Less Ethanol in Premium Gas?

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You're right about those locations:

http://www.chooseethanol.com/pages/e15-station-locations/

(note: I do not endorse that website)

I'm OK with E10 at this point, I just wish they'd relax the corn requirement (ethanol could be made from a lot of other stuff).

I got a tank of no-ethanol gas earlier this year while on a road trip. I actually got pretty much the same mpg (only one tank though, so no real conclusions from that). I could definitely notice a pretty significant difference in my old car though.
 
ROFL! I just threw out those state names off the cuff!

i am going to do some more research. I do know that I gave up on gasoline powered yard equipment several years ago and now realize that E10 may have been the reason. The best gas powered yard tool I ever owned was my Troy-Bilt string trimmer/blower. It had a Honda four cycle engine with separate oil sump. After about four years I replaced the carburetor (it was not rebuildable). A year and a half later it had the same problems starting and continuing to run. I used fresh gas with Stabil. I am now using an electric lawn mower (corded) and battery powered trimmer and blower. It's OK because my yard is tiny.
 
Originally Posted By: DBMaster
All I can say is that I hope it REALLY means reduced air pollution because it has negative effects on food costs for everyone. And, all that cow-patty about it being "safe for cars 2001 and newer" (apparently, it's more than 2007 and newer now) is just that, cow-pie. If they continue down this path there will be lawsuits, oh yes.

Why would several car manufacturers already be up in arms if it were "perfectly fine" for their cars? Does that mean we would all need a waiver from our dealerships to supersede what is printed in the owners' manuals?


Ethanol emissions have already been shown to reduce air quality. They produce less green house emissions but at the cost of breathable air quality. Ethanol isn't the answer to anything unless they can find a way to burn it w/out risking lung health.
 
Badtlc, now I do recall reading an article a long time ago talking about how poor the air quality was in Brazil due to running on mostly alcohol fuels. But, that was so long ago it would have been during a time that predated the super low emission vehicles we have now. I really want to be objective about this, but I don't think we have a lot of cause to worry unless the gov decides to subsidize those "blending" pumps. There are almost no places around here to even buy E85 for the cars that can use it. If people really wanted to lower their fuel economy 25-30% in the name of "reducing dependence upon foreign oil" there would be more stations carrying it.
 
Originally Posted By: DBMaster
ROFL! I just threw out those state names off the cuff!

i am going to do some more research. I do know that I gave up on gasoline powered yard equipment several years ago and now realize that E10 may have been the reason. The best gas powered yard tool I ever owned was my Troy-Bilt string trimmer/blower. It had a Honda four cycle engine with separate oil sump. After about four years I replaced the carburetor (it was not rebuildable). A year and a half later it had the same problems starting and continuing to run. I used fresh gas with Stabil. I am now using an electric lawn mower (corded) and battery powered trimmer and blower. It's OK because my yard is tiny.


I don't have any trouble with my lawn mower but the string trimmer, generator and any other small motor that does not get used enough are very trouble prone to gas issues.

I have one B&S powered pressure washer that I have to take the carb out of the top of the gas tank every time as it sits on top of the gas tank and there is a secondary small spot that it pulls the gas from. This always builds up water inside.
 
I wish I hadn't tossed my Troy-Bilt. They now sell this high-priced canned stuff that I could have used instead of pump gas. I still would have had to have spent another $60 for a new carb, though. Plus, seven years was longer than any post-ethanol gas powered tool ever lasted for me. The symptoms were the same, regardless of the tool. It would start just fine and then after a couple of minutes it would start sputtering, stall, and then be impossible to get restarted. It happened to two consecutive lawn mowers, two string trimmers, and a dedicated blower. Even the small engine shop told me that once the items were over five years old that it didn't pay to spend the money to replace or rebuild the carbs.
 
The only reason we use ethanol is because of the ethanol industry. There is no logical reason. If we had a good source of wasted material that we could make ethanol out of it would be different. Instead we use up our primary vegetable food staple to make gas a gas additive out of that causes more problems that it fixes.
 
At the risk of getting a warning, it's all about renewable energy mandates. I like the word "mandate" because it clearly delineates between logic and capricious orders. Since we are all being good little boys and girls by buying more fuel efficient vehicles and using less fuel there is not a risk to said mandate because it has created surplus supplies of ethanol for blending. To use up some of this surplus you get E15.

One "nice" thing about mandates is that they should be reversible when it is discovered that they are illogical. But, there is something getting in the way of that happening here. I won't inject my opinion to avoid locking the thread.
 
Originally Posted By: DBMaster
Badtlc, now I do recall reading an article a long time ago talking about how poor the air quality was in Brazil due to running on mostly alcohol fuels. But, that was so long ago it would have been during a time that predated the super low emission vehicles we have now. I really want to be objective about this, but I don't think we have a lot of cause to worry unless the gov decides to subsidize those "blending" pumps. There are almost no places around here to even buy E85 for the cars that can use it. If people really wanted to lower their fuel economy 25-30% in the name of "reducing dependence upon foreign oil" there would be more stations carrying it.


the ongoing studies in Brazil are not good with regards to their air quality. They keep looking for reasons to say it is contributed to something else, but have not to this point.
 
About the only users of E85 are turbocharged cars that people can tune for the fuel. You can get massive HP out of it with the right tune and parts.
 
Originally Posted By: SHOZ
About the only users of E85 are turbocharged cars that people can tune for the fuel. You can get massive HP out of it with the right tune and parts.


There is a video on Jay Leno's Garage site about this very topic. They refer to E85 as "the cheapest racing fuel ever."
 
Originally Posted By: badtlc
the ongoing studies in Brazil are not good with regards to their air quality. They keep looking for reasons to say it is contributed to something else, but have not to this point.


I guess they have to be able to justify clearing all that rain forest to plant crops!
 
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