing I can think of off the top of my head was that little sign I saw that said "This product contains ethanol." I'll have to wait till I fill up to find out what the exact numbers are, but I'm not too big a fan.

My question is, why do the northern states oxygenate the gas during the winter?

My question is, why do the northern states oxygenate the gas during the winter?

I'm not sure but I think it has to do with the oxygen content of air in below freezing climates. Even though cold air is denser (which we know is better for performance) freezing air has more moisture from ice crystals and snow. I'm a little sketch on my chemistry (it's been a while) but I think free O2 in a freezing environment will stick to the ionized water molecules that form ice crystals and snow. Basically it reduces the oxygens availability in the combustion reaction. So in northern states where it's colder they oxygenate the gas in order to make up for it. I'm pretty sure it has the biggest impact at startup. Once your engine is turning no big deal, but to get it going some extra O2 can make a big difference.

Ethanol has a lower BTU content than traditional gasoline, and as such, you get lower mileage when using it. It burns cleaner than gasoline, and is more natural.

Now, if I could have it my way, we'd all be driving bio-diesel vehicles. :D

The following is a from an article I found while surfing today.
Refineries brew their summer blends by removing hydrocarbons that are more prone to evaporate in hot weather. These chemicals, called volatile organic compounds, react with airborne pollutants in the summer sun to form ozone, one of the main components of smog. From June 1 to Sept. 15, the EPA mandates that pumps in 12 high-ozone urban areas—such as Los Angeles, New York City, and Baton Rouge—deliver gasoline that meets special low-evaporation standards. Several states have voluntarily adopted the rules, and 15 have enacted their own seasonal-blend regulations on top of the EPA's. For example, pollution-conscious California has mandated that service stations must start selling its summer blend in May.
Click here for enire Winter / Summer fuel article. (http://slate.msn.com/id/2098672)

Is there something new in gas?????? I topped off my tank and got a couple extra gallons for the lawnmower. I filled the lawn mower tank which was empty and it ran terrible. The gas is as clear as water without the slightest color tint. Stuck my finger in it and held it right under to my nose and couldn't smell anything. I've smelled gas for 30 years and have never had anything like this before. A weeks ago gas smelled like gas when I poured it in the lawnmower. Off on a long trip tomorrow. I'll be glad when I get through a half a tank without problems.