I am reading up on none ethanol gas. but i get mixed stories. some gas stations in my area are seeling it. i am trying to find out if i would get better gas mileage with it or the same. and also is it really ethanol free or just a bunch of BS? also i can not find a place in my town that will install a PCM or do anything to it if they dont do it all there self. (over 600$) i want to buy one myself and have it installed.

 

I have always been told that premium fuel has no ethanol. I have no idea if this is truly fact, but it seems to make sense.

As far as getting a repair shop to install a part you supply, that can be tough sometimes. I am sure you could find one if you ask around.

 

I think it's required by law for gas to have at least 10% ethanol.
Bunch of crap too because the ethanol is not good for older vehicles not built to run on it.

 

My '74 runs quite well on a 10% blend as is required by NYS. So does my '04 Rainier. When they first started to change over in NY, I was getting better fuel mileage in both my old Bravada and my old '01 Bonneville SSEi while using the 10% blend.

Here's the kicker though, where most of the negative comments come from is when people try one tank full and state that it "runs like crap". Ethanol in a fuel will clean off the years of junk left behind by plane old gasoline. Over the first few tank fulls, it is bound to run differently. You should change your fuel filter after 3-4 tanks and then see how things are.

Another interesting note is that the 10% ethanol blends are much less prone to having moisture problems than regular gasoline. Ethanol will absorb a certain amount of water in the fuel and carry it harmlessly through your fuel system in very minute amounts which will not impact the operation of your engine in any measurable fashion. This is very much different from how moisture affects things on straight gasoline.

 

Yeah, everything Kyle said is true. I have been researching all this alternative fuel stuff also. For those who don't know, ethanol is straight up alcohol, the same kind you drink.

One fuel that I would like to see hit the mainstream is butanol. It can be used as a direct replacement in ANY gasoline engine with zero modification, and it is a biofuel, as it can also be made directly from corn.

So as to not take this thread off-topic, I'll end my comments here, though maybe I should post a link in the Lounge?

 

my 04 silverado 5.3 drops 2 miles per gallon. 15.5 from 17.5.
there are a couple of stations here that are ethanol free.
i have 2185 cub, a polaris 300 and a suzuki 250 all been ethanol scarred. the 08 Grand Prix does not notice a difference.

 

I've never looked into whether or not ALL gas stations here sell ethanol-blend gas, but for the longest time I exclusively bought Husky gas that was advertised as 90 octane, 10% ethanol blend at regular pump price. But after time I noticed weird performance issues and a strong gas smell in my oil. I assumed it was an entirely different mechanical issue. Then, one of my friends told me that the gas itself, because it's a "dry" fuel, can mess with seals in the engine. So I switched to buying gas exclusively from Shell to see if it made a difference. Sure enough, the gas smell in the oil all but disappeared and the erratic performance cleared up. Obviously, there's a billion and a half other reasons why this would happen that have nothing to do with the gas and it's just coincidence, but that's my story.

 

It would seem that 10% ethanol gas would hurt power even just a little bit and not be good for the engine. Ethanol burns hotter and with less power than gasoline does. Ethanol also tends to dehydrate various bits of the engine, especially seals.

I use the 10% ethanol gas the nearest gas station around here offers but if the kwik sak that offers non-ethanol was closer/cheaper I'd most definitely use that.

 

If you are constantly switching back and forth or have only driven with one tank of ethanol blended fuel, you will see a decrease as compared with 100% gasoline. But if your engine / fuel system are clean and operating properly, the difference will be much less. Ethanol will surely clean your fuel system as well as absorb any water that may be in your system. This cleaning and removal of water can cause a decrease in performance.

Elastomers used in modern vehicles will have no adverse effects from a 10% ethanol blend. In fact, they can withstand higher concentrations without any effects.

 

When I got my blazer dyno tuned couple weeks back I asked the guy tuning it (who's an avid hard core power junkie, teaches at the university, as well as a post secondary college & has a few muscle cars etc) about adverse effects of ethanol. Primarily seals etc & water retention, he said octane is octane & he's been running the 10% blend since it came out years ago with no issues. http://www.wolfperformance.com/about.html#Title1 <--- quite the resume, I'd say I'd trust his opinion! lol