e85 or gas with 10% eth just a thought

[boggs1227]

here's a thought...after posting a thread about how to calculate mpg ,today when i filled up to do my test the local chevron (really all of them around my area) are now are with 10% ethanol for all grades (not sure if all the different gas suppliers are doing this tho ) .

i wonder with the age of our trucks and with gas prices going up like they are if our trucks can handle the 10% of alcohol mixed in the fuel ??also i wonder if the injectors and pumps won't degrade over time from this .i suppose that they are doing this to try to off set the gas needs of the u.s.a.


any thoughts ?

 

[Maniak]

I can't remember seeing non e-10 fuel in Arizona for years (Oct 31 to March 31). Our X has been handling it fine BUT I noticed gas mileage drops a bit every winter (when you think it would be better because of the cool air)... Mileage drops from 17mpg to about 15.5 or so.

~Mark

 

[dogfriend]

Ethanol has less energy per volume, so it will lower your mileage compared to 100% gas.

10% Ethanol is pretty common here in Calif for winter fuel (oxygenator) since MTBE is no longer used. I would only use E85 (85% ethanol) in a vehicle that is designed to accomodate it.

 

[MountaineerGreen]

Our local gas station just added stickers to every pump that say "This fuel product may contain up to 10% ethanol". I don't know what to think of that with fuel being over $3, its kind of like watering it down to me.

 

[dogfriend]

My mileage in the Prius has gone up about 4 -5 mpg (from 46 to 50) since they went to the reformulated summer blend two tankfuls ago. Of course, our gas prices went up $ .50 from $3.05 to $3.55 at the same time. :thumbdwn:

 

[protomind]

Dang I thinks I prefer 100 gasoline in my cars.

 

[Charlie]

The ethanol blend also will slowly harm your car if it isn't designed to handle ethanol

 

[Maniak]

If there was proof that e-10 harmed vehicles I'm sure that in our sue happy society there would be lawsuits all over the place by now.

e-10 seems to be very common as a winter blend fuel and has been so for years.

If I had a choice I would run 100% gas only to get the better mileage, thats assuming it didn't cost more than e-10 to the point of making it not cost effective.

~Mark

 

[kert0307]

My ex has only seen e-10, no ill results. My old 88 ranger ran e-10 as well as long as I can remember. Being from Iowa, we've had e-10 as an additive for a long time.

I have also noticed a drop in mpg with winter blended fuels, but it seems like is has been worse the past couple years, since we've always had e-10, I think there may be something else that has been changed...

 

[hunterdan]

They have been running the e-10 year round in my area for the past 2 years I think. There was a big deal over it when they stopped using MMT because of the harmful effects of it. While the changeover was happening, there was a shortage causing gas prices to go up, and even more so when Katrina hit New Orleans later on in the summer. That is also when I started to notice the decline in mileage in my truck as well. I used to get almost 25 mpg on the highway, but I haven't seen that number in a long time.

 

[Peteyscn24]

Ethanol is actually more expensive to produce than gas is. There is another reason our gas is rising.

 

[Redtrac01]

Most cars can run on up to 10% Ethanol with no problems(older cars have the most problems with it). They put it in gas to reduce emissions and engine knock. It does probably hurt mileage, but the states mandate it as a winter additive.

The other killer of my winter mileage is weather. We get more bad weather which causes more traffic slowdowns on the highway. So my normal 70/30 highway/city work commute becomes a 50/50 h/c commute because of stop and go driving for a portion of the freeway part. Stop and go city driving kills mileage. Cold weather also takes longer for the engine to warm up to normal operating temperature, which is where it operates most efficiently.

 

[kert0307]

Ethanol is actually more expensive to produce than gas is. There is another reason our gas is rising.

Ya... that's why it costs 2.40 per gallon....

http://www.energy.ca.gov/gasoline/graphs/ethanol_10-year.html

 

[boggs1227]

Ya... that's why it costs 2.40 per gallon....

the day i started this thread ...at my local chevron regular is 3.24 per gallon
but, it was till about 3 weeks ago that i started noticed the 10% stickers on the pumps .being that winter is almost over with why would they just now start to do this if they add it to winter mix fuel... i mean winter is practically over and gone with here in georgia.maybe they got a late start or something ?!?

 

[kert0307]

Ethanol is just an additive, it doesn't make it "winter blend"

 

[boggs1227]

ahh

 

[rizzjc]

I didn't know that the 10% ethanol is the same as the "oxygenated winter blend". Is it really? My fuel economy is in the toilet this winter, and I'll bet it pops back up to normal (which happens to still be in the toilet) once the warmer weather comes. The only people I see ethanol helping are those who are making money off ethanol.

 

[malsell]

Every station that is in my area has used e-10 for as long as I can remember. Most of the stations adding the stickers to there pumps are just for show or because of new state mandates. e-10 reduces knock and will help to clean injectors, valves etc, However it also helps remove the junk that is inside the tank which gets cuaght in the filter, pump, injectors, valves. e-10 will not hurt anyting and the real loss from it is <5% mpg. and <2% hp. ethanol has more energy than gasoline, but burns at a slower rate. You will exaust more unburnt ethanol than gasoline, but it does not polute like gasoline. If your vehicle is not set up for e-85, it will not run on it. You would need hotter plugs and a different timing. flex fuel vehicles detect the fuel coming to the motor and adjust from there.

 

[dogfriend]

ethanol has more energy than gasoline, but burns at a slower rate. .

No, that's not true, ethanol has a lower energy content than gasoline.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethanol_fuel#Fuel_economy

 

[dogfriend]

Ethanol is just an additive, it doesn't make it "winter blend"

In certain areas in California, they have to use oxygenator in the winter. They used to use MTBE, but then found out it was getting into the water supply. Now they are using ethanol as an oxygenator instead. They may use other additives as well for winter blend, but most if not all brands are using ethanol as an oxygenator.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MTBE#Alternatives