Pure Gasoline vs 10% Ethanol in newer vehicles

[southernjeeper]

Okay after reading through most of the responses on this topic I have to say that 10-15% ethanol fuels are TERRIBLE in anything smaller than an auto I would think because it sucks for every boater, small engine user ( everything from power equipment to your power sport toys)

I personally run or add I should say a ounce of Marine Sta-bil when I fill up my jeep or taco.

For all my small engine stuff I ONLY run 89octane non-10-15%.

So with fuel mileage for me isn't being hurt by ethanol gas in anything I put on the highway.

Ethanol did let farmers get more $$$$$ for their corn crops as the government is who or really Obama's administration brought it up to be the morons to put 10-15% ethanol in fuels.

I just wish it was not in fuel as bad that it is because gas needs to be gasoline NOT gasohol.

It is wise these days to run non ethanol in any small engines or you better run those engines dry if you plan on letting them set up for more than 2 weeks because ethanol 10-15% will just have you take your whatever to the mechanic more than WE ever had to do before 2008.

My 2cents on the matter.

 

[TiredTrucker]

Well farmers are getting, right now, similar prices for corn as they did during the Clinton administration in the mid 90's, so the corn growers are not raking it in on corn prices. Prices are barely meeting cost of production now. The ethanol producers, ethanol is purely market drive on pricing. Right now closed on Friday at $1.56. Not really much over cost of production as well. So all this so called advantage that the ag folks have over mandated ethanol use isn't really playing out like many on the other side would suggest.

I have used E10 in small stuff, lawn equipment, etc for years with no problems. I have had fuel system problems with both E10 and regular at a similar rate. I am sure that quality of fuel purchased has more to do with fuel system issues than anything else. I even store my John Deere Zero Turn, full of E10 fuel with only some stabilizer added, over the winter and it starts fine with no fuel issues. Started up and ran for a few hours last week and it did just fine. Not a hiccup at all and no fuel problems. My Yamaha portable generator has ingested several tankfuls of E10 with nary a problem as well.

Each person can determine what works best for them. If they like no ethanol, then go for it and have fun. I know the average mpg I get for various blends and non ethanol gas and I just use what gives me the lowest cost per mile of operation for my pickup. For a while now, that has been E15. Prices are changing a little, so that may change soon. Could be E85, could be E10 (regular or mid grade), or non ethanol. I am a practical user of fuel. I just factor the lowest cost per mile and whatever fuel will deliver that for me. Similar to how some folks will use whatever oil meets their needs and is on sale at the time.

 

[SHOZ]

So what happens when ethanol production cost exceed the sale price? Will the ethanol producers close up or continue to produce and lose money?

 

[TiredTrucker]

Well, how does any other business do it? Ethanol producers are not getting any subsidy payments from government, and haven't for some years. It will up to the investors and such that have skin in the game on ethanol production to decide that one.

 

[SHOZ]

One of the big PE points now is ethanol cheapens the end cost of a gallon of gasoline. What happens when they start cutting back on ethanol contend. Then the FEDs come along as say you aren't using enough ethanol. So the cost of ethanol production goes up, the price of gas goes up.

And the gasoline blender still get a tax credit for using ethanol. There is quiet a push to stop this credit now. Of the blenders don't want to use it will the EPA force the them to use it at higher gas cost?

The reason for the EPA mandate has disappeared with plentiful oil and the modern engine controls. Mandated ethanol use is no more than a jobs program now.

 

[Turk]

.....Just give me the choice of 100% gas, that's all I ask.....

Enough of this dictating every little thing.

 

[Spector]

I have a 2012 Hybrid and and 2013 econobox. Both have a definite improvement in MPG (slightly more than needed to break even on the additional cost of 100% gas) and perhaps more noticeable on the hybrid. Been using it exclusively for about a year now. When I travel and have to fill up with E10 on the return trip I can really see the MPG drop. Still hard to find but one off brand place carries it.

 

[camperbob]

Originally Posted By: TiredTrucker
Originally Posted By: mulehead
It would get better mpg and cost less food prices and feed costs would go down but it's all about farm state votes and Washington control


What planet are you living on? Corn is at prices that we had in the mid 90's. They are surprisingly low, what would be the equivalent of minimum wage if we were talking about incomes. You guys really have to get a life on this ethanol conspiracy thing. Would be much better if you actually knew a little bit of what you throw out. And "food" prices being lower? There is so much that goes into that, primarily processing and transportation costs. You want to bellyache about government, at least point the finger in the right direction.

Due to massive regulatory mandates (madness is a better word) that have been dumped on the transportation sector, and many more to come soon, there is growing capacity shortage and a somewhat serious shortage of personnel. The economic conditions knocked a lot of trucks out of the available capacity over the last few years. A laundry bag of regulations that have materialized has made it so much of that truck capacity will not return anytime soon. And it is one thing to buy a truck or a fleet, try to find drivers that can get thru the maze of regulatory issues and keep you from getting into a quagmire with the FMCSA. There just isn't a large pool of qualified drivers, and it is more difficult to pry them away from companies that already have them. And then there is the insurance carriers. You can't just grab a person off the street, hand them a CDL, and have them drive your truck. You have to drug test them, urinalysis now with also hair just around the corner. If they can get thru the physical, they still may require a sleep apnea test per the doctor doing the physical. And any kind of negative driving record already? Say good bye! And no one with anything more than a mild misdemeanor is going to make it thru screening to drive OTR.

This has led to one thing certain. If you want me to show up with a truck to haul your food, you are going to have to ante up. I will not haul it for what I did just a few months, and even weeks, ago. There are plenty of customers vying for my equipment to move their stuff. I am the busiest I have been in years. I have to turn down loads right and left.

That is why food prices are so high. And I haven't even discussed the myriad of regulatory hoops that food processors and other business' in the food chain have to go thru and those costs are passed right along.

You hate ethanol. I get that. But at least get your facts right. Corn is not the problem. Ethanol had no real impact on corn prices or availabilty of food. It is all the stuff between the crop field and the consumer that is sucking the money out of your wallet. And the primary reason is that your government claims to care for you.


Being in the trucking arena, I very much agree and respect your above statements. My question is if Ethanol raises octane level. Does the gasoline we now get with e10-e30 have lower quality gasoline, since they depend on the ethanol to raise them back to 87,89,91, etc

 

[SHOZ]

They start with 85 octane now and add the E10 to get to 87. The higher octanes start out higher. As I understand it.