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Old 02-29-2012, 07:13 PM   #34 (permalink)
redpoint5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Allch Chcar View Post
redpoint5, Ethanol is infact a more efficient fuel than Gasoline, it is simply not as energy dense. Strangely, Octane for blends from E50-E85 is about the same, 95 1/2 octane AKI, still better than pump gas at 93 but not what you'd expect. Plenty of the hotrodders, tuners, and engine builders swear by it. I've heard E85 is just shy of C16 leaded fuel but either way it is vastly underutilized in a FFV.
Good info; it helps to show how the math works out.

What I meant by less performance is less energy content, as you pointed out. People are primarily concerned with how much a tank of fuel costs and how far it will get them. In this way, petroleum is more efficient, otherwise we would all be driving E100 cars with high compression ratios and turbo chargers.

Maybe one day ethanol will be relevant, but this is not that day.
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