Why is Ethanol such a polarizing topic?

[litesong]

Originally Posted by roosterk0031

My cars all lose some MPG with E blends, but not all as much as the BTU content says they should. My wife former drive a 2002 Suburban fuel logs on fuelly one for E85 other for E10......2.50 E85 went in all my cars this weekend, only Impala is FFV.

I know nothing of E85 or any gasoline engines that are tinkered with to get ethanol to perform better in such engines. But my years(decade?) of records with 3 gasoline engined cars, designed & built to burn 100% gasoline, comparing 100% gasoline & 10% ethanol blends, show increases of 8%, 7% & 5% mpg, when using 100% gasoline. All engines run smoother, quieter, & with extra "low rpm torque" burning 100% gasoline. One engine that I was thinking of "tinkering" with to improve performance, once 100% gasoline was used, no longer needed any "tinkering".

All you can brag about is that ethanol loses mpg...... what?...... with E85 engines(adjusted for ethanol?). I powerfully suspect, none of your "records" cover years(decades) of performance tanks....... what, a few months....... weeks..... a couple tanks. No wonder, the ethanol industry has been able to stuff ethanol into our national gasoline stocks, with so called auto experts pushing ethanol mis-information into websites.

[litesong]

Originally Posted by Allch Chcar

What most of the Ethanol supporters have found is that the only way to get past the problem is to minimize the amount of Gasoline if not completely eliminate it.

What a farcical fantasy! Gasoline engines, designed & built to burn 100% gasoline, perform best burning 100% gasoline. The problem with 10% ethanol blends is that ethanol isn't burning efficiently in gasoline engines.

Yeah, ethanol supporters seldom (if ever) have long years(decade?) of records, comparing 100% gasoline & ethanol, showing the worthlessness of ethanol when burned in gasoline engines, designed & built to burn 100% gasoline.

Ethanol supporters need to experience true, but more expensive, ethanol engines(INDY cars) that burn 100% ethanol at its most efficient, to see the major differences between gasoline engines & ethanol engines. Tinkering around with two different fuels(ethanol & gasoline) in the same engine isn't making it.

[Frank Lee]

I have decades of records burning "gasohol" because that's basically all that was available in my state since the late '70s.

[Allch Chcar]

Cars have been designed to run Gasoline with oxygenate(Ethanol or MTBE) for decades. Read your owner's manual, they've been saying they were designed for E10 since the 80's.

I thought you might know a little bit about what we're talking about. But you keep talking in circles. Good luck getting anyone to look at your decades worth of records.

[pgfpro]

I have no problem with Ethanol blend fuel.

Its all I use and I have seen no gain in 100% gasoline on my car.

[roosterk0031]

Topped off the Cobalt this morning, calculated E66 blend. Put 10 miles after top off no CEL. Last tank with E55 somewhere between 39.8 indicated and 42.3 calculated, higher than expected, based on my E0 baseline of 45 mpg, E55 should have about 80% of the btu content and get 36 mpg.

Previous tank was same blend and 36 mpg, but also had quite a bit of AC usage so wasn't typical driving.

[Allch Chcar]

Originally Posted by roosterk0031

Topped off the Cobalt this morning, calculated E66 blend. Put 10 miles after top off no CEL. Last tank with E55 somewhere between 39.8 indicated and 42.3 calculated, higher than expected, based on my E0 baseline of 45 mpg, E55 should have about 80% of the btu content and get 36 mpg.

Previous tank was same blend and 36 mpg, but also had quite a bit of AC usage so wasn't typical driving.

Fascinating, are you going to go all the way to E85? I would expect MPG to peak at some point, regardless of driving conditions/technique. But apparently the computer can handle E85 if you slowly work up to it. Is that what you're doing now?

[roosterk0031]

Got CEL on way home, will top off with E10 in the morning to bring % down alittle, still over 39 mpg indicated. Guessing it's limit is somewhere in the 50's. No driveablity issues, need to move the SGII back to that car (Impala's acting up) and learn how to get fuel trim numbers. Same engine as FFV HHR so was hoping I could go all the way without Johny but apparently not. Seem's better the BTU/gallon indicates it should but I'll continue for a few more tanks before declaring it for sure.

New station opened up barely out of my way home with E85 and E10 at same pump so splash blending got a lot easier.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by litesong

Ethanol supporters need to experience true, but more expensive, ethanol engines(INDY cars) that burn 100% ethanol at its most efficient, to see the major differences between gasoline engines & ethanol engines.

Dedicated-ethanol engines seem to have been commercially-available only in 2 countries: Sweden and Brazil.

[freebeard]

And on the aftermarket in So-Cal since the 1940s "for off-road use only".

Ethanol supporters need to experience a Ford flathead with cast aluminum high-compression heads.