Anyone have an E85 pump nearby?

[JTK]

I rolled up to one yesterday at a brand-new re-done Mobil station near where I live and didn't realize it at first. It was a typical mixer, single hose pump with E85 and 3 grades of E10. It wasn't really clearly marked aside from the E85 button kind of off to the left with some 'green' logos on it. I wound-up having to roll to another pump because they had the credit/debit option locked out of this one.

I'm wondering if they did this so the cashier can 'remind' customers about the E85 thing? I could see some dummy loading up on E85 and not realize it with this particular pump.

The E85 was $2.87/gal with regular E10 at $3.30.


Joel

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Did you notice if the pump nozzle was a different size like an old leaded(larger diam?) vs unleaded?

 

[JHZR2]

That would stink given the amount left that may get mixed in with the next fuel sale....

 

[JTK]

Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
Did you notice if the pump nozzle was a different size like an old leaded(larger diam?) vs unleaded?


No Sir. It was a single hose pump.

Joel

 

[Turk]

Subsidized junk.

 

[NateDN10]

We have a station with E-85 nearby. It's all done up with images of green grass and a sky with a few cumulus clouds. Looks very green. Pump nozzle is the same size as gasoline, and the credit card reader works. There is a big warning on it that it should only be used in flex-fuel vehicles.

I've tried mixing in 3 gal E-85 plus 8 gal 87 octane E-10 in the Cobalt a few times. It didn't seem to care either way.

 

[Y_K]

Here is another opinion from the trenches

 

[A_Harman]

I wouldn't pay more than 75% of the price of gasoline to buy E85. That's about the break-even point considering the 30% drop in fuel mileage you get from running the stuff. I've been watching E85 prices for years, and have only ever seen one station that meets my criteria. If the ethanol subsidy ever goes away, the price of E85 would shoot up by about 40 cents per gallon, and nobody but the most deluded Greenie would ever buy it. (Well, maybe racer's would, due to the high octane.)

 

[bepperb]

We have at least a dozen on my commute, but it never seems cheap enough. In my mind it should be ~20% less to make up for the mileage loss, but it's always only twenty or thirty cents less.

 

[rslifkin]

Nate - Are you referring to the Fastrac on West Henrietta? If so, I've seen that one. I haven't noticed the price lately, but previously it hasn't been cheap enough to be worth trying.

If it was, I'd be tempted to fill the Jeep with it (with about 8oz MMO for lubrication) and see what happens. I doubt it would care much, and in the summer, particularly under heavy load, it might be a good thing (Jeep requires 91 octane, and some 93 even pings a little under load in hot weather, particularly if I haven't filled it within the last week).

 

[GROUCHO MARX]

The Shell stations in this neck of the woods have them.

 

[Samilcar]

The one E85 pump around me has a big label with the words "NOT GASOLINE". I figure if anyone pumps that into their non-flex fuel vehicle, it's their own dang fault.

 

[Johnny]

They should put a label on it that says, not suitable for human or automotive consumption.

 

[shpankey]

I have one at a Shell station less than a mile away from home in my tiny home town. Credit Card scanner works and other than a green handle that says E-85 on it nothing really to differentiate it. Normal pumps are right there with it. I actually did accidentally put some in one of my cars once a long time ago. Realized it about 5 gallons in and bailed.

But I do run a mix in my current car that absolutely loves higher octane as it's a Direct Injected turbo and 91 doesn't cut it. I do 2.75 gallons E85 with the rest 91 and 6ozs MMO. This solves my cars knock issues with the 91 gas.

 

[rshunter]

There is one public-access E85 station within 10 miles of me. The other is a government vehicle refueling facility.

There is a B20+ bio-diesel station that is just as close. Plus, the fuel is far more cost effective and environmentally friendly.

Interestingly, I've got two LPG refueling stations within the same 10 mile radius.

 

[Spazdog]

If you drive a little, you can find "BioWillie" here. I think it's B20. I don't recall seeing higher concentrations of bio-fuel than that.

I've only seen one E-85 station. The Kroger in Mansfield, TX. I might have missed some though.

Apparently the Neon SRT/4-PT GT engine can be modified and you can get pretty good results from E-85. If I ever decide to modify the PT, I might consider it. But not now.

RV parks are the only places I know to fill up with LPG here in the land of the Barnett Shale.

 

[TMoto]

Originally Posted By: JTK
It wasn't really clearly marked aside from the E85 button kind of off to the left with some 'green' logos on it.

There are a few stations in the Denver Metro area that carry E85 and from what I've seen, they all have yellow hoses with yellow handles. They are on the same island and pump as the the regular gas, but they seem to be pretty clearly labeled along with the separate hose. Diesel handles are green, along with the obvious nozzle size being larger and won't fit into a gasoline car.

 

[Cristobal]

Is E-10 a 10% ethanol mix?

 

[SteveSRT8]

actually it is a less than 10% mix in my area. The exact proportions seem to change, it's hard to get a consistent mix.

 

[Cristobal]

Thanks Steve. My car's owners manual says a 10% mix or less is OK.