Ethanol Plug...Should I find Ethanol Free Gas?

[Skidooer]

My 2011 RMK has two different plugs. One for 10% Ethanol fuel and another for Non-Ethanol 91+ fuel. It says maxium performance with (91+ Non-Ethanol). furthermore it states to NOT use acohol based fuel deicers WITH Ethanol but DO use acohol fuel deicers WITH Non-Ethanol fuel. Being new to Polaris maybe they have had this in the past.


Does anyone know how much more performance to expect with the Non Ethanol 91+?

Is it worth it to try and find the Non-Ethanol Fuel?

 

[snopro_ac]

i just got my sled tonight, i seen the plug and see that they installed the ethonol one from the factory. not sure on the performance difference but what i do know is the reason you don't need a deicer in ethonol is because it naturally does it. ethonol won't ice like regular gas can. i generally run premium fuel in my sled so i'll swap it out for the other one but is says if there is every any question on which fuel you have in there, make sure you use the ethonol map.

 

[Skidooer]

i generally run premium fuel in my sled so i'll swap it out for the other one but is says if there is every any question on which fuel you have in there, make sure you use the ethonol map.

It is not a matter of if you run premium or not. Premium fuel often DOES contain Ethanol, which would require the Ethanol plug to be used and this lowers engine performance.

To use the Non-Ethanol plug with higher performace one would need to find a source of Non-Ethanol gas with a 91+ octane rating

 

[snopro_ac]

It is not a matter of if you run premium or not. Premium fuel often DOES contain Ethanol, which would require the Ethanol plug to be used and this lowers engine performance.

To use the Non-Ethanol plug with higher performace one would need to find a source of Non-Ethanol gas with a 91+ octane rating

you're right but federal law requires the percent of ethonol to be marked on each pump, any premium at a BP or stations around here has no ehtonol in it, now keep in mind i live in south dakota and ride west, i know minnesota at one point was talking about, or did put ethonol in every gallon of gas sold in the state, the E plug will safeguard you against any fuel.

 

[95RXL]

The pumps in MN will have a sticker that says it's non oxygenated fuel right on them if they're non ethanol. Almost every station in my town has it. Don't remember if they had it out west where we ride.

 

[snopro_ac]

yeah our premium doesn't have ethonol in it, but most of the stations around here don't sell premium anymore because they can't get rid of it. the resorts by the river carry it though for the boaters.

 

[Skidooer]

I think depending on your location Non-Ethanol 91+ may or may not be easy to find. Then if the station does not sell it fast enough to keep fresh fuel in the storage tank it will lose octane rating over time.

I guess my question is...is the proformance gain of other plug worth the trouble to find and use Non-Ethanol 91+?

 

[Bagger]

A friend of mine that does extensive sled mod work, and works on sleds and performance motors every day tells me that he sees EG Temps +100 degrees with the only differance being ethanol in the fuel or not. A couple months back, SnoWest had a rash of articles on this, and in fact still have some info going out, that indicates performance loss, increased stress on engine components and shortened engine life, with the ethanol additive fuel.

Personally, I go the extra mile (or miles ) to find fuel that is ethanol absent.

It is increasingly more difficult to find around here (central WA) so in an effort to offset the effects, I add a quality fuel additive to every gallon of fuel that goes into my motorcycles or snowmobiles.

On a recent bike trip, I noticed that throughout ID, MT and WY fuel is cheaper than here, and there was no problem finding fuel without ethanol...... maybe I should buy a fuel truck and pack it over here....... hummmmmm.

Bag

 

[snopro_ac]

I think depending on your location Non-Ethanol 91+ may or may not be easy to find. Then if the station does not sell it fast enough to keep fresh fuel in the storage tank it will lose octane rating over time.

I guess my question is...is the proformance gain of other plug worth the trouble to find and use Non-Ethanol 91+?

i'd like to know that as well.

 

[milehighassassin]

Find your ethanol free gas right here

The entire laws about having to tell you are not Federal laws but state laws. The site linked above tell you which ones have the requirement and which ones don't.

 

[gman086]

So I'm guessing the resistor just bumps up the timing? Anyone know what the advance is? Most factory sleds are on the safe side so... a high quality ethanol premium may still work well with the resistor?

Have FUN!

G

 

[Snodawg]

A friend of mine that does extensive sled mod work, and works on sleds and performance motors every day tells me that he sees EG Temps +100 degrees with the only differance being ethanol in the fuel or not. A couple months back, SnoWest had a rash of articles on this, and in fact still have some info going out, that indicates performance loss, increased stress on engine components and shortened engine life, with the ethanol additive fuel.

Personally, I go the extra mile (or miles ) to find fuel that is ethanol absent.

It is increasingly more difficult to find around here (central WA) so in an effort to offset the effects, I add a quality fuel additive to every gallon of fuel that goes into my motorcycles or snowmobiles.

On a recent bike trip, I noticed that throughout ID, MT and WY fuel is cheaper than here, and there was no problem finding fuel without ethanol...... maybe I should buy a fuel truck and pack it over here....... hummmmmm.

Bag

Look for a Conoco station. The ones here near Yakima are ethanol free.

 

[live to ride]

A friend of mine that does extensive sled mod work, and works on sleds and performance motors every day tells me that he sees EG Temps +100 degrees with the only differance being ethanol in the fuel or not. A couple months back, SnoWest had a rash of articles on this, and in fact still have some info going out, that indicates performance loss, increased stress on engine components and shortened engine life, with the ethanol additive fuel.

Personally, I go the extra mile (or miles ) to find fuel that is ethanol absent.

It is increasingly more difficult to find around here (central WA) so in an effort to offset the effects, I add a quality fuel additive to every gallon of fuel that goes into my motorcycles or snowmobiles.

On a recent bike trip, I noticed that throughout ID, MT and WY fuel is cheaper than here, and there was no problem finding fuel without ethanol...... maybe I should buy a fuel truck and pack it over here....... hummmmmm.

Bag

i have always thought there was a strong link to fuel quality and the 08 and 09 800 engine failures, there is no ethanol in our fuel here and according to a local polaris teck. there hasn't been one recorded engine failure to date between the six dealers here, when mine had the recall done he said my pistons and walls were perfect like the others he had done previous
imo these 800's have been pushed to their limit, max hp = max stress and top quality fuel and oil is the only thing that is going to hold these beast togeather.

 

[Bagger]

Look for a Conoco station. The ones here near Yakima are ethanol free.

Thanks for the info, we ride mostly up near RimRock (have a cabin up there) or the Nile, and shoot through YakiVagas on our way.

Maybe we'll run into each other, I'll be the guy on the new Silver Pro with the big grin........

Bag

 

[IceCap]

I know that in canada the chevron 94 (octane) does not contain any ethanol.

 

[Snodawg]

Thanks for the info, we ride mostly up near RimRock (have a cabin up there) or the Nile, and shoot through YakiVagas on our way.

Maybe we'll run into each other, I'll be the guy on the new Silver Pro with the big grin........

Bag

DITTO!!!

If you're traveling from Moses Hole to Rimrock, just take the first Selah exit and go thru town. Look for the Conoco on your left, fuel up, then keep heading thru town back onto the freeway.

 

[thefullmonte]

I'm not sure if Polaris has changed the fuel filter design on the new sleds or not. Another concern with the ethanol in the fuel is that it has been known to gel or gum the fuel filter. No fuel mapping can cure that, it's going to create a lean condition in the motor no matter what. So, whether you are concerned about the performance or not, I strongly feel it is worth the effort to find the non-ethanol fuels. Most resorts that cater to snowmobilers have non-oxygenated fuels at their pumps. It may pay to call around a bit.

 

[Cardiac Kid]

I think that the performance gain is very little and likely not noticeable. But with that said I would still go the extra mile to get non-ethanol fuel whenever you can, for many of the reasons stated. There are a few other things that ethanol does. It has a very low vapor temp so you will loose additional fuel performance as the temperature drops which further leans the motor as the air get denser and adds to this.

Alcohol likes to collect moisture, so when it is stored for any amount of time (in your sled or at the gas station) it can collect moisture which is bad in itself but the alcohol is also part of the Octane. Part of the way to get 91 octane is to blend lower grade fuels with ethanol. As this start to collect moisture the alcohol binds with the water and you lose octane. This is a very bad thing as you now have two bad things happing, Water and low octane

 

[Ron]

Well said "Kid" and might add that Ethanol is corrosive-still hard on rubber parts, aluminum, etc-even though new rubber is supposed to be resistant. The fact that there is more energy in non ethanol (per gallon) means more power potential and better fuel economy. Some of this will depend on how efficient the factory has setup for each fuel. I drive across town to buy non ethanol premium fuel for all my toys.

 

[ndC7M8]

So can I buy a high octane, non-oxygenated fuel from VP or Sunoco? I don't trust the quality of a few of the local station's premium fuel so I want the good stuff. Completely willing to pay the money for a drum of fuel for both my sleds.