Question: What kind of fuel do you use?

[killain]

I was wondering about the fuel in your area, here on the East Coast, we have 87, 89, 91 and 93 octane. But the amount of Ethanol is capped at 10% and I now read that the UL Underwriters laboratories has recommended to increase the amount to 15% in gasoline and I was wondering what if any effect this would have on engine performance?

My owners manual says some fuel will contain Ethanol, but not much about what effect it has on engine performance? Again the 2003 owners manual says that you must not use fuel containing MMT, Methylcyclopentadienyl Manganse tricarbonyl as it's use will damage the spark plugs and such.:ugh

 

[muddywaters]

Sunoco from an independant dealer, PSC, they tell me there is no ethanol in their fuel, I wonder about that. I do get better mileage with it.................

 

[killain]

Well around here, (Philadelphia) all the fuel pumps are marked with a placard that states the fuel contains 10% Ethanol. And the owners manual say you can use Ethanol, but I have read a number of ethanol related website from different companies that state that the use of anything in excess of 10% can cause corrosion in the fuel system. I say this because I read last week that UL Underwritters Laboratories has recommended to the EPA or the Dept of Energy that the amount of Ethanol be increase to 15% ? I guess UL labs has stock in corn futures.

I must be brain dead but I seem to recall that using too much Ethanol can and will cause fuel system damage like eating away at the small Plastic, rubber and metal parts in the fuel pump and the injectors? I don't know, maybe I'm wrong, but I thought that any percentage above 10% will void the warranty. one website www.enertechlabs.com states that use of above WILL cause damage to the fuel system? ;help

Can my vehicle run on E85 even if it’s not an FFV?
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If your vehicle is not an FFV, use of any higher ethanol percentage than 10% is not covered by warranty. People have reported that they blend higher percentages of ethanol in regular, unmodified vehicles. A pilot study conducted earlier this year suggests that up to 30% ethanol could be used in a non-flex fuel vehicle, but more
research is required on this subject and we as an organization do not endorse this practice until further study is done.​

 

[muddywaters]

The 10%Ethanol placards are on most pumps around here also. The Vettes always got Sunoco93 which has Ethanol in it. I stopped at an independent(PSC- no name) station to fuel up my F-150 and a tanker was droping his load, I ask the driver"What am I pumping" he said it's Sunoco without Ethanol. I inquired inside, and they also confirmed no ethanol.No placards on the pumps either. I thought it was Fed. or State mandate on the Ethanol? They say, no.Yes, Ethanol is highly corrosive.

 

[Pro Street]

Around here all we have is 86 88 90 with 10% ethanol.

 

[killain]

Ethanol Blends and performance

Well I have looked around the web and all I can find is a statement that anything above 10% in any regular gasoline engine is walking on the dangerous side as far as damage to the fuel system Unless the vehicle is a specially designed "Flex-Fuel" vehicle. So I don't know, I guess if the Ethanol rich fuel eats away at fuel system parts it's just tough luck ! I thought the warranty that came with a 2003 GM LS-1 engine specified that the fuel be 10% ethanol and no more or the warranty was void?;help

 

[jrose7004]

91 is all you can find here but the stations can have up to 10% ethanol if they post that they do. I go to the stations with 100% gasoline.

 

[njlouc]

The EPA and the politicians dont give a ///// about you or your car!!

They use the clean air act as a politicians dream of getting the farm lobby to waste our food on ethanol. Ethanol costs a fortune to produce without gov't subsidy. AND it wastes so many resources - water, corn, diesel fuel, etc. Diesel fuel ?you say. Ethanol cannot be piped since it wrecks the pipeline, so it is trucked.

The prior chemical MTBE was a true pollutant it went into the ground water and never deteriorates. But they dont talk about that. Then they mandated ethanol and they are looking to always to increase it. It's all about money.
Oh BTW they are also sending you a message. YOUR car is unwanted on this planet, and they will do anything to get rid of the blight (however theirs are OK). There was a Senate bill, which was luckily defeated, which would have paid $4500 of your taxpayer money for the destruction of certain older vehicles.

Enjoy while you can freedom is coming to a VERY fast grinding halt .
See my post in the C7 section for the future C8 as designed by the gov't.

 

[Remo]

The Day Of Reckoning....Soon

Enjoy while you can freedom is coming to a VERY fast grinding halt .
See my post in the C7 section for the future C8 as designed by the gov't.

And let's make sure our guns a cleaned and our foot lockers are filled with ammunition. And a couple of M72 Laws Rocket Launchers won't be a bad idea either.:L
Remo:cool

 

[killain]

The EPA and the politicians dont give a ///// about you or your car!!

They use the clean air act as a politicians dream of getting the farm lobby to waste our food on ethanol. Ethanol costs a fortune to produce without gov't subsidy. AND it wastes so many resources - water, corn, diesel fuel, etc. Diesel fuel ?you say. Ethanol cannot be piped since it wrecks the pipeline, so it is trucked.

The prior chemical mmb? was a true pollutant it went into the ground water and never deteriorates. But they dont talk about that. Then they mandated ethanol and they are looking to always to increase it. It's all about money.
Oh BTW they are also sending you a message. YOUR car is unwanted on this planet, and they will do anything to get rid of the blight (however theirs are OK). There was a Senate bill, which was luckily defeated, which would have paid $4500 of your taxpayer money for the destruction of certain older vehicles.

Enjoy while you can freedom is coming to a VERY fast grinding halt .
See my post in the C7 section for the future C8 as designed by the gov't.

I saw a episode of 60 minutes or 20/20 about the production of Ethanol, and to make a long story short, it costs something like $0.85 to $1.40 just to make a gallon of ethanol, so the program was questioning the logic of using corn as a fuel in the first place. If your taking it out of the food chain to use as fuel, what are you going to use as food? It just raises the price of food and has a miminal effect on emissions. JMHO;help

 

[jdeatsch]

I have to ask if there is an additive we can use for when things DO go about 15%.

We all know it will eventually.

Jim

 

[WLS Ruby 93]

Gasoline

I've had my 1998 TR Coupe for a month and a half now running 93 octane from our local Sam's Club which does not contain ethanol and I am getting a steady 22-23 mpg running my errands here in central Virginia. When I put a 93 octane with 10% ethanol in the tank I get 20-22 mpg. Ethanol does not have the same BTU value as Gasoline at the same volume so you get more useable energy from plain old gasoline.
If you want to see a real "Eye opener" watch the documentary titled
"King Corn" available from Netflix. You will shake your head and mumble something to the effect as, "Unbelievable".

Keep 'em rollin' :W
Bill

 

[killain]

I've had my 1998 TR Coupe for a month and a half now running 93 octane from our local Sam's Club which does not contain ethanol and I am getting a steady 22-23 mpg running my errands here in central Virginia. When I put a 93 octane with 10% ethanol in the tank I get 20-22 mpg. Ethanol does not have the same BTU value as Gasoline at the same volume so you get more useable energy from plain old gasoline.
If you want to see a real "Eye opener" watch the documentary titled
"King Corn" available from Netflix. You will shake your head and mumble something to the effect as, "Unbelievable".

Keep 'em rollin' :W
Bill

Bill that is the documentary I am speaking of. For those not in focus of this issue, both the government and the public have been sold a real load of crap when it comes to Ethanol. At the time, the government needed something to replace MTBE to enable the reformulated Gasoline program as MTBE is a known air and ground water pollutant, so ethanol was used as an oxygenate in fuel. The drawback is Ethanol in large quanties is corrosive to the fuel system unless you have a special 'E85 Flex-Fuel' vehicle. The whole ethanol program is only in areas of high traffic and air pollution.

 

[Tom Maine]

In MN we have ethonal but you can get premium gas without it and that is what I run in my 91. I have run ethonal in a pinch but the mileage falls off by about 10-20 percent and it does not seem to run as well.

 

[WLS Ruby 93]

Bill that is the documentary I am speaking of. For those not in focus of this issue, both the government and the public have been sold a real load of crap when it comes to Ethanol. At the time, the government needed something to replace MTBE to enable the reformulated Gasoline program as MTBE is a known air and ground water pollutant, so ethanol was used as an oxygenate in fuel. The drawback is Ethanol in large quanties is corrosive to the fuel system unless you have a special 'E85 Flex-Fuel' vehicle. The whole ethanol program is only in areas of high traffic and air pollution.

I am going to stay with 100% gas or a maximum of 10% ethanol unless something better comes along. In the mean time I'll be eating most of my corn on the cob.

Keep 'em rollin':W
Bill

 

[gmc_kurt@yahoo.com]

e-85 is a good engine cleaner

i have always been told by gm wizards that if you put in 1/8 of a tank of e-85 and fill the rest up with 91 hightest, your engine will always burn clean. i have been doing this in my vette for 3 yrs and it runs as good today as it did comming home from bowling greene..we have had e-85 in chicago for 3 years.

 

[njlouc]

Using a 17 gal tank - close enough on a c5 - that comes to 19% ethanol since the remaining 7/8 tank has 10% also.
BUT I think they meant that the reamining 7/8 would be without ethanol, thus giving ~11%. This is about as much as the often mandated 10%. It seems to make no difference if you just fill up with your "91" at 10%.