Question: Exxon Gas?? (No Ethynol?)

[Donne Trav]

Is it me & my imagination or what?? For several years now I have been
burning 1st, Sunoco, because of the then availability of their 94 octane
fuel. 2nd, Chevron or Shell, for what ever reason, price per gallon, maybe. But with the addition of the ETHYNOL blend in gasolines, I have
seemly noticed over the years, slightly, a loss in performance and gas
mileage. My '94 runs very well regardless of the fuel I use. But, out of
curiosity, after reading on-line that a lot of the stations in DC don't
use ETHYNOL yet, I filled up with EXXON 93 octane. My car seems to
have more noticible "surge" and I don't see the gas guage moving as before. Also, seems to have more power in 6th gear going up slight inclines, when before I would down-shift to 5th or 4th gear. Is it me and my imagination or what? Your thoughts. Thanks.

 

[gmjunkie]

Is it me & my imagination or what?? For several years now I have been
burning 1st, Sunoco, because of the then availability of their 94 octane
fuel. 2nd, Chevron or Shell, for what ever reason, price per gallon, maybe. But with the addition of the ETHYNOL blend in gasolines, I have
seemly noticed over the years, slightly, a loss in performance and gas
mileage. My '94 runs very well regardless of the fuel I use. But, out of
curiosity, after reading on-line that a lot of the stations in DC don't
use ETHYNOL yet, I filled up with EXXON 93 octane. My car seems to
have more noticible "surge" and I don't see the gas guage moving as before. Also, seems to have more power in 6th gear going up slight inclines, when before I would down-shift to 5th or 4th gear. Is it me and my imagination or what? Your thoughts. Thanks.

It's Not You Dude!!
I lose about 10-15% fuel economy and some performance with 10% Korn Cob Fuels!!

 

[TedC]

All the companies in my area state up to 10% ethanol on their pumps. My local dealership is seeing issues with steel corrision and sulfates plugging fuel filters and injectors.

 

[Mike G]

Fiasco Fuel

Ethanol is the biggest FRAUD ever committed in the history of the national energy sector.
1) The above statements about the destruction to your fuel system is correct, this substance will corrode/degrade fuel system parts.
2) The above statements about loss of power is correct, ethanol energy density is less that that for gas.
3) Ethanol attracts water, hydroscopic, and therefore can't be sent by pipeline, it has to be shipped by tanker vehicle-consuming MORE energy for transport. Brilliant.
4) The greatest idiocy about ethanol is what's being used as the source - corn - FOOD!!!! This idotic national policy, signed off by the corresponding idiot, will consume vast amounts of food supplies, feedgrains and direct food sources so that we can burn ethanol in the continuing voracious U.S consumtion rate. The result here is guaranteed food price inflation, starting with pork and other meats due to farmers inability to get sufficient feedgrains for their livestock. YOU WILL SEE FOOD PRICE INFLATION as a direct result of this idiotic ethanol mandate.

This is all part of the continuing trend that has beset our great U.S.A. over the last 25 years.
Sad fate.

 

[njlouc]

BUT you forgot the real benefit of ethanol in our fuel.
We are saving the planet

 

[G Winter]

Ethanol is the biggest FRAUD ever committed in the history of the national energy sector.
1) The above statements about the destruction to your fuel system is correct, this substance will corrode/degrade fuel system parts.
2) The above statements about loss of power is correct, ethanol energy density is less that that for gas.
3) Ethanol attracts water, hydroscopic, and therefore can't be sent by pipeline, it has to be shipped by tanker vehicle-consuming MORE energy for transport. Brilliant.
4) The greatest idiocy about ethanol is what's being used as the source - corn - FOOD!!!! This idotic national policy, signed off by the corresponding idiot, will consume vast amounts of food supplies, feedgrains and direct food sources so that we can burn ethanol in the continuing voracious U.S consumtion rate. The result here is guaranteed food price inflation, starting with pork and other meats due to farmers inability to get sufficient feedgrains for their livestock. YOU WILL SEE FOOD PRICE INFLATION as a direct result of this idiotic ethanol mandate.

This is all part of the continuing trend that has beset our great U.S.A. over the last 25 years.
Sad fate.

You are right about the waste etc. but, the by product of making ethanol is a high concentrate protein which is used to feed livestock. The only thing use for ethanol is the sugars,so the statement that it takes away from the food supply is false.Humans eat very little corn. Don't misunderstand me I am not in favor of ethanol . Just be sure you have your facts right. If it wasn't for gov. subsidies the price of ethanol would be so high nobody would buy it. If people that use it would check their mileage compared to non ethanol gas they would never buy it again.

Glenn

 

[Smmmokin']

OK, so which brands are NOT juicing gas?????

 

[G Winter]

In Iowa you have a choice. Ethanol has to be labeled on the pump as such with the % . It is put in when the tank truck loads. Think additives are also added at that time.

Glenn

 

[Schrade]

Humans eat very little corn.

I don't think this is right at all...

Corn and corn derivatives are a GIGANTIC part of about 100% of our food. Next trip to the grocery store, look at how many [every] product has corn syrup/high fructose corn syrup in it.

NPR Science Friday had a show on this corn food/fuel issue a few years ago. I cannot find the archive. A little more searching might show the book author or show episode podcast...

Ethanol has water in it by nature, in the distillation process. It's impossible to get ALL of it out. The best readily available blend is Everclear 190 proof (95% alcohol, 5% water).

 

[njlouc]

You forgot that the entire process uses tons of water in an area of the country where water is scarce. It also uses tons of additional fertilizer made from oil.
AND the gas doesn't last nearly as long AND it wrecks fuel systems particularly marine fiberglass. The ethanol has a "cleansing" effect and it cleans your fuel tank, so all the crud clogs up the filter. The gas stations were going crazy at first. Then it proceeds to corrode everything metal and make plastic parts brittle and break. 10% is considered tolerable, some stations mix more if they have no other place to store a delivery.

A large part of the use comes about from the EPA who considers this to be a way to cut pollution.
It is actually a replacement for the prior additive MTBE which caused lower MPG, rough running and other engine damage. BTW this gem turned out to be pure poison. It goes into the air, settles on the ground and gets into the water supply. IT NEVER decomposes. Thanks EPA!!
The choice/not is state mandated, based on pollution levels.

 

[CorvetteArchives]

I don't think this is right at all...

Corn and corn derivatives are a GIGANTIC part of about 100% of our food. Next trip to the grocery store, look at how many [every] product has corn syrup/high fructose corn syrup in it....

I concur! Did you see how Pepsi has reintroduced "Flashback" that uses REAL sugar? The rising cost of High Fructose Corn syrup due to fuel and other products has actually made SUGAR viably competitive for importation again! Funny thing is the wife HATES diet soda....and the Flashback tastes...just like diet! Thats how good the nutrasweet/spenda really does taste like sugar and how accustimed she is to the HFCorn Syrup

 

[TedC]

Maybe I'm not getting enough fiber from corn, but I sure eat the pork and bacon from those pigs that consume corn. Anyway, during a business trip in Brazil I was amazed that you could dial in the percentage of ethanol you wanted. If you were willing to pay more, you could even select 0% ethanol. Majority of cars I saw had E85 branded on them.

 

[njlouc]

Maybe I'm not getting enough fiber from corn, but I sure eat the pork and bacon from those pigs that consume corn. Anyway, during a business trip in Brazil I was amazed that you could dial in the percentage of ethanol you wanted. If you were willing to pay more, you could even select 0% ethanol. Majority of cars I saw had E85 branded on them.

Brazil is a fairly small country with most of their population concentrated in a few cities. The most of the land is in the tropics and vegetation that can produce ethanol is abundant.
They dont use food corn to produce it.

 

[G Winter]

If you ever drink soda with sugar instead of corn syrup, you will never want the corn syrup kind again. Mexican Coke Has always had sugar,, took me awhile to figure out why it tasted so much better.
Sugar in the USA is government subsidized. So use more sugar maybe we could save that.


Glenn

 

[TedC]

If you ever drink soda with sugar instead of corn syrup, you will never want the corn syrup kind again. Mexican Coke Has always had sugar,, took me awhile to figure out why it tasted so much better.
Sugar in the USA is government subsidized. So use more sugar maybe we could save that.


Glenn

So true. I was amazed at the taste of "Southern" Coke. Product was first imported for our troops, then demand was high enough to set up a plant using native sugar.

 

[92BlackVette]

I am going to buy a Honda Leaf or Volt when they are released. My vettes will have to be garage queens.

 

[John Mekisich]

Ethanol Issues

Here in California, I believe that the current amount af ethanol added is 8%. I have read a lot of information from many sources on potential issues ethanol can have with classic car fuel systems. Now that the newest of our C 4 models are 14 years old, future problems are no doubt
inevitable. In addition to my 96 LT4, I also own a 70 Pontiac GTO hot rod.
This car runs an electric only fuel pump to feed it's 575 horsepower 462. This car when built back in 1998 was completely plumbed with aftermarket
braided steel hose. As it runs a return line to keep the pump happy, there is a lot of hose on the car. The current ethanol based fuels over time destroyed the fuel lines from the inside out. Luckily I discovered this and avoided an engine fire.................. The moral of this story is to really keep an eye on things..............Thanks for listening

 

[Blue92]

In MO you can only buy corn gas. The idiots in the state passed a law. You could buy racing fuel at some selected stations but since the law went into effect they are all chained and locked up.

 

[GRAND SPORT #12]

i find most cars running e 85 fuel many times set po171 codes system to lean not worth the hassle also i see loss of performance .

 

[Hib Halverson]

Is it me & my imagination or what?? For several years now I have been
burning 1st, Sunoco, because of the then availability of their 94 octane
fuel. 2nd, Chevron or Shell, for what ever reason, price per gallon, maybe. But with the addition of the ETHYNOL blend in gasolines, I have
seemly noticed over the years, slightly, a loss in performance and gas
mileage. My '94 runs very well regardless of the fuel I use. But, out of
curiosity, after reading on-line that a lot of the stations in DC don't
use ETHYNOL yet, I filled up with EXXON 93 octane. My car seems to
have more noticible "surge" and I don't see the gas guage moving as before. Also, seems to have more power in 6th gear going up slight inclines, when before I would down-shift to 5th or 4th gear. Is it me and my imagination or what? Your thoughts. Thanks.

First of all, it's spelled ethanol not "ethynol"

It's the Federally-mandated oxygenate in gasoline. It's required in virtually all urban areas of the country and in any area the EPA feels has an air quality problem. If EPA mandates its use, it's in the gas, no matter what brand of gasoline you buy.

Ethanol is questionable in effectiveness of decreasing emission in most engines older than 1992. Basically, it's a solution looking for a problem but it's here to stay thanks to environmentalists and lobbyists.

Ethanol oxygenated gas, reduces fuel mileage but it does absorb water so there are far less problems with water in the gas. Ethanol replace MTBE has the Federally-mandated oxygenate because of fears that MTBE was a ground water pollutant, however, ethanol comes with its own set of environmental and food supply negatives.

Most refiners use 5-8% but the Federal maximum limit (at least for now) is 10%. Environmentalists and the ethanol lobby want that raised to 15%.

if you have a car which was built before ethanol was put in gas and the Feds force the refiners to use 15% better be saving your money for a lot of expensive fuel system upgrades. Once you're into replacing your fuel lines and injectors, ask yourself, "How's that hope-y, change-y stuff working out?"