Pure Gas vs. Ethanol Added
 

I wasn't aware that some gas stations still sell "pure gasoline". I found one over the weekend and yes, it cost a little extra but holy cafe standards, Batman!, I'm getting and additional 4 mpg. What the hell? Anyone else using pure gasoline in their cars??

i prefer leaded, gives me a nice buzz

Its all Ill use in small engines, the new Yukon loves it as well. Works out about the same cost per mile.

Paying extra for it defeats added mpg. :D

Where are the pure gas stations in Kansas City?

Yeah, but in theory you avoid the damage ethanol does to your engine with this gas that in theory doesn't contain any adulterants.

And you can go longer between fill-ups. So same price per mile but with a little added convenience.

I never put ethanol in my truck. 87 unleaded from Kum n go or BP ONLY.

The BP unleaded is the best gas.

It's a shame that all the political nonsense around ethanol has forced it on us.

I can get pure gas but I only use it in my small engines, like my lawn tractor and snow blower. It's only available in premium so is quite a bit more expensive.

ROFL You do realize that all Kum and Go sells gas that has ethanol added? Specifically to the 87. The high octane fuels are the ones that do not have Ethanol.

You can get it at one pump at the coop and they are compensated very well for it.

I've always used gasoline with 10-15% ethanol. Never had issues. I haven't seen pure gasoline sold in decades.

Plus, some ethanol is good during the winter because it helps prevent freezing.

HY-Vee's Premium is ethanol free.

Has anyone ever used the Heet additive?

yep. :thumb:


i love ethanol fwiw though. i run it in my "race car"

For a race car that is tuned to run ehtonal it makes sense. For the daily driver it does not since it results in fewer miles per gallon and is bad for the environment (at least it is in the US where they inefficiently use corn to make it).

I think you are referring to Alcohol or Methanol. Ethanol brings down the octane level. That is the reason it is not in 91 or above.

Also, if your vehicle is FlexFuel, I doubt you'll see any damage from ethanol anyway. It's designed for it.

This is incorrect.

In fact, several teams in national and international racing competitions use ethanol because of its high octane and exceptional performance. Since 2010, nearly all gasoline sold in the United States has contained 10% ethanol.
FACT: With a 113 octane rating, ethanol is the highest performance fuel on the market and keeps today's high-compression engines running smoothly.
http://www.ethanolrfa.org/page/-/rfa...ts-EngPerf.jpg
- See more at: http://www.ethanolrfa.org/pages/etha....znqawUI3.dpuf

but it smells so good. :drool: that makes sense, you're right though. i think that car probably gets about 8 mpg.

What, freeze? Gasoline doesn’t freeze until -40 to -50 C, -40 to – 58 F.
Are you really getting down that low?

E85 has a ridiculous amount of octane, not sure how much, but i've run water, meth setups, as well as, and i'm able to run quite a bit more timing on e85 than i could on the meth/water setup.


edit. nvm penguinz has it covered. 113 octane.

do you know if thats e85 blend or 100% ethanol penguinz?

I think he was referring to water condensation in the fuel line freezing.

pure-gas.org

I was kind of wondering, ethanol draws moisture and he was also asking about Heet additive. :hmmm: Just figured I would give him a chance to explain.

Not all gas sold at kum&go has ethanol. At least not in Iowa. All gas in Iowa is clearly marked if it has ethanol.

As for whether it's bad for your car, everyone I know uses it. It's bad for small engines, but the effect it has on motors is pretty exaggerated.

I'm assuming 100%.
If I had easier access to E85 I would like to build a drag toy with a drunken motor because that stuff is basically race fuel you can get at the pump. But no one locally sells it and as sure as I build a toy for it the government subsidies will end and the stuff will dry up.

In Kansas at least, pumps no longer have to be clearly marked as to whether they contain ethanol or not. 87 to 89 octane are now assumed to have 10% ethanol, the only non-ethanol fuel available is premium.
If a motor is prepared for it the damage is mitigated, just that most small engines are still working with old fuel line and gasket material that deteriorates with the use of ethanol.

Not true

E85 is 100-105 octane. Pure is 113.

All I know is I get 280-290 miles before the gas light goes on if I use Kum n go or BP 87 no ethanol..if I put the ethanol blend in it, the gas light goes on at 240-250. Sometimes sooner if I get the gas at a kwik star

As Penquinz said, I should have said ethanol removes water to prevent freezing.

Yeah, this. Thanks.

Yeah I don't know about Iowa. But that is the way it is in MO.

Thanks for sharing, I'm buying by the litter at Home Depot. Now I can fill up my 5 gallon can. I use it for small engines as ethanol destroys them.

Yeah I am going to start using this stuff in my mower for the same reason.

Ethanol is bullshit at this point and should be dropped until/unless the science improves enough to make it.

The only issue with ethanol is that in the US we use corn to make it. There are many other plants that are much more efficient to make it from.

Yep. In South America they use sugar cane.

Hy Vee premium is ethanol free. I don't worry too much about my car, but will drive out of my way to avoid putting ethanol blends in the bike. plus, there is a BP not too far away from me that sells 93 ethanol free. (I believe it is 93, may be 92 or 94...) My old bike loved that gas. Haven't got a chance to run it through the new one yet.

still takes away from a food source and uses land and resources to grow/harvest/process it

ethanol is also less efficient

Last stats i saw were that it takes a 1.5 gallons of ethanol to produce the same energy as a gallon of gas.

Going forward producing enough food for a growing population is going to further squeeze ethanol out as a energy source.

Full court press on electricity imo

Maybe hydrogen/electricity, maybe just straight battery/electricity ... whatever works best.

Yeah, up here in Iowa every single option with ethanol in it is labelled as such.

Its a shame they can't make it from weeds. Oh wait...

http://www.hemp.com/hemp-education/u...emp/hemp-fuel/

Hemp ethanol/methanol – made from the fermented stalk.

To clarify further, ethanol is made from such things as grains, sugars, starches, waste paper and forest products, and methanol is made from woody/pulp matter. Using processes such as gasification, acid hydrolysis and enzymes, hemp can be used to make both ethanol and methanol.

I think some South American countries use sugar beet.

I think cane and beet produces a much higher yield than corn.

We have them at sporadic gas stations here in Jax. They just put one in down the street from us. We use it on our lawn equipment. Boaters love it.

hehe, he said "Kum"

I haven't read about those.

from hemp stalks would be good ... you can do a shit ton of stuff from hemp.


food source and energy source from same place just doesn't seem like a good idea to me

Just for the purpose of clarification: essentially all corn grown in the United States is not meant for human consumption. It's only a food source from us from the perspective that it is a precursor for sweetener or the primary foodstuff to fatten livestock for quick slaughter.

The largest issue with ethanol, IMO, is that it uses up a significant proportion of cropland in the US that would be better served for other purposes.

If you're worried about alcohol messing up lawn equipment, just use a fuel stabilizer. It overcomes the alcohol issue.

PRI-G works well.

http://www.priproducts.com/

I never knew Hemp could be used, either.

Corn is probably the least efficient way to produce it.

Agreed.

That's what i meant when i said food/energy from same source, source meaning cropland.

I guess ethanol is a subsidy that keeps farmers in business for the short term though. Letting the farming industry die would end up causing future complications.

Biggest issue with corn is how much water is needed and energy (coal/oil) to break it down

You know I think this was the secret hidden in the Twin Towers. Holy crap call loose change right away.

I dislike working on older fuel tanks because of ethanol. anything with rubber even.