Ethanol-free

"subexpression" (subexpression) 09/02/2019 at 10:40 • Filed to: None

0

17

One of the rural fuel companies in my region has ethanol-free gasoline. Only the 91 is marked as ethanol-free, the 87 is presumably the usual E10 blend.

If you look closely you can see the   mechanical meter instead of the LCD panel you usually see today . T he nozzle hu ng on the side with a big on/off cover that swiveled across the slot, and every type of fuel had its own pump . But even with the old-style pumps , there wa s a fancy credit card station in the center of the island serving all 4 pumps.

It’s one of those agriculture -centric cooperatives you see in rural areas, this one focused on fuels . They had clearly-labeled pumps for on-road vs off-road diesel. There was a row of large household propane tanks up in front, plus huge storage tanks at one side . And, in front of the main building under an awning, a place to sit:

I only noticed it on the way out so the photo sucks, but I’m pretty sure that’s a bench seat from a pickup or SUV bolted to the concrete pad . F arm country is full of people who have mastered the art of making use of whatever they have handy .

The reason we were there was that I was doing some work with a guy who found that his small engines ( lawn care type stuff, mostly 2-stroke) start more easily and require less maintenance with ethanol-free gasoline. He uses ordinary gas station blend in his cars because they run fine and it’s considerably easier to find. I don’t currently own any gasoline engines myself, so the main thing I do with ethanol is drink it, typically in some b rewed form from a handheld glass or metal container .

Boxer_4 > subexpression 09/02/2019 at 11:38

1

One of the local fuel chains (Wawa) offers ethanol free 89 at their newer locations.

(Ignore the prices, I pulled this photo off the web)

SiennaMan > subexpression 09/02/2019 at 11:45

0

 There's an amusing car themed shirt in this story somewhere..  "ethanol is for drinking.." or the like..

Discerning > subexpression 09/02/2019 at 11:47

1

I like ethanol and I wish more stations sold e85.

I also wish they'd start selling e100. That would be fantastic.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > subexpression 09/02/2019 at 11:51

1

Our local Conoco has ethanol free 91. I run it in my Datsun 240z, lawn mower and snow blower. It really does make a difference with small engines, the lawn mower will fuss and spit with normal blended gas but runs great with the Ethanol free stuff.

shop-teacher > subexpression 09/02/2019 at 11:59

4

I can’t get it around where I live, but whenever I visit Wisconsin I make sure to fill up with as much ethanol free premium as I can stuff into my truck’s tank. It gets notably better fuel economy, thanksto ethanol’s lower energy density.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > Discerning 09/02/2019 at 12:15

0

Race gas  basically

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > subexpression 09/02/2019 at 12:15

1

I get 89 E free. I just need my passport to buy it

Discerning > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability 09/02/2019 at 12:20

0

Yup. And cheaper than 87 octane if it was mass produced (I assume).

IndyCar ran e98 before switching back to e85. But I think that had more to do with Sunoco moving to e85, but who knows with Speedway taking over.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > Discerning 09/02/2019 at 12:33

1

If I could get E100, my Vette would make more than 500 wheel with headers. Me likey that very much

facw > Discerning 09/02/2019 at 12:35

0

I doubt it would be cheaper. Something like 40% of US corn production already goes to ethanol, I don’t really think there’s enough corn to make cheap, mass-produced E100.  

Dakotahound > subexpression 09/02/2019 at 12:45

0

It is very important to use ethanol free gasoline for engines that will sit for long periods of time (boats, mowers, etc.). The additives that are used to stabilize the gasoline-ethanol blend can really gum up carburetors and fuel injectors. In a car that is run regularly , the fuel cycles through the engine before the additives can separate, so the blend will not cause any harm.

If you cannot regularly get ethanol-free gasoline, and you will be storing the equipment for a while, just run some ethanol-free gas through the engine before it is stored. I know people who run gasoline-ethanol blends in their boats and, just before putting them away for the season, run a tank of ethanol-free. It seems to work fine.

Chinny Raccoon > subexpression 09/02/2019 at 14:56

0

We are about to get 10% ethanol fuel. My local has  pumps for heating oil and tractor fuel, which can be useful. Only standard petrol and diesel, no choice on octane though.

NoMoreTDI > SiennaMan 09/02/2019 at 16:40

2

I like the shirt that says, “Corn is for Flakes! Don’t put it in your gas tank!

BigBlock440 > facw 09/02/2019 at 18:42

0

Sure there is, there’s way more ethanol burned through E10 than there would be changing every E85 gallon to E100.

Ian > Discerning 09/02/2019 at 23:34

0

It’s a mixed bag. On one hand, if your vehicle will take ethanol, E85 is a great option. However, it really sucks for those of us with older cars/bikes which weren’t designed for gasahol and for which even E10 causes serious issues. On my bike specifically (a 1980 Kawasaki) ethanol wrecks havoc on my in-tank filter screens and petcock seals.

Ideally we’d have expanded availability of E85 for vehicles which can run it, with the normal stuff being ethanol free.

Discerning > Ian 09/02/2019 at 23:39

0

Completely understand. My truck is a flex fuel setup and I've had previous vehicles tuned for more ethanol (anywhere from e30 mix to e85). I love it and hope it continues to exist, but I can understand that some cars don't run well on ethanol

Ian > shop-teacher 09/02/2019 at 23:39

0

If youre getting vetter economy, then it’s probably a placebo or a subconscious change in driving behavior. IIRC the energy density of ethanol is about 60% that of gaso line. With E10, that means that 10% of the gas has 30% less energy than E0, or an overall difference of around 3%. If your truck got 50mpg, you could expect an extra 1.5mpg due to ethanol-free gas, which is pretty well within the m argin of error from fill-up to fill-up.