Can you make Ethanol better with AM additivies, race gas etc.-No the expense and trouble aren't worth the cost. There is some good info on Ethanol in prior posts but I'll add some points for emphasis.
1. Alcohol has higher octane so blenders use lower quality gas and get the same octane as non ethanol premium. The refining process is much simpler for regular than for premium but you can take mostly regular, add alcohol and you get octane equivalent to premium. Most of us don't really understand the ramifications but the fuels are not equals. Ethanol fuel with the same octane does not perform as good as non ethanol.
2. Ethanol is corrosive and any rubber parts, fuel lines, gaskets, etc will degrade. On newer equipment this is less an issue than with older "stuff". Ask any seasoned mechanic, I had one tell me that Ethanol was very good for business.
3. It takes more Ethanol fuel to make the same power so mileage is reduced-this raises the effective cost of the fuel and reduces the range you can travel with the same amount of fuel.
4. Ethanol fuel has a shorter shelf live than non ethanol. After 3 months it can go through "phase seperation" and the alcohol seperates from the gas. Too much moisture can cause phase seperation sooner. When this happens and you get a shot of straight alcohol you risk burn down-now you need a lot richer mixture. Also the lower quality fuel mentioned in 1 above degrades in quality sooner, don't leave it in your tank for 30 days.
5. Rare but true-some have reported getting higher %'s of alcohol than the 10% max that defines ethanol. This is usually discovered after an engine failure and subsequent testing of the fuel. Try to hang this one on anyone. The blending process is getting better but still subject to human error or equipment malfunction.
The sad truth is we are stuck with Ethanol and have no alternative in many locations. I go to a lot of effort to use only non ethanol but realize that this will likely end very soon. EPA is leaning on the states to mandate ethanol and the Ethanol industry is asking to increase the blend to 15%. Farmers love it=higher crop prices. Most don't really understand the issue fully and it's almost UnAmerican to object to reducing our dependence on foreign oil.
1. Alcohol has higher octane so blenders use lower quality gas and get the same octane as non ethanol premium. The refining process is much simpler for regular than for premium but you can take mostly regular, add alcohol and you get octane equivalent to premium. Most of us don't really understand the ramifications but the fuels are not equals. Ethanol fuel with the same octane does not perform as good as non ethanol.
2. Ethanol is corrosive and any rubber parts, fuel lines, gaskets, etc will degrade. On newer equipment this is less an issue than with older "stuff". Ask any seasoned mechanic, I had one tell me that Ethanol was very good for business.
3. It takes more Ethanol fuel to make the same power so mileage is reduced-this raises the effective cost of the fuel and reduces the range you can travel with the same amount of fuel.
4. Ethanol fuel has a shorter shelf live than non ethanol. After 3 months it can go through "phase seperation" and the alcohol seperates from the gas. Too much moisture can cause phase seperation sooner. When this happens and you get a shot of straight alcohol you risk burn down-now you need a lot richer mixture. Also the lower quality fuel mentioned in 1 above degrades in quality sooner, don't leave it in your tank for 30 days.
5. Rare but true-some have reported getting higher %'s of alcohol than the 10% max that defines ethanol. This is usually discovered after an engine failure and subsequent testing of the fuel. Try to hang this one on anyone. The blending process is getting better but still subject to human error or equipment malfunction.
The sad truth is we are stuck with Ethanol and have no alternative in many locations. I go to a lot of effort to use only non ethanol but realize that this will likely end very soon. EPA is leaning on the states to mandate ethanol and the Ethanol industry is asking to increase the blend to 15%. Farmers love it=higher crop prices. Most don't really understand the issue fully and it's almost UnAmerican to object to reducing our dependence on foreign oil.
Last edited:
