Gasohol?

[rob-the-oil-nut]

I am a believer in gasohol. I have used it every fill since I got it 20 months ago. Now I see fellow members saying gas mileage is better without.
I was also warned by a mechanic buddy that gasohol would damage the seals. What are the symptoms of that?
My last tankful got me 8 L/100 k or 35 mpg, that's like a record for my car and I'm pretty happy.
IF I switch for a tank or a month, I see that I have few options: Don't even get me started on Royal Dutch Shell!
I have no Citgo, no 66, etc. Some of the stations here you haven't heard of and some of your stations, I haven't heard of.
http://www.winnipeggasprices.com/ shows most here. I'm not buying from a grocery chain and I have a bad opinion of Domo. It would be Esso or PetroCan, and that's it. Co-op would be an option too I guess.
TIA
Rob

 

[MNgopher]

I'm assuming by gasohol you mean the 10% ethanol blend that is allowed by automakers.

In Minnesota, ALL gasoilne, except for premium non-oxy sold at limited outlets and at higher pricing, is a 10% blend by state law. Its all a subsidy for farmers, but I won't get into to that!

If you are using it in a vehicle that was made after about 1988 or so, you will have NO problems with the seals. It is only in older engines that the seals are attacked by the ethanol, requiring the use of non-oxy fuels.

If the seals start to go, you will have fuel leaks where the seals are failing, which generally is not a good thing with a flammable liquid!

In general, a 1-3% decrease in fuel economy can be expected using an ethanol blend, ALL other factor held equal. Ethanol simply contains less energy than gasoline does, causing the decrease.

In my travels, I've noted when I have had ethanol gas, and when I don't, and when I don't know. I generally get about 3-4% better mileage on non-ethanol fuels.

Can't help on brands since I know nothing about the supplies in your region!

Hope that helps some!

 

[Greg]

8L/100 km is 29.4 mpg.

 

[Smoky14]

It has fewer BTUs per gallon thus it requires more to do the same work.
Someone figured out that diesel fuel has more BTUs than gasoline thus better mileage. If we bought fuel by the BTU output the prices would change big time.

 

[rob-the-oil-nut]

quote:

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Originally posted by Greg:
8L/100 km is 29.4 mpg.

---

Greg is right, I found the following from a Google search:
To convert from miles/gallon to liters/100 kilometers:

US: 235.24/miles per gallon = liters per 100 km
UK: 282.54/miles per gallon = liters per 100 km
and vice versa.
I had memorized 282 as "the constant" when I should have memorized 235, or written down 235.24
At least those reading this forum can benefit from my error.
Thanks / sorry
Rob

 

[BOBISTHEOILGUY]

On the main page http://www.bobistheoilguy.com

On the left side, second link down, is a complete conversion calculator. No memorizing required.
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/conversion.html

 

[rob-the-oil-nut]

Metric conversion made very, VERY difficult: Upon research yesterday, I was told by 2 old-timers (my dad being one) who have told me that I am trying to find miles per UK gallon, not US. Perhaps that's why I memorized 282, if I was under that impression when I started keeping track. So I emailed Bob and Pablo and Patman and many others, they got back to me. Special thanks to all those that replied by email that I was in fact wrong in my math, and why I made the error: It wasn't that long ago that we in Canada bought gas by the Imperial (UK, not US) gallon.

Back to actually being on-topic: I am trying a tank of non-gasohol and only through 1/2 tank but the trip odometer shows a rather high number, causing me to believe that gas mileage is well over 5% better. Now to ponder the environmental issues...
Thanks again; sorry again.
Rob

 

[Greg]

quote:

---

Originally posted by rob-the-oil-nut:
Metric conversion made very, VERY difficult: Upon research yesterday, I was told by 2 old-timers (my dad being one) who have told me that I am trying to find miles per UK gallon, not US. Perhaps that's why I memorized 282, if I was under that impression when I started keeping track. So I emailed Bob and Pablo and Patman and many others, they got back to me. Special thanks to all those that replied by email that I was in fact wrong in my math, and why I made the error: It wasn't that long ago that we in Canada bought gas by the Imperial (UK, not US) gallon.

Back to actually being on-topic: I am trying a tank of non-gasohol and only through 1/2 tank but the trip odometer shows a rather high number, causing me to believe that gas mileage is well over 5% better. Now to ponder the environmental issues...
Thanks again; sorry again.
Rob

---

where are you getting the gas?

 

[rob-the-oil-nut]

quote:

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Originally posted by Greg:

quote:

---

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where are you getting the gas? [/QB]

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Petro Canada. A fill of their plain stuff appears to have increased gas consumption (by 1.3 litres per hundred km) but there are variables that could account for that. (not the least of which is, maybe I squeezed an extra litre into the tank when I filled up last time) This tankful is their mid-grade. Next one will likely be based on whim and experimentation, as opposed to science

but if anyone has a suggestion, let me know.
Thanks Greg!

 

[ALS]

Here is a site that breaks down efficiency of different fuels. http://www.ext.nodak.edu/extpubs/ageng/structu/ae1015a.pdf

 

[Greaser]

In this neck of the woods of Canada Sunoco,Pioneer are the two that have 10% ethanol...personally I like it...call me crazy but my Jeeps love the stuff...starts with a touch of the key in ice cold weather...runs/idles great...don't really pay too much attention to the gas milege...Jeeps aren't gas stingy by any strech of the imagination....but they pass emmisions with low counts accross the board with the stuff

 

[Greg]

quote:

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Originally posted by rob-the-oil-nut:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Greg:

quote:

---

---

where are you getting the gas?

---

Petro Canada. A fill of their plain stuff appears to have increased gas consumption (by 1.3 litres per hundred km) but there are variables that could account for that. (not the least of which is, maybe I squeezed an extra litre into the tank when I filled up last time) This tankful is their mid-grade. Next one will likely be based on whim and experimentation, as opposed to science

but if anyone has a suggestion, let me know.
Thanks Greg! [/QB]

---

hi,

i see where you were going with the UK and US thing, my car gets 35 mpg on UK and 29 on the US scale. i just have to figure out what everyone else in the world is using.

i use a local variety store's gas, where you can get $0.02 off a litre if you show a club card. he says he gets the gas from shell.

 

[rob-the-oil-nut]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Greg:
I see where you were going with the UK and US thing, my car gets 35 mpg on UK and 29 on the US scale. i just have to figure out what everyone else in the world is using.

i use a local variety store's gas, where you can get $0.02 off a litre if you show a club card. he says he gets the gas from shell. [/QB]

---

I was getting 35 or 29, too! And I cannot figure out whether to use the 282 number or what, either! This is kinda cool!
Here there is a very dumb gimmick. A store started giving people 3.5 cents off per litre if they bought gas as well as groceries, that was probably more than a year ago. What it has evolved into is most gas bars have their sign with an inflated price and another sign saying you get 3.5 cents off, this location only. Go to another location and it's the same thing.
On PetroCan Regular (87 octane) I mathed out 9.3212 litres per 100 km, by the old, arguably wrong, "282 method" that's 30.25 mpg.
Then I bought PetroCan mid-grade (89 Octane) and the math shows 9.1854 L/100 km or 0.5 mpg better, which I would call too close to call. Yesterday, back to gasohol, this time "Premium Plus" which is 92 octane. I'll have to drive 400+ km's to know how it did, but I added 37.55 litres (71.9 cents per) and the trip odo said 408.8, that's how I got the 9.1854. If that is wrong math, I'm not sure I want to know it!

 

[Greg]

quote:

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Originally posted by rob-the-oil-nut:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Greg:
I see where you were going with the UK and US thing, my car gets 35 mpg on UK and 29 on the US scale. i just have to figure out what everyone else in the world is using.

i use a local variety store's gas, where you can get $0.02 off a litre if you show a club card. he says he gets the gas from shell.

---

I was getting 35 or 29, too! And I cannot figure out whether to use the 282 number or what, either! This is kinda cool!
Here there is a very dumb gimmick. A store started giving people 3.5 cents off per litre if they bought gas as well as groceries, that was probably more than a year ago. What it has evolved into is most gas bars have their sign with an inflated price and another sign saying you get 3.5 cents off, this location only. Go to another location and it's the same thing.
On PetroCan Regular (87 octane) I mathed out 9.3212 litres per 100 km, by the old, arguably wrong, "282 method" that's 30.25 mpg.
Then I bought PetroCan mid-grade (89 Octane) and the math shows 9.1854 L/100 km or 0.5 mpg better, which I would call too close to call. Yesterday, back to gasohol, this time "Premium Plus" which is 92 octane. I'll have to drive 400+ km's to know how it did, but I added 37.55 litres (71.9 cents per) and the trip odo said 408.8, that's how I got the 9.1854. If that is wrong math, I'm not sure I want to know it!

[/QB]

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guess you guys are still at 71.9. we came all the way down to 61.9 before it shot up last week to 69.9 and now it's falling back down again (64.9 now).

 

[userfriendly]

A Minnidosa minute;
Well I heard that Plainsmen whisky was so bad that Manitobians started pouring it into their tractors and combines instead of drinking it. Mohawk Oil Co found out about this product, agreed about the taste and the fact it made a better fuel than drink, bought the plant and started producing methonal.

 

[rob-the-oil-nut]

quote:

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Originally posted by userfriendly:
A Minnidosa minute;
Well I heard that Plainsmen whisky was so bad that Manitobans started pouring it into their tractors and combines instead of drinking it. Mohawk Oil Co found out about this product, agreed about the taste and the fact it made a better fuel than drink, bought the plant and started producing methonal.

---

Hahahaha. Not sure how I could verify that but it would be interesting to try.
I am happy with my gas mileage, it's really good. I'm on my 6th (?) consecutive tank of Mohawk Premium Plus and no regrets, the better gas mileage is worth the extra cost. I'll be filling up today, might go back to Regular Plus just to see if it falls back down...

 

[Ironthinker]

I live in MN and the only fuel sold by law is a 10% blend. This is a quite a boom for our weathy farmers, and will be a national law when production is ready.

I travel of of state often, so buy the quality product whenever I can. It's a better product by any standard or test that's honest.

The bigger government gets, the more the interest groups will run our lives.

 

[badnews]

Bing ------------ we may have a winner here-- I have found that it tends to clean the engine and tank. I have a fleet of cars used reg gasoline for years and when switching to the Ethnol mix, fuel injecters cloged up, after cleaning them, it was like wow, this stuff keeps things clean. The milage was about the same. think the Ethonol was cleaning the varnish off of the lines and gas tank. JMHO

[ September 12, 2003, 05:25 PM: Message edited by: badnews ]

 

[rob-the-oil-nut]

I used additives, and have a bit of a stumbly idle and a bit of missing at times, but I will also be installing Iridium plugs (ones in there are stock and just under 2 years old) and wires (existing wires are likely 10+ years old). So maybe gasohol has something to do with all that. But years back (as I may have said) when they launched it, they had LOTS of fuel filters for sale, thinking the 10% would stir up guck and plug the filter. What happened was about 5% of what they had feared. I see no ill effects (apart from the above possibility) and oddly, get better gas mileage with gasohol than 0% Ethanol (tried several tanks of PetroCanada and it went down). I have all the figures, receipts, trip odo's written down, etc, but the bottom line is that with Premium Plus ("up to 10%") I have the best gas mileage ever. The plugs & wires are older than last summer, driving habits are the same, and additive use is as well. I dunno; go figure

Rob