Originally Posted By: MNgopher
Show a study (not funded by the corn lobby - heck, I'll accept that even) that shows your engine will have significantly less wear and lower deposits only from using E15 fuel versus E10.
Then make the arguement about engine cleanliness etc... saving you money versus the higher cost per mile.
I've been burning E10 blends since the early 1990's here. Never used any extra fuel cleaners - and run my cars out to nearly 200,000 miles. Fuel mileage records for all of them over the 200,000 miles with little to no degradation in fuel mileage (to be honest, tires were the biggest factor on this). Claiming all sorts of extra benefits from using and extra 5% ethanol is stretching at best.
I'll also state I deal daily with the consequences of our decisions to promote corn ethanol. Our stream and river systems here are falling apart as a result of the narrow world view of corn farmers that claim to be the best stewards of their land, but put the blinders on the second the runoff from their property leaves it. Pattern tiling, ditching, farming right up to water resources... etc... and the stream systems are responding in kind. One state agency recently wrote a fertilizer plan for the state that basically says in order to continue crop yields at levels now expected, it cannot be done without polluting our aquifers and surface waters with nitrates.
But hey, burn more ethanol because its clean energy... Its not like anyone needs clean water, right?
Ok, I'm going to keep this short. One thing I come across often is, well I used BP in my engine and it ran to 500,000 miles, so BP can only be the best fuel in the world, etc. Just because something has worked for you doesn't mean much.
E15 is better, I didn't say it would cure everything, I said it was better. Yes an extra 5% is a substantial amount.
In all my UOAs, including the last, you can see what ethanol does. Reduces corrosion in the case, viscosity drop and all wear metals. We've done this time and time again, as have others like Terry Dyson, who's been doing cars for 20 years.
I believe I claimed no alternative fuel is entirely clean, moderately using them all is the way.