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Are there really any benefits to ethanol free gas in modern vehicles?
Posted on 4/12/20 at 6:46 pm
Posted on 4/12/20 at 6:46 pm
Obviously you get up to 10% more mileage per tank but are there any benefits?
I’ve been running ethanol free in new Tundra 4x4 since I bought it 2 months ago and my FIL and Uncle swears by this but I can’t get any clear reasoning besides platitudes.
Is there really any reason to be spending $.40-.50 more per gallon for this?
I’ve been running ethanol free in new Tundra 4x4 since I bought it 2 months ago and my FIL and Uncle swears by this but I can’t get any clear reasoning besides platitudes.
Is there really any reason to be spending $.40-.50 more per gallon for this?
This post was edited on 4/12/20 at 6:47 pm
12
Posted on 4/12/20 at 6:56 pm to DiamondDog
Only if it’s an occasional driver. If you’re filling up once a month or so I doubt you’ll see any benefit.
Posted on 4/12/20 at 7:05 pm to DiamondDog
It's actually counterproductive because the ethanol gas typically has additives in it that the non ethanol doesn't. You are always better off running the octane that the engine needs in a quality gasoline. The fact that it has ethanol or not really doesn't matter as long as you have one to two month turnover in your tank
Posted on 4/12/20 at 7:18 pm to DiamondDog
Modern engines are made to run ethanol, not 100% gas. So unless you drive a 10+ year old vehicle, there is zero benefit
Posted on 4/12/20 at 7:26 pm to X123F45
wrong
Posted on 4/12/20 at 7:26 pm to DiamondDog
None, but if it's not an automobile I use ethanol free in it(e.g. boat, lawn mower, generator etc...)
Posted on 4/12/20 at 7:32 pm to Bucktail1
quote:
wrong
Not wrong. I mean don't get me wrong if I put E85 in my car just so I can be a hooligan for a hours if I leave it in there I could have problems.
But unless you're talkin about carbureted Vehicles it is highly unlikely at this point you're going to have any sort of issue.
So here let me let me elaborate for pedantic posters of the OB.... Not
Posted on 4/12/20 at 7:46 pm to DiamondDog
it has been researched many times over
non ethanol gas gets better mileage and produces more power but at a higher cost
ethanol gas gets worse mileage and produces less power but at a lower cost
between the two they offset so you dont "really" gain or lose with any choice you use except for a minuscule little percentage
where it matters is for equipt you seldom use, ethanol gas absorbs water from the air and collects in the gas tank. that moisture quickly turns to sludge and floating particles as well as the ethanol breaks down rubber fuel lines
if the gas doesnt sit for long ethanol is fine, if it sits for months then use non ethanol or use fuel stabilizers to offset the moisture collected by the ethanol
non ethanol gas gets better mileage and produces more power but at a higher cost
ethanol gas gets worse mileage and produces less power but at a lower cost
between the two they offset so you dont "really" gain or lose with any choice you use except for a minuscule little percentage
where it matters is for equipt you seldom use, ethanol gas absorbs water from the air and collects in the gas tank. that moisture quickly turns to sludge and floating particles as well as the ethanol breaks down rubber fuel lines
if the gas doesnt sit for long ethanol is fine, if it sits for months then use non ethanol or use fuel stabilizers to offset the moisture collected by the ethanol
Posted on 4/12/20 at 10:07 pm to X123F45
quote:
You are always better off running the octane that the engine needs in a quality gasoline.
It’s 87 and the ethanol free is the same Octane
Posted on 4/12/20 at 10:44 pm to DiamondDog
Issue is components and maintenance, it eats rubber, ethenol proof rubber does not last very long. But I agree with other guys unless u are driving older vehicle doesn't matter Mitch anymore. I wish they made diesel like they used to though
Posted on 4/12/20 at 11:23 pm to DiamondDog
No. But don't you dare put it in anything with a carburetor.
Posted on 4/12/20 at 11:40 pm to Sparetime
quote:
No. But don't you dare put it in anything with a carburetor.
You can do it, but you’ve gotta use Seafoam. That stuff is magic.
Posted on 4/12/20 at 11:45 pm to DiamondDog
No and they are outboard killers
Posted on 4/13/20 at 5:42 am to TutHillTiger
quote:
No and they are outboard killers
Lack of use and lack of proper maintenance kills more outboards than ethanol in the gasoline.
Posted on 4/13/20 at 6:24 am to DiamondDog
I always use it in my boat, because I do not use my boat every week. I do not want water to separate from the ethanol mixture and corrode my engine. I also use it for my lawnmowers and other gas powered lawn equipment.
Posted on 4/13/20 at 8:22 am to seeinspots
quote:
Lack of use and lack of proper maintenance kills more outboards than ethanol in the gasoline.
When 2 strokes ran ethanol free fuel there wasn't any such thing as outboard maintenance. if you mixed correctly and If you ran the fuel out of a 2 stroke outboard if it was going to sit unused for more than a week or so they would run forever without ever needing anything done to them at all. You could tinker with them or not but the things would run forever as long as fuel wasn't allowed to go bad in them. Then along came oil injected 2 strokes and all of a sudden they needed a little maintenance...or you could simply stop using the oil injection and mix yourself and they'd run forever also. 4 strokes on the other hand are maintenance problems...even small, 2 HP 4 strokes require maintenance...
I have a 2 stroke Johnson 9.9 manual start that my uncle gave my dad who gave to me that was bought new at a western auto store in West Point Georgia in 1947. It is water cooled but does not have a water pump or impeller...it has vents in the lower unit and water makes its way from them to the powerhead and out the other side of the lower unit....it will idle for days with air temps in the high 90s and surface water temps pushing 90....and I guarantee you that motor will crank with a half pull of the rope on the first try if the fuel bulb is pumped properly...and it has never had ANY maintenance done to it and never needed anything but a spark plug once every 20 years or so. It doesn't even have zirk fittings on it because all of the moving parts that need grease are sealed and it is as smooth as it was in the 70's anyway.....because I used it on my uncles 1436 riveted jon boat when I was 5 or 6 years old and could barely pull the starting rope. It ain't pretty....years of being in the back of a truck or in the trunk of a car going to the lake will do that...and it weights about 200 pounds but it is still running 73 years later! 2 strokes don't need no stinking maintenance what they want is to be used....and they'll last forever as long as fuel ain't allowed to sit in the carb for long periods of time and the mixture is right....
Posted on 4/13/20 at 8:28 am to DiamondDog
Not really OP’s question. But since we’re all hear and have taken this a few directions, If I’m not mistaken, the ethanol component adds/ups/contributes to the posted octane rating of the fuel. In other words, it has higher octane than gas. Maybe something like ethanol has 90, the gas has 84, together they make up 87-just hypothetical numbers. Ethanol will separate from gasoline over time. So if it’s in something infrequently used, there is also a chance of pulling in and burning the 84 gasoline that has separated from the ethanol, having less than the minimum octane required by the engine.
Posted on 4/13/20 at 10:19 am to DiamondDog
No matter what kind of gas you use in an outboard if possible shut the fuel off and run it out of fuel everytime it is removed from the water for more than a few days. It'll eliminate all kinds of ill mannered behavior.
The same is true of any gasoline engine...if it ain't being used regularly empty the fuel system completely except for the tank...and keep it as full as practical...empty fuel tanks left sitting also cause all manner of ill mannered behavior.
I dump 2 stroke fuel in my truck if it is more than about 60 days old. I have never had a problem with the oil in it because it is a very small amount of mixed fuel in a truck with a 36 gallon tank that gets 9-10 MPG...
The same is true of any gasoline engine...if it ain't being used regularly empty the fuel system completely except for the tank...and keep it as full as practical...empty fuel tanks left sitting also cause all manner of ill mannered behavior.
I dump 2 stroke fuel in my truck if it is more than about 60 days old. I have never had a problem with the oil in it because it is a very small amount of mixed fuel in a truck with a 36 gallon tank that gets 9-10 MPG...
Posted on 4/13/20 at 11:04 am to DiamondDog
I think not. Some brief articles for your reading pleasure.
Ethanol Fuel - Good or Bad?
Saving Money with Brand Name Gasoline
Ethanol Fuel - Good or Bad?
Saving Money with Brand Name Gasoline
Posted on 4/13/20 at 8:34 pm to DiamondDog
quote:
It’s 87 and the ethanol free is the same Octane
True.
What I'm saying is that non ethanol fuel has it's place. BUT, it typically will not burn as cleanly as the e10 at the same pump.
Why?
Because it doesn't has the same additive package. You'll notice at shell gas stations with non ethanol there is typically a warning stating that the non ethanol is not their blend and does not meet their specs.
The reason I specifically stated the octane that the engine needs is because too many people believe premium to be a superior product rather than just a product formulated to burn slower to reduce detonation.
Most of your japanese cars that spec premium fuel actually run best on 87... Because the japanese have a different grading of gasoline. Their premium is almost exactly equivalent to 87 octane.
What's interesting is with direct injection they are pushing hard for a true JASO blend of gas. The goal to improve gas and efficiency. Rather than tweaking the engine, they are pushing to tweak the fuel and reformulate gas.
What's interesting to me is that they are pushing for a higher alcohol percentage to further advance timing and boost power.
<---- engine nerd.
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