1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

What gas do you put in your Prius Prime?

Discussion in 'Prime Main Forum (2017-2022)' started by charliebrownsprius, Dec 22, 2020.

  1. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 26, 2009
    17,035
    10,010
    90
    Location:
    Western Washington
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    It sounds like you haven't been to Oregon either.
     
  2. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    54,472
    38,103
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
  3. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 26, 2009
    17,035
    10,010
    90
    Location:
    Western Washington
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Oregon has banned that practice of topping up. Attendants must stop at the first click. Though I watch the pump to make sure it has dispensed close to the expected amount, in a car that sometimes clicks off very prematurely.
    A while back they legalized nighttime self service in low population (rural) counties, so that fuel could be made available 24 hours even when the stores themselves were closed, when customer traffic won't cover the labor cost of being open. More recently they legalized self service in daytime too in those counties.

    I did self service there once very shortly after it was legalized, but an attendant made clear that I could have them do it. Previously I had also absentmindedly self served, nobody noticed until afterwards when I headed inside to pay. Only after everyone was showing confusion did I remember that it wasn't legal. But with the main islands backed up with waiting customers, I had simply gone around to an empty side island to avoid the crowd. The attendants were too busy to notice.
     
  4. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 26, 2009
    17,035
    10,010
    90
    Location:
    Western Washington
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Volume efficiency suffers, but that isn't particularly important. It is fossil carbon efficiency that really matters, and E10 has less fossil carbon than E0. Considering just the raw fuels (not the full production life cycle), the E10 is clearly a bit better, roughly 7% so.

    Now, considering the full production cycle and all the agricultural fossil diesel fuel used to produce that ethanol, the story does change and the answer becomes much less clear. It depends on who you ask ...
     
    pghyndman likes this.
  5. DicedPixel

    DicedPixel Junior Member

    Joined:
    Dec 14, 2016
    17
    30
    0
    Location:
    Stockholm
    Vehicle:
    2020 Prius PHV
    Model:
    Business Ed. Plus
    E85 cheap european ethanol.
     
    jerrymildred likes this.
  6. ETP

    ETP 2021 Prime(Limit),Highlander HYB Plat,B52-D,G,F,H

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2009
    2,799
    1,170
    0
    Location:
    Auburdale FL
    Vehicle:
    2021 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Limited
    Another vote for regular gas only unless you have a vehicle designed to run on high octane gas.
    I believe Mini's need high octane gas.

    Potential issues with carbon build up in the cylinder above the piston in a low compression engine.

    It's like drinking wine, you will need more each time to get the desired result.:LOL::ROFLMAO:

    Wish I wasn't out!
     
  7. Glenn G

    Glenn G Member

    Joined:
    Jun 2, 2018
    117
    63
    0
    Location:
    North Andover
    Vehicle:
    2018 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Premium
    No doubt that farm belt politics are a factor, but MTBE is apparently a nasty chemical, so the corn farmers score a win.
     
    pghyndman likes this.
  8. IABoy987

    IABoy987 Member

    Joined:
    Nov 25, 2011
    180
    76
    0
    Location:
    Iowa
    Vehicle:
    2018 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    When I got a generator set and a new 4cycle lawnmower, several small engine forums made it clear to use only "straight" 87 gas, no alcohol as it made gas breakdown over time. Then it said at season end, drain gas and put in a nearly full car tank so it disperses and didn't affect the quality. Old wives/husbands (gotta be politically correct!) tale?
     
  9. pghyndman

    pghyndman Active Member

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2018
    498
    463
    0
    Location:
    CT shoreline
    Vehicle:
    2021 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Limited
    Yeah, ethanol can be nasty on equipment not designed for its use. Primer, lines, gaskets etc can get brittle causing fuel to leak.
     
  10. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

    Joined:
    Feb 7, 2006
    21,594
    11,214
    0
    Location:
    eastern Pennsylvania
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Never had problems with E10 in the mower, but then I drained the tank and ran it dry at the end of the season. Which is something the manual recommended before ethanol was prevalent.
     
  11. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 26, 2009
    17,035
    10,010
    90
    Location:
    Western Washington
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Fuel tanks on those small engines often have vented gas caps, which leads to significant evaporation and oxygen intake, especially since the tanks themselves are small. And of course the lightest fractions evaporate faster, leaving a heavier mixture behind. So their situations are very very different than on the evaporative-emission-controlled tanks of modern cars, or the sealed tanks of PHEVs.
     
    jerrymildred and Trollbait like this.