Quote:
Originally Posted by Lazarus
I have gotten better mileage with ethanol in 3 different cars. A 2.0L, 3.0L, and a 1.6L. None were approved or modified for it. The mileage peaked at E20 blend. I know that's not the norm but maybe it has to do with driving style. Until I got to a blend of E50 did the cost per mile head the wrong way.
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I read an academic study last summer (and I am far too lazy to try and find it again) that the amount of ethanol in fuel has a non-linear effect on the mileage any vehicle gets. The researchers found that most ethanol mixtures lowered mileage, but for every car tested there was some mixture that got better mileage than pure gasoline. The optimum ratio varied a lot between vehicle model - for some it was around E60 and for others around e15 (so there is no easy to use rule of thumb). The largest improvement in mileage was seen in vehicles designed for flex fuel, and the smallest improvement from unmodified gas engines. I don't remember how much mileage increased, but it was pretty impressive for the flex-fuel vehicle.
I didn't do anything fancy to find it, I probably googled "safe ethanol percent", or maybe "ethanol octane". Gas was $4.50/gallon at the time and I was looking to lower my fuel costs for my non-flex car.