I want to get to the bottom of this ethanol killing my mpg

[Old Tele man]

Originally Posted by dcb

I've heard of 100 low lead, which has an insanely large amount of lead in it still.

...oops, you're correct! It's 100LL, but as of 2008, new 94UL (unleaded = UL) fuel has been available...at some airports.

...insanely amounts?

80/87 (red) = 0.5 ml TEL per gallon.
100LL (blue) = 1.2-2.0 ml TEL per gallon.
100/130 (green) = 3.0-4.0 ml TEL per gallon.
115/145 (purple) = 4.6 ml TEL per gallon.

...planes I flew in used 115/145, called 'grape juice' due to purple coloring.

[dcb]

2 grams per gallon = your typical piper cub spitting out a POUND of lead for every 56 hours of operation. I'll stick with insane

[Old Tele man]

Originally Posted by dcb

2 grams per gallon = your typical piper cub spitting out a POUND of lead for every 56 hours of operation. I'll stick with insane

...I think you're assuming all that "ml"-volume is Pb, which ain't so! At the molecular-level, the percentage of Pb is quite a bit less than 100%, but (admittedly) not insignificant.

TEL = C(8)_H(20)_Pb or ((CH3.CH2)4)Pb

...the Pb is about 64% of the total molecular weight.

[Frank Lee]

Once upon a time I was a lineman at an airport. I tried 100LL in my car. It totally killed the cat, and rather quickly too. Don't try it with anything that has a cat.

[dcb]

Yes, TEL, not pb, per EAA - Avgas Specifications
updating wikipedia...

[MadisonMPG]

You run E85 in a regular engine?

[Frank Lee]

Me? Yes.

[MadisonMPG]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

Me? Yes.

How?

[EVDRVR]

There isn't much to get to the bottom of in regards to lower mpg on ethanol. It is there to burn cleaner or "burn a more politicially correct mix" it has less energy (btu's) just as gas has less energy than diesel.

Some states like Minnesota give you a break on the price of E85 to encourage use which results in the miles per dollar coming out close to the same. Flex fuel epa numbers show lower mpg for the same vehicle on E85 vs regular grade gas.

The Impala numbers being a good example
http://www.greenfamilycar.com/index05.htm

Of the "green" fuels B100 has a very high CN number and is in many places also sold with price support. So the folks that have a need for diesel have nothing to lose using it.

[Frank Lee]

Originally Posted by MadisonMPG

How?

1. Find an E85 pump.
2. Pump it in.

When I blend 50/50 it definitely saves me money cuz fe doesn't drop noticeably and it's about 40 cents/gallon cheaper.

When E85 is the same price as regular I don't mess with it.