Ethanol free vs top tier for ATV

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I had a thought. I have access to straight gas locally with no ethanol. Everyone says use ethanol free fuel in smaller engines and in ATVs. I get why you would want no ethanol but all the stations I have ever seen that offer straight gas is not a top tier fuel. Even if your at a shell or Mobil the straight gas they offer you at that special pump is not name brand and likely not up to minimum additive standards. That's why they call it "recreational fuel" or "off road fuel". So if you burn it fast enough would using e10 top tier be better than straight gas no or low additive?
 
I always wondered the same thing. I dont know how it is where you are but pure gas Rec 90 is about 90 cents a gallon more than premium here and I dont know how long it takes for them to sell enough of it to get refills so how long has it been in the tank. And like you say its never at a top tier station or they have a disclaimer like not a xxx product. I did try it in my snowblower but did not see any change and after thinking about it I decided I wanted the antifreeze in snowblower gas anyway incase any snow got in there during a refill.
 
How are you concluding that the E0 has very low or no additives? I'm sure it has the government mandated additive levels at least.
 
You can run premium E10 straight if you're using it up in a short time. I run premium in my mower and snow thrower with Stabil only because two gallons last awhile for me. I know it's not the same thing but it's the same fuel. I'm lucky I have top tier Phillips 66 station that has E0 91 octane. I also have an independent that sells E0 91 that is not listed as top tier and I have no problems.
 
Not sure what kind of ATV..but if it has a carb there should be a fuel shutoff.. add stabil 360 and turn fuel off when storing.

If its fuel injected theres nothing really to harm with ethanol fuels that i know of.
 
I only use ethanol-free premium in my 4-wheelers especially in the winter months where the atvs don't get used often.


In one atv that we had we used regular e10 87 and started to have carb issues, sticking etc. after cleaning it out etc. switched to ethanol free an no longer any issues and that was years ago.



I also use ethanol free in my lawn-mower and pressure washer.
 
Ethanol free and add some Techron power sports or Techron marine fuel treatment to it, that'll add pretty much the same amount of detergents as Chevron pump gas and some fuel stabilizers.
 
Originally Posted by hatt
How are you concluding that the E0 has very low or no additives? I'm sure it has the government mandated additive levels at least.


Every station I've found E0 has some disclaimer saying it's not x brand product and remember it's labeled recreational or off highway. I don't believe it's "legal" to distribute e0 for on road use. I could be wrong about that part. I'm just saying if it's not for automotive use it likely isn't mandated to have a specific amount of additive. And just knowing how co company's are if they aren't forced to they likely won't. It's just so generic with E0 fuels. It's not like you can get top tier full Shell or Mobil or whatever in E0. Anyway this is why I question it. I could be wrong and one of you might have the experience to set me straight but this has always been a thought I have whenever filling my gas tanks for the ATV. By the way it's a 2014 Grizzly 700 so fuel injected. I use only VP racing SEF fuel for my small outdoor equipment.
 
Originally Posted by krismoriah72
Not sure what kind of ATV..but if it has a carb there should be a fuel shutoff.. add stabil 360 and turn fuel off when storing.

If its fuel injected theres nothing really to harm with ethanol fuels that i know of.



14 Grizzly 700 Fi. No shutoff
 
Originally Posted by Jake777
Originally Posted by hatt
How are you concluding that the E0 has very low or no additives? I'm sure it has the government mandated additive levels at least.


Every station I've found E0 has some disclaimer saying it's not x brand product and remember it's labeled recreational or off highway. I don't believe it's "legal" to distribute e0 for on road use. I could be wrong about that part. I'm just saying if it's not for automotive use it likely isn't mandated to have a specific amount of additive. And just knowing how co company's are if they aren't forced to they likely won't. It's just so generic with E0 fuels. It's not like you can get top tier full Shell or Mobil or whatever in E0. Anyway this is why I question it. I could be wrong and one of you might have the experience to set me straight but this has always been a thought I have whenever filling my gas tanks for the ATV. By the way it's a 2014 Grizzly 700 so fuel injected. I use only VP racing SEF fuel for my small outdoor equipment.

FL did away with their ethanol requirement a few years ago. Filling up your car with E0 is perfectly fine if you want to spend the extra money. The stations have a disclaimer saying it's not their brand because it's not their brand. The REC90 is coming from someone else. It is taxed and classified like any other gasoline. I've never seen off road gasoline for retail sale. Wawa has 89 octane E0 that falls under their brand I believe. If you're worried about it just add your own additive. It's a lot cheaper than VP fuel.
 
Talked to a guy from VP who really seemed to know his stuff. Said the SEF fuel they use is missing components / impurities found in passenger car fuel that don't typically bother the larger FI engines. He named the chemicals but I don't remember the names. Basically they formulate the fuel without a fee of them that drastically reduce the gumming affect in small carburetors.
 
I'm sure VP makes some nice gasoline but it's spendy to use in any quantity. I've been using E0 for 8-10 years and I haven't had any carb problems. Some of my equipment sits for months too.

Did you change your state from FL to NC?
 
Originally Posted by Jake777
I had a thought. I have access to straight gas locally with no ethanol. Everyone says use ethanol free fuel in smaller engines and in ATVs. I get why you would want no ethanol but all the stations I have ever seen that offer straight gas is not a top tier fuel. Even if your at a shell or Mobil the straight gas they offer you at that special pump is not name brand and likely not up to minimum additive standards. That's why they call it "recreational fuel" or "off road fuel". So if you burn it fast enough would using e10 top tier be better than straight gas no or low additive?
Originally Posted by Jake777
Talked to a guy from VP who really seemed to know his stuff. Said the SEF fuel they use is missing components / impurities found in passenger car fuel that don't typically bother the larger FI engines. He named the chemicals but I don't remember the names. Basically they formulate the fuel without a fee of them that drastically reduce the gumming affect in small carburetors.

That is not correct. Per 40 CFR Part 80 all gasoline dispensed to any consumer, and any refiner that produces gasoline that is dispensed to a consumer must meet the minimum additive levels established by the EPA. There is no exception unless it is racing or aviation fuel.
 
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