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Experience with Ethanol-Free Gas?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by Sporin, Aug 30, 2017.

?
  1. I don't Ethanol-Free Gas.

    60.0%
  2. I use Ethanol-Free Gas and see a signifigant jump in MPG.

    11.1%
  3. I use Ethanol-Free Gas and DO NOT see a signifigant jump in MPG.

    8.9%
  4. I use Ethanol-Free Gas and see a SMALL jump in MPG.

    20.0%
  1. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    Statement above is correct. Example: Fill up a 1 gallon jug of e0 gasoline and then pour out 10% of the gas. Now take ethanol and top off the gallon jug with it. Now your gallon jug consist of 90% gas and 10% ethanol in one gallon jug, that's e10. Burn that and measure the energy output, then burn a gallon jug that's 100% gasoline, which one will burn more or give off more energy? Even it's only a few miles more efficient per gallon than e10, e0 burns cleaner and if you want to drive your car into the ground then its your benefit to go w/e0 for engine longevity. If you plan to sell it then stick with e100. And it's government driven, I explained it on an earlier reply.

    Now on to some red wine.
     
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  2. dubit

    dubit Senior Member

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    meh - I don't care what I burn. Heck I'd burn kerosene if my car would run it and run it cheaper.

    I do get a kick out of pestering "warriors" on any given subject. Must be a habit that carries over from twitter. lol

    {edit} - glass of wine sounds good. tks for the idea.

    Save the grapes! aaarggghhh.
     
  3. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    It just hit me, now I want to try red wine as car fuel, it contains alcohol :p
     
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  4. cnc97

    cnc97 Senior Member

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    I’m sure there is some tangible benefit to running the non ethanol fuel. Like decreased deposits in the EGR tube or exhaust manifold. It’s just been too crappy to try and look for it. I admit there is a premium to be paid for the E0, but I’ll pay it.
     
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  5. litesong

    litesong Active Member

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    Hi cnc97. I'm from Washington state. Evansville, Indiana has a number of E0 sources, but only 91 octane. I''ve burned a little 90 octane E0 in my 87 octane designated gasoline engine & its provided the MPG I expected from 87 octane E0. But I have a source for 87 octane E0 that is dramatically less expensive. Go to pure-gas.org to find the addresses, phone numbers & Indiana map of E0 sources near Evansville. Quickly, I only found one 87 octane E0 source & its way east, north of Louisville. However, I see several closer 87 octane E0 sources, south of Evansville, but in Kentucky. If you have reasons to travel south, you'll find 87 octane E0. Again, check the Kentucky map for E0 sources.
     
    #65 litesong, Jan 16, 2019
    Last edited: Jan 16, 2019
  6. litesong

    litesong Active Member

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    Then you will use less petroleum by burning E0. Excess oil is used to produce ethanol, transport it to blenders, then transport it again to gas stations. Oil is used again to support the "ethanol in gasoline industry" & their vast lobbying efforts, both nationally & locally. With the collapse of MPG by only using 10% ethanol(E10), it is easily concluded that E10 uses much more oil than E0.
     
    #66 litesong, Jan 16, 2019
    Last edited: Jan 16, 2019
  7. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    [The Toyota Prius does not react well to E85]

    In theory, E85 would offer me a chance to use less petroleum. Sadly it is 40 miles to a station that sells E85, and they sell it for more than E10, even though it gets 30% worse MPG. i would be driving 80 miles round trip to get fuel that would only take me 300 miles.

    I can get E0 within 3 miles roundtrip, at a $0.30 premium over E10, and it will get 3% better MPG. 12% more money to get 3% better mileage.

    As the saying goes, Your Mileage May Vary, but for me, E10 gets me farther on a dollar. And I am not driving just to get to the gas station.
     
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  8. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    E85 is 85% ethanol? I'm never sure if it's 15 or 85. 85% is way beyond Toyota's recommendations.

    Strange, increasing gasoline content by 10% costs 12% more. Or telling: that ethanol is deemed by the market to be 2% worse than useless? I wonder what the percents would be, if the government stepped away.
     
    #68 Mendel Leisk, Jan 16, 2019
    Last edited: Jan 16, 2019
  9. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    Yes, many North American branded cars can use 85% Ethanol, their computers can tune for it. Energy density is 30% less.

    If E85 is over 30% cheaper, available locally, and your car can use it, you save money. (and petroleum)

    Your prius owners manual will warn you about more than E10, the prius of brave owners who ignore such warnings throw a code at about E45.
     
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  10. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I'm guilty of protracted editing in my post above.
     
  11. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    One theory: they are preying on drivers who think Gasoline is a element or compound. All gas is just a mixture, which changes by location and season. If you are suckered into the idea of 'pure gas', not realizing it is just a mixture of other compounds you can focus on 'they mixed something with the gas' not realizing all gasoline is a mixture already.

    Another theory: High octane gas costs more. Since Ethanol is 113 Octane, you can use cheaper, lower octane gasoline and mixed to be E10 it is 87 octane. 90% 85 + 10% 113 = 87 octane. So E10 can be cheaper because they are using a cheaper mixture than usual.

    YMMV
     
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  12. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Yeah, I remember reading: if you strip the ethanol out of E10, best start with mid-grade, because it drops the octane.
     
  13. cnc97

    cnc97 Senior Member

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    The E0 here is listed as minimum 90 octane.
     
  14. litesong

    litesong Active Member

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    I don't have to read someone's words. I calculate. 9 parts of 84 octane E0, to which 1 part 114 octane ethanol is added, comprises designated 87 octane ethanol blend(E10). Sorry, you don't know how to calculate. 87 octane E0---all its components are 87 octane(duh!). Burned in an 87 octane designed gasoline engine, 87 octane E0 gives the best efficiency(more duh!). 87 octane E10---- NONE of its components are 87 octane. It is not surprising that 87 octane E0 gives 8% to 5% better MPG than 87 octane E10.
    As to price, "ethanol in gasoline industry" lobbies Congress & the Pressy-dent (don'T rump") to subsidize ethanol blends & add penalties to companies making E0.
     
  15. Rmay635703

    Rmay635703 Senior Member

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    Um no, vapor pressure is raised in winter blends so your car starts and decreased in summer blends increasing BTU content and reducing VOC emissions.

    Those that blend fuels for a living know this.


    Next, I paid a $1.89 a gallon for kwik trip 88, fuel economy on the 88 octane e15 tank was 45mpg, car is epa rated at 37mpg, e0 is a minimum of $2.17 a gallon

    Ethanol may be mandated but is not subsidized, it actually is cheaper to produce than 87 octane and it’s production improves the fat and protein content of the feed.
    Typical Field corn is not fit for human or beast consumption and generally is made into HFC if not made into ethanol.

    Next oil definitely is subsidized if it weren’t we would pay closer to what Canadia or the Euro zone pays.
     
  16. litesong

    litesong Active Member

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    That's good. You are very lucky to have E0 so close to you. If you have any reason to go to Owensboro or Hazel, Kentucky, they have 87 octane E0 that might be a lower price. Both 90 octane E0 & 87 octane E0 gave similar results in my 87 octane designed gasoline vehicle.
     
  17. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    This certainly is not true.
    This may or may not be true. Every refinery is different, and the blend varies during each year.

    Gasoline - Wikipedia
    Octane rating - Wikipedia
     
  18. litesong

    litesong Active Member

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    If you're gonna talk about individual molecules on a bell shaped curve, ethanol will have no molecules that are 87 octane, & the 90% remaining 84 octane designated gasoline molecules will have percentage-wise, few 87 octane molecules. However, 87 octane designated E0 will, percentage-wise, have vastly more 87 octane gasoline molecules. It is why my last five 87 octane gasoline vehicles have 8%, 8%, 7%-8%, 7%, & 5% better MPG, burning 87 octane E0, than using (not burning efficiently) poor 87 octane designated E10, which has few molecules that are 87 octane.
    "ethanol-in-gasoline-industry" advocates always try to gum up the works..... just like their E10 ethanol blend product, which is worthless. Again, if you want to use less oil, you should use 87 octane E0, not 87 octane designated E10.
     
    #78 litesong, Jan 17, 2019
    Last edited: Jan 17, 2019
  19. litesong

    litesong Active Member

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    No, E0 will have 8% to 5% better MPG than E10. Only E10 advocates keep repeating the 3% difference between E0 & E10, which is wrong.
     
  20. litesong

    litesong Active Member

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    Blowin' smoke. Whatever the season, my five 87 octane gasoline engines have provided 8% to 5% better MPG than 87 octane E10.