100% gasoline advert. question

[Jaymus]

I live in Tennessee. There is a gas station in a city near me that claims 100% gas. Well, I've always just thought to myself "B.S." as I drove by it. It's an Arabian looking guy that works there, so it's one of 'those' stations.

Well, my cousin, who is much more gullible than me, was telling me how it's really 100% gas and he noticed a good mpg increase. He said he asked the guy if it was really 100% gas with no ethanol, and he said yeah. He said the guy showed him some papers to prove it, and that it was also Exxon/Mobil gas.

Well, I just had to try it for myself. We tried it in my wife's 2.4 4cyl Eclipse. I didn't do any calculations, but the mpg increased enough for us to both notice it easily. I'm talking $10 got what seemed to be an extra 30 miles than other gas stations.

I'm still skeptical, because people on here say ALL gas has ethanol in it. What is your take on this? I've been meaning to bring my truck there to fuel it up ('86 F-150 5.0 EFI), but it gets bad mpg because of the NP435 4-speed with no overdrive, so I know it won't justify my trip to the station, but I would like to see how my old truck runs with it.

Is it possible this guy is ordering gas with no ethanol? Or is this false advertising? BTW, her car wasn't driven any differently to achieve the better fuel mileage. We just noticed that it was getting better mileage because she's had the car over 3 years and we know how the gas hand moves now from a trip to our house to town, etc.

 

[bepperb]

He probably is getting it without ethanol. It gets mixed in at the termial before it goes into tanker trucks, and it's not difficult to get it without, a lot of marinas do this.

I also notice about a 1mpg improvement without it. I drive from Milwaukee to Minneapolis a few times a year, and it's pretty easy to compare things on a 300 mile trip with cruise set the whole way.

 

[jmac]

Not ALL gas has ethanol, just most posters live near metropolitan areas so that is all they see. If or when all gas goes ethanol, particularly corn lickin's, expect grain products to go even further through the roof and if you think the riots in Mexico City before were bad they will be even greater. That is if our current Congress gets its way.

 

[froggy81500]

Originally Posted By: jmac
Not ALL gas has ethanol, just most posters live near metropolitan areas so that is all they see. If or when all gas goes ethanol, particularly corn lickin's, expect grain products to go even further through the roof and if you think the riots in Mexico City before were bad they will be even greater. That is if our current Congress gets its way.


depends on the state. Some states require it throughout the state. Minnesota I believe does, and I thought NY does also. And of course I live in NY so it sucks.

 

[addyguy]

I think ALL gasoline has SOME ethanol in it. Especially if it is a less-expensive 'no name' station - owner is just buying the standard 'gas of the day' from a terminal, and that will be a generic ethanol blend.

A oil company owned station I can maybe see having non-ethanol gas; as they control the process from start to finish, and sometimes even pipe the gas separately.

But a small/no-name sattion? No way - it's general ethanol blend.

 

[sciphi]

It's likely pure. There's an independent station nearby me that advertises 100% gas. From what I've observed in a year of going there, it's true. My car gets better mileage and knocks less on their gas than 10% ethanol gas elsewhere.

More expensive, but worth it IMO.

 

[Samilcar]

I can understand the better mileage using straight gas, but knocking less? How would a higher octane e-10 blended gas cause more knocking?

 

[soldierman]

A simple water test on a sample would tell for sure.

 

[Jaymus]

Originally Posted By: soldierman
A simple water test on a sample would tell for sure.


Is this something I can do for free (minus the cost of gas)? Or do I have to buy a kit?

 

[soldierman]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsSQSuCiUjE

Any test tube, small bottle or such marked at about 25% of the test volume should do. If the water rises after being agitated and settling then there was some ethanol in it.

 

[mikered30]

Originally Posted By: Jaymus
Originally Posted By: soldierman
A simple water test on a sample would tell for sure.


Is this something I can do for free (minus the cost of gas)? Or do I have to buy a kit?


You can buy a kit or check out the last post here: http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1450767&page=3

 

[sciphi]

Originally Posted By: Samilcar
I can understand the better mileage using straight gas, but knocking less? How would a higher octane e-10 blended gas cause more knocking?


I have my ScanGauge on my 3800-powered Buick set to display knock. It shows far less knock on "straight" gas than gas labeled 10% ethanol. Wildly guessing, I think it's a combination of an old engine design (it was originally penned in the 60's and updated throughout the years), very aggressive engine management, and possibly subpar gas mixed with ethanol to get 87 octane.

I really do not know. I wish I had more than speculation.

 

[Scimmia]

Originally Posted By: Samilcar
I can understand the better mileage using straight gas, but knocking less? How would a higher octane e-10 blended gas cause more knocking?

Who said it's higher octane? If the pump says 87 octane minimum, it doesn't matter if it's E10 or straight gasoline, it's going to be 87 minimum.

The knocking could be from the engine running leaner, since E10 requires more fuel to run at stoich than straight gasoline.

 

[Samilcar]

Originally Posted By: Scimmia
Originally Posted By: Samilcar
I can understand the better mileage using straight gas, but knocking less? How would a higher octane e-10 blended gas cause more knocking?

Who said it's higher octane? If the pump says 87 octane minimum, it doesn't matter if it's E10 or straight gasoline, it's going to be 87 minimum.

The knocking could be from the engine running leaner, since E10 requires more fuel to run at stoich than straight gasoline.


Good point. I guess I just ASSumed it was an 89 octane E-10 blend.

 

[ted s]

i know its not required in upstate ny.

Originally Posted By: froggy81500
Originally Posted By: jmac
Not ALL gas has ethanol, just most posters live near metropolitan areas so that is all they see. If or when all gas goes ethanol, particularly corn lickin's, expect grain products to go even further through the roof and if you think the riots in Mexico City before were bad they will be even greater. That is if our current Congress gets its way.


depends on the state. Some states require it throughout the state. Minnesota I believe does, and I thought NY does also. And of course I live in NY so it sucks.

 

[Gary Allan]

Quote:
If the water rises after being agitated and settling then there was some ethanol in it.


I would think that volume would tell you. If you've got a 10% ethanol solution (let's say 1000ml/1 liter) and add 100mls of water, you should end up with less than 1100mls of liquid. A 50:50 mix of alcohol and water results in less than 100% combined volume.

That, iirc, was the basis for moon shine terms of "the revenuers". Your "proofs" would make water account for given volumes of taxed alcohol ..while the alcohol/water mix actually shrank in volume (massage that to make sense).