does only regular have "up to10%"

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Mar 26, 2009
Messages
656
Location
Portland, OR
It may have been touched on before but at the gas station that sign that it may contain up to 10% ethanol is only by the regular at every station I go to. So is it only in the regular? I did see that on the shell site they say that the super has more cleaning additives in it than the regular and 5x the cleaning additives required by the gov.
 
The reason why I ask is that in my new jk I used regular for a few tanks with no problems but the last time I filled up with regular I got pinging, so I added premium when it was a quarter tank down and it went away. In my element, since I moved from idaho to washington the honda sounds like a bus when im going up hill and accelerating. Im thinking that the gas is formulated different here than it was in idaho. That or just he elevation differance is changing the way my cars run. what that has to do with the 10% ethanol is I figured I'd just start using mid grade and I could justify that in my head if it had less ethanol. I think I just found my answer on about.com, here it is


REFORMULATED GASOLINE

"In some major cities with air pollution problems, reformulated gasoline is required. It is an oxygenated fuel, that burns really clean but can slightly lower fuel economy and engine performance. If your engine is really dirty with carbon deposits, it will also cause pinging or premature burn. In these types of situations, you may want to consider stepping up to the next grade of gasoline.

The bottom line is to use the type of gasoline recommended for your engine. In some cases, like towing, or other stresses on the engine, you may find a higher octane fuel helpful."
 
Elevation difference sure does have an impact on engine performance. For example in Denver one finds 85 octane that many use.

I find that when buying gasoline I look for a station that is selling a lot of it.

The new administration in Washington is looking into the requirement of 15% Ethanol in all gasoline.

Many stations here only have two gasoline tanks. Mid grade is a mixture of 87 and 93 octane.

If you find that you are having issues with one brand of fuel, or station, try another and use what your manual recommends.
 
Originally Posted By: Johnny
I guess it depends on your location. Where I'm at, all pumps have the up to 10% stickers on them.


Same here unfortunately
45.gif
 
here in toronto at shell stations they have a sticker that says

regular has up to 10% ethanol, mid grade up to 5% and vpower (highest grade aka 91 octane) has 0%.

I do see quite a difference in MPG in my car between Shell and Sunoco or Petro Canada.
 
Quote:
The reason why I ask is that in my new jk I used regular for a few tanks with no problems but the last time I filled up with regular I got pinging, so I added premium when it was a quarter tank down and it went away. In my element, since I moved from idaho to washington the honda sounds like a bus when im going up hill and accelerating.


Try a treatment with Amsoil PI ..or something like Gumout Regane (yellow/clear bottle) and see if it goes away. Sounds like deposits to me. You really shouldn't hear or feel anything different when switching locations ..at least not in the havoc level that you describe. I got this in my jeep when getting it back from the daughter after a year long stretch. Accelerated like a coffee can full of bb's. Fractured flame fronts to the extreme.
 
The good news is that since the price of ethanol went up when gas went down a lot of places that say up to 10% are actually using 0%.
 
Here in WI, it's voluntary in all areas except the greater Milwaukee area which is required to use reformulated gasoline. Nevertheless, most stations do have 10% ethanol in all grades. My guess is so they can purchase cheaper sub-octane base gasoline then add the 10% ethanol to bring the octane up to the minimum ratings.

Only a select few stations carry gasoline with no ethanol in it. There's only 2 stations in my city of ~60,000 that have no ethanol in their regular grade. One is a Citgo station, the other is Fleet Farm, which has 10% in their mid-grade, but not in the regular or premium. Their premium is only 91 octane though. All the other stations' premium is 93.
 
Get a beaker, add a measured amount of water, shake it. If the water "expands" it's mixing with the alcohol.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top