My nearest Sunoco has ethanol gas and my truck runs well on it.
Ethanol Gas
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The point isn't whether anyones' truck/car/bobsled runs well on ethanol. It should, ethanol is like 110 octane. The point is that over a 10% concentration and you risk damage. I'm not making this up. Feel free to google.
The point is, at 10% concentration or less (can't control "unscrupulous" gas station owners that would put more than that ... or for that matter vodka, chewing gum, wood screws, cat litter, or anything else in their gas), any car built after 1990 is going to be fine.
I think that's what I said all along? 10% concentration is okay; otherwise you'd have a lot of state and local govts. being sued. Also, 10% should run fine in your car. If anyone got another impression from my posts, please...reread them.
Just don't kid yourself that higher concentrations are not in the tank every now and then. It's easy to get away with! Ethanol is cheaper for gas stations and since it doesn't affect octane for the worst, no one's going to notice immediately. THIS is where ethanol-based damage can come from. I think I've been pretty consistant in saying that.
Just don't kid yourself that higher concentrations are not in the tank every now and then. It's easy to get away with! Ethanol is cheaper for gas stations and since it doesn't affect octane for the worst, no one's going to notice immediately. THIS is where ethanol-based damage can come from. I think I've been pretty consistant in saying that.
Some ethanol plants get sloppy and end up with too high a sulfuric acid content in their fuel and GM vehicles are apparently more suceptible to injector damage than other vehicles.
Ethanol is a "feel good" measure a way for the ignorant masses to do something they can PRETEND is benificail all the while actually doing harm, VERY much like gun control.
Even the most optomistic greey sites claim 37% positive return on energy while the anti sites claim as much as 4 to 1 goes into production as opposed to created. The truth undoubtedly lies in the middle. It also used massive amounts of water to process everything.
I want to see alternative fuels but this is the wrong one and while the ignorant buy the line the farm lobby and politicians feed them too much money is being poared into this and not enough into developing good alternatives.
Also the reason ethanol is cheaper is it is heavily subsidized with your tax dollars.
Ethanol is a "feel good" measure a way for the ignorant masses to do something they can PRETEND is benificail all the while actually doing harm, VERY much like gun control.
Even the most optomistic greey sites claim 37% positive return on energy while the anti sites claim as much as 4 to 1 goes into production as opposed to created. The truth undoubtedly lies in the middle. It also used massive amounts of water to process everything.
I want to see alternative fuels but this is the wrong one and while the ignorant buy the line the farm lobby and politicians feed them too much money is being poared into this and not enough into developing good alternatives.
Also the reason ethanol is cheaper is it is heavily subsidized with your tax dollars.
Yes, of course it is heavily subsidized. And this pipe dream that biodiesel and ethanol are going to bring back the family farmer are nutty as well. ADM and Monsanto will be the next Exxon/Mobil. But don't take my word, take a look at this pic from Monsanto's main page! http://www.monsanto.com/monsanto/images/content/imagine/diesel_full.jpg
My Jeep's owners manual says to change the motor oil sooner if using ethanol gas..why is that
B/c it's more acidic?
i agree with DJ's post just above...the pro people say its gods gift, the anti people say its the spawn of the devil and both sides have compelling statistics. half of the stuff going on in the world of autos is to quell the crowds.
no car should need new injectors (much less all of them) that soon unless something bit the dust. my guess would be bad fuel filter, pressure regulator, or something else upstream that affects all 6. my car (in sig) wasnt taken care of worth squat before i got it at 134k, and its been in chicagoland all its life (10%eth) and it still runs quite well considered age, abuse, and utter lack of maintenance till i got it. even the injectors.
some of the problem with running a car on even 10% eth when it hasnt been run on it is tuning the car for it (also affects mileage). i have a friend thats put on a few K on his nearly identical car (160k miles) running 85% eth. with race headers/intake and some minor mods. my friends car ran like crap till he advanced the timing 30-40 degrees, then he got a few horses and smoother running. im not speaking for the long term (5k, 10k, 50k+) condition of his engine however, and dont try this at home kids. this is his mod, abuse, and have fun with car.
yes change oil sooner because its more acidic
no car should need new injectors (much less all of them) that soon unless something bit the dust. my guess would be bad fuel filter, pressure regulator, or something else upstream that affects all 6. my car (in sig) wasnt taken care of worth squat before i got it at 134k, and its been in chicagoland all its life (10%eth) and it still runs quite well considered age, abuse, and utter lack of maintenance till i got it. even the injectors.
some of the problem with running a car on even 10% eth when it hasnt been run on it is tuning the car for it (also affects mileage). i have a friend thats put on a few K on his nearly identical car (160k miles) running 85% eth. with race headers/intake and some minor mods. my friends car ran like crap till he advanced the timing 30-40 degrees, then he got a few horses and smoother running. im not speaking for the long term (5k, 10k, 50k+) condition of his engine however, and dont try this at home kids. this is his mod, abuse, and have fun with car.
yes change oil sooner because its more acidic
Cut and paste from encyclopedia.com "gasohol
Related: Organic Chemistry
a gasoline extender made from a mixture of gasoline (90%) and ethanol (10%; often obtained by fermenting agricultural crops or crop wastes) or gasoline (97%) and methanol , or wood alcohol (3%). Gasohol has higher octane, or antiknock, properties than gasoline and burns more slowly, coolly, and completely, resulting in reduced emissions of some pollutants, but it also vaporizes more readily, potentially aggravating ozone pollution in warm weather. Ethanol-based gasohol is expensive and energy intensive to produce, and can damage rubber seals and diaphragms and certain finishes if the ethanol is present in higher concentrations. Since 1998, however, many American automobiles have been equipped to enable them to run on E85, a mixture of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. Methanol-based gasohol is also expensive to produce and is toxic and corrosive, and its emissions produce cancer-causing formaldehyde. See also automobile ." This and many scientific studies report gasahol's formaldehyde production when used in internal combustion engines. People are embalmed with this stuff and it's a carcinogenic agent. Alcohol also has an affinity for water which leads to increased corrosive and galvanic effects in the fuel system. Tighter quality controls are needed with alcohol fuels to combat the negative impact on fuel systems. Also obviously fuel systems need more specialized materials as the alcohol content goes up. Alcohol's lubricity is less than gasoline. There are UOA's from drag racers that indicate increased ferrious wear levels when using alcohol as fuel.
Related: Organic Chemistry
a gasoline extender made from a mixture of gasoline (90%) and ethanol (10%; often obtained by fermenting agricultural crops or crop wastes) or gasoline (97%) and methanol , or wood alcohol (3%). Gasohol has higher octane, or antiknock, properties than gasoline and burns more slowly, coolly, and completely, resulting in reduced emissions of some pollutants, but it also vaporizes more readily, potentially aggravating ozone pollution in warm weather. Ethanol-based gasohol is expensive and energy intensive to produce, and can damage rubber seals and diaphragms and certain finishes if the ethanol is present in higher concentrations. Since 1998, however, many American automobiles have been equipped to enable them to run on E85, a mixture of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. Methanol-based gasohol is also expensive to produce and is toxic and corrosive, and its emissions produce cancer-causing formaldehyde. See also automobile ." This and many scientific studies report gasahol's formaldehyde production when used in internal combustion engines. People are embalmed with this stuff and it's a carcinogenic agent. Alcohol also has an affinity for water which leads to increased corrosive and galvanic effects in the fuel system. Tighter quality controls are needed with alcohol fuels to combat the negative impact on fuel systems. Also obviously fuel systems need more specialized materials as the alcohol content goes up. Alcohol's lubricity is less than gasoline. There are UOA's from drag racers that indicate increased ferrious wear levels when using alcohol as fuel.
Isn't Minnesota now pushing for mandatory 20% ethanol?
We only have one station here that uses ethanol fuel. They advertise on their big sign; "Use Ethanol fuel for better mileage". Ya right.
We only have one station here that uses ethanol fuel. They advertise on their big sign; "Use Ethanol fuel for better mileage". Ya right.
I'm glad tofu isn't mandatory.
Yes, our governor is promoting the idea of changing our mandatory ethanol content requirement from the present 10% to 20% starting in 2012. Of course, there is no scientific basis for the new requirement, let alone any discussion of how current vehciles and other small engines will handle the new blend.
As an interesting side note, Minnesota recently (end of September) also became the first state to mandate Biodiesel. All diesel fuel sold in MN is now 2% Biodiesel blend (also called B2). Unfortunately for the promoters of B2, there have already been two temporary suspensions of the programs beccause of clogged fuel filter systems. Seems a fair amount of the biodiesel being shipped still doesn't meet minimum specifications for the product. Not quite the start backers wanted...
As an interesting side note, Minnesota recently (end of September) also became the first state to mandate Biodiesel. All diesel fuel sold in MN is now 2% Biodiesel blend (also called B2). Unfortunately for the promoters of B2, there have already been two temporary suspensions of the programs beccause of clogged fuel filter systems. Seems a fair amount of the biodiesel being shipped still doesn't meet minimum specifications for the product. Not quite the start backers wanted...
I don't think that's it, as MTBE, along with ethanol, is used as an oxygenate for those areas that require oxygenated gasoline "to reduce pollution". (Methanol is not used as an oxygenate, as far as I know).
It probably does reduce emissions on a vehicle that's running rich, but that vehicle has a mechanical problem that should be repaired.
Hey, I'm just repeating what I have read as an official explanation.
This last tank I put E10 in the Aspire and i've noticed a small increase in performance over regular. The odd thing about it is if I put E10 in my Festiva it cuts out, actually refuses to run. The same drivetrain only difference is a more advanced computer setup on the Aspire. I haven't seen a mpg difference in the Aspire but with my driving in stopngo it doesn't get above 33 even with regular. My opinion is to try E10 once if it doesn't work don't use, well unless you live in a state that forces you to.
10% ethanol gasoline in not bad for vehicles, it is the octane rating of the fuel that is not good for some vehicles. At most fuel stations, there are usally 2-3 grades of fuel. People, with the higher prices of fuel, they tend to put the lowest price fuel into their tanks, and this is usally the lower grades of octane. Sometimes below what the owners manual of their vehicle calls for, this will cause problems with prolonged use of the lower than recommened octane fuel.
10% ethanol helps the engine by removing water or moisture from the fuel system and by acting as a gentle cleaner in the fuel sys./combustion chamber/valves etc..
the main thing is to use the proper level (octane rate) of ethanol and you can't go wrong.
10% ethanol helps the engine by removing water or moisture from the fuel system and by acting as a gentle cleaner in the fuel sys./combustion chamber/valves etc..
the main thing is to use the proper level (octane rate) of ethanol and you can't go wrong.
Yeah, but, how is low octane fuel gonna clog/deteriorate injectors?
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