Which is the better deal, ethanol or non ethanol?

[Scoot_4_20]

I filled up again today with ethanol gas after running mostly all non ethanol gas for several years. I can get it at Kroger's for about 30 cents per gallon less than non ethanol with my store 10 cent discount.

I seemed to get 28.1 MPG with ethanol today, and 30 MPG has been my average with non ethanol. At 5.5 gallons used, this means I saved about $1.65 in gas, which SEEMS to be a better deal.

 

[JHZR2]

If the option exists, it needs to be calculated based upon the pricing strategy of the retailer and the economy penalty on your vehicle. Griping over ethanol may well be false economics when considering just the pump to miles on your odometer aspect. Other parts may be less straightforward if youre looking at the big picture.

I dont like a hit on MPGs due to ethanol, nor do I like farm subsidies to major multibillion dollar businesses.

But living in an area where tons of farmland is turned into tracts of ugly mcmansion type houses, I'd rather have farmland.

 

[Scoot_4_20]

I think I know what you mean about McMansion type houses.

 

[Brons2]

Is it E85 you're using, or just the standard "up to 10%" ethanol" regular unleaded?

 

[Astro14]

Ethanol does not store as well as straight gasoline...I will pay a lot more for straight to keep my OPE from gumming up (just bought a new carb for the Stihl last week...stupid ethanol blend ruined it...even with Stabil in it...)

So, for the family car, I don't care...but for OPE and for the Packard - it's real gasoline. Period.

 

[Scoot_4_20]

Originally Posted By: Brons2
Is it E85 you're using, or just the standard "up to 10%" ethanol" regular unleaded?


I think it's the "up to 10%" ethanol.

 

[Lead Shoes]

I get ethanol free when ever I can... I'm not a fan of 10% ethanol..

 

[Scoot_4_20]

What I may do is go back to non ethanol, just to support freedom of choice. If I quit using it, and it became unavailable someday, then I might wish I'd kept buying it.

 

[UNC017]

All things considered, E10 hasn't been nearly as bad as I feared it would be (there's absolutely NO non-ethanol fuel left in my area and hasn't been for a couple of years). Mileage is down a small percentage, but the last time I opened a carb on one of my carbureted cars it was REALLY clean in there. E10 does a good job of keeping water in suspension and dissolving other deposits. Newer rubber fuel hoses are made to withstand E10, and ALL fuel injection system materials since the 1990s should be fine... so as long as the hoses are up to snuff you should have no problems at all.

 

[ahoier]

I went to a gas station that advertised "ethanol free" and seemed to take a bit of a hit in MPG.....perhaps my car (or computer...?) has "gotten used to" the ethanol garbage, and was "shocked" when I put the "real deal" in there.....? So it sucked it down like a kiddie sucking down a Slurpee?


Or, the gas station is just doing false advertising, and not selling "E-0" gasoline.....don't have the time, money, or resources to go pulling samples from the pumps and comparing them with one of those fueltestkits.com kits....

 

[Cujet]

If your engine runs fine on the ethanol blend, don't bother with the non-ethanol fuel. The typical pump gas contains variable levels of ethanol. Here in Florida, the level is often just a couple of percent. Up to 10% means just that. I've never seen fuel with that much. More typically, it's around 4-5%. At those lower levels, the MPG reduction is minimal.

You would really need to have objective data to do a valid comparison. The energy content of ethanol is, in a modern engine, the direct factor in MPG reduction. So, without knowing ethanol content, there are way too many other variables in MPG results.

Including summer and winter blends, ac compressor operation, traffic patterns, habits, etc.

My Jaguar X-type, 2.5L manual trans, runs considerably better on 93 octane with 5% ethanol than it does on 90 octane non-ethanol. Mostly due to the knock sensor not pulling timing during acceleration. The MPG increase with non ethanol is not worth the loss of power and smoothness. The knock sensor is a bit erratic in it's operation and results in less than smooth acceleration on low octane fuels.

 

[SrDriver]

Here I can purchase either gasoline with up to 10% Ethanol or Ethanol free gasoline.

Problem is twin-fold being the location of the Ethanol free stations on the other side of town and them charging a premium price for their fuel.

I have just started going for best price and in my opinion don't see really any difference in performance or mileage.

Think things like energy conserving oil of the correct weight, tire pressure, and driving habits are a lot more important.

 

[morris]

dont forget some cars in the early days, 1890-1930 was made to adjust the fuel so you could run alcohols. not that alcohols was better than benzine or gasoline, they was just hard to get. we been using gasoline for over 100 years, why? cause its the best fuel we have, when you look to the fuel over all. sure alcohol has some things better than gas, but not ALL things.

 

[Shannow]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
If the option exists, it needs to be calculated based upon the pricing strategy of the retailer and the economy penalty on your vehicle. Griping over ethanol may well be false economics when considering just the pump to miles on your odometer aspect. Other parts may be less straightforward if youre looking at the big picture.


I was a proponent of ethanol downunder 20 something years ago, when all that had to be done was drop the excise on the non-fossil component of E10, and the fuel magically gained a few octane, dropped a few cents, and gave an equivalent mileage per dollar than unleaded, while keeping our sugar industry running...it made sense.

Then when petrol was $1/L, and E10 was $0.96, E10 was always 4% cheaper than RUG, I was busy arguing with people that it was good economy, particularly with a lot of the Japanese knock sensored cards to use E10.

Now RUG is $1.40, and E-10 saves nearly 3c/l, and E10 is back to RUG octane, it makes no sense.

So state Govt decides to ban RUG in my state, to a monopoly ethanol manufacturer, who can, by their own admission nearly supply enough ethanol to meet state demand.

http://m.smh.com.au/nsw/leaks-expose-cabinet-tensions-20120124-1qft1.html

 

[crinkles]

Most Coles/Shell stations have switched back to regular unleaded (no E10) in the north of our state (ie. closer to QLD) even with the mandate looming. Pumps have been done over. I'd say the mandate will never happen.

 

[Shannow]

Fatty O'Barrel appears to be an egomaniac, who "won't listen to polls", has his mandate, and seems to like being introduced to monopolists with money by "guys" like Alan Jones.

 

[zyxelenator]

We don't have non ethanol gas here, you guys are lucky. I believe all modern cars (no flex fuel) can take up to 20% ethanol in gas without any issues.
E-85 will run on Vodka if you find it cheap, lol

MPG should raise a little as soon as your computer adjust for non ethanol fuel.

 

[beechcraftted]

I think that all of the small engine manufactures should be taken to task for not using ethanol tolerant materials in their respective machines. Autos have been tolerant since at least '96 or '97.

I would like to see "blender" pumps that allow E-0, E-10, E-30, and E-85(they've been doing this in Brazil for years). I am neither a tree hugger, nor a farmer, but it appears ethanol is here to stay. The US is using approx. 370 million gallons of gasoline per day, some alternative is going to have to be found. Ethanol is not the end all, but it does work for many.

Also the VEETC (Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit) of 45 cents/gallon ended on Dec. 31, 2011, so ethanol is no longer subsidized. If E-85 stays 20-25% cheaper than E-0 your dollars per mile may be positive. Seems to vary greatly with vehicle.

 

[redtrucker610]

I found some non ethanol stations near where I live. Been using it pretty regularly since November in my 98 Frontier. It is 15-20 cents more a gallon then the E-10 stations. I keep track of my mileage and I'm getting about 2 more mpg when I use it. The truck seems to run a little better on it too. Wish more stations had the non ethanol gas so I wouldn't have to drive a few miles out of my way to get it. My 16 year old Stihl trimmer runs a lot better on it also.

 

[Brigadier]

XXX!!! WRONG!!

Taken DIRECTLY from my 2006 Colorado's Owner's Manual:

Quote:
However, E85 (85% ethanol)and other fuels containing more than 10% ethanol must not be used


Originally Posted By: zyxelenator
We don't have non ethanol gas here, you guys are lucky. I believe all modern cars (no flex fuel) can take up to 20% ethanol in gas without any issues.