Found out where to get non-blended gas.

[AeroModder]

I recently decided to protest the mandated 10% ethanol content here in Oregon, and sent a letter to the local paper seeking others who would support turning the E10 mandate into an optional program. I recieved a call from a gentleman telling me where I could by non-blended gas. The catch- It's Premium, and about 20 cents more a gallon.

However, I'll still be saving money. I did the math- At my current economy of 28 MPG (on a good tank) and paying about $2.859 per gallon, my cost per mile (fuel only) is 10.21 cents per mile. At 27 MPG, it's 10.59 cents.

We all know ethanol reduces fuel economy. I've heard people go from 30MPG to 22 by switching. I'll be a little more conservative here. The price of unblended Premium gas at a local farmer's co-op is currently $3.019 per gallon. If I see a modest gain of 2-3 MPG to put me at 30, my cost per mile will drop to 10.06 cents. If I see a gain of 5 MPG, my cost goes down to 9.15 cents per mile.

Even though I'll be paying a little more at the pump, I'll be able to go farther on each tank and save in the long run. I'm going to be running this current tank down as far as I can without running dry, then filling it with unblended. I added some fuel system cleaner that removes water from fuel to get any contaminants from the ethanol out. Hopefully it will return some better numbers.

So my question- What have you guys seen in terms of MPG with going from one type of fuel to another?

[Frank Lee]

WTH?

[PaleMelanesian]

If you go by the BTU content of the fuels, 3.2% reduction with 10% ethanol.

My own vehicles show a 2-5% reduction, with real-world conditions muddying the results.

The EPA tests for E85 flex-fuel vehicles also show a drop proportional to the BTU. Average is about 28% lower with E85. 10% / 85% * 28% = 3.3% reduction

[Frank Lee]

I suspect much confusion between what E85 is and does, and what E10 is and does.

[PaleMelanesian]

Frank, I think we've been over this ground already. We disagreed then as well.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...-mpg-3355.html

[AeroModder]

The last post on that thread was 2 years ago... I'll be looking around for some new studies and related information. Until then, does anyone have some more recent info on both the positive and negative aspects, especially damage caused to engines?

[tjts1]

You're not going to save any money if 100% gasoline costs 20 cents more than E10. Sorry.

[bgd73]

I could help given the old year of my drivetrain. I know I have answered this ...
I think I may have gone through 3 fuel changes in 23.
for a few years in the 90s, southern new england fuel and southward car was gaining alot of power.. it was real fuel

my Maine is horrifying with the ethanol. there is no old vehicles. Caught onto this years ago.

the boxers kick all the weirdness out and seemingly stayed alive.
the ethanol madness is the factors of biofuel to create the ethanol. real ethanol is no harm, except for how light it is.. and it will suck on a bad pcv system to create some cylinder bung with its own version of fuel, on every oil vapor..

new engines have gigantic intakes, they are all engineering together on this facts of ethanol no doubt...so should not be a problem.
dropping fuel mileage I have not done...it does not like EGR.

[AeroModder]

Originally Posted by tjts1

You're not going to save any money if 100% gasoline costs 20 cents more than E10. Sorry.

In the original post, I showed that a 3 MPG gain will lower my cost per mile, even if the cost of fuel is higher.

[tjts1]

Originally Posted by AeroModder

In the original post, I showed that a 3 MPG gain will lower my cost per mile, even if the cost of fuel is higher.

You won't gain 3mpg (10%+) by going from E10 to 100% gasoline.
5.6% increase in cost for a 3.2% (less than 1mpg in your case) gain in FE = waste of money.