Pray for me...

[GWguy]

Just filled up the new truck with E85 fuel. Average price on Long Island is $3.90 or higher for regular, the E85 was $3.01. Couldn't pass it up. So now we'll see how it performs and what kind of mileage I get, assuming it doesn't leave my truck stranded on the side of the New Jersey turnpike or something.

 

[Gilligan]

New truck..as in current or very recent model year? You should be fine...except for seeing a slight reduction in mpg maybe. Others I know saw a slight but still noticeable decrease in "seat of the pants" pep and mileage..on the order of about 2 mpg.

 

[GWguy]

New truck..as in current or very recent model year? You should be fine...except for seeing a slight reduction in mpg maybe. Others I know saw a slight but still noticeable decrease in "seat of the pants" pep and mileage..on the order of about 2 mpg.

New 2 months ago, 2014 GMC. This will be my first foray into the dark, mysterious world of 'other fuels'.

 

[blazinlow89]

I noticed a 2-3mpg drop on the Avalanche when we ran a tank of E85 on the way to TN. Truck had a noticeable jump in power after about 50 miles on the highway. We averaged 21mpg with the standard pump gas, did the math again after the e85 and it was 18.7. 2.3mpg loss over 30 gallons 69 miles loss over standard, however the terrain could account for some of that. Even then it was $.55 price difference over regular.

 

[GURPS]

New truck..as in current or very recent model year? You should be fine...except for seeing a slight reduction in mpg maybe. Others I know saw a slight but still noticeable decrease in "seat of the pants" pep and mileage..on the order of about 2 mpg.

slight reduction ..... C&D registered something like 14 mpg on E85

 

[GWguy]

Ok, good and bad.

Truck seemed to like E85, ran a bit smoother, didn't shift as hard. On E10, was getting 22-24mpg, on E85 it was more like 18-19, although I hit major stop-and-go from NY all the way to below DC. Not a fair assessment. E85 not available in most places. It was everywhere up on Long Island, but once you left there, scarce. Nothing down here at all.

Interesting thing tho. The price of E10 in NY/NJ was $3.85 - $4.10 /gal and E85 was $2.98 - $3.01. Everywhere I saw E85 as available it was STILL $2.98 - $3.01 /gal. even tho the price of E10 was $3.19 - $3.60. Price didn't seemed to change over state lines at all.

 

[GURPS]

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/ethanol-promises

 

[desertrat]

First time I saw E85 was two days ago. Much cheaper than E10. I still had a half tank, but filled up. Next time I will wait until pretty low and see if there is much difference, so far none that I could tell.

 

[GURPS]

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/ethanol-promises

U.S. corn-based ethanol worse for the climate than gasoline, study finds​

President Joe Biden's administration is reviewing policies on biofuels as part of a broader effort to decarbonize the U.S. economy by 2050 to fight climate change.

“Corn ethanol is not a climate-friendly fuel,” said Dr. Tyler Lark, assistant scientist at University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment and lead author of the study.

The research, which was funded in part by the National Wildlife Federation and U.S. Department of Energy, found that ethanol is likely at least 24% more carbon-intensive than gasoline due to emissions resulting from land use changes to grow corn, along with processing and combustion.

Geoff Cooper, president and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association, the ethanol trade lobby, called the study "completely fictional and erroneous," arguing the authors used "worst-case assumptions [and] cherry-picked data."

 

[glhs837]

But we've known this for years. All the fossil fuels that go into growing the crop. Then the energy required to convert it to ethanol, then the reduction in efficiency requiring you to burn more. Frken corn lobby can screw right off.

 

[GURPS]

But we've known this for years.

Why Yes, Yes We Have .......

 

[kwillia]

The ethanol wreaks havoc on engines. But let us think about the bigger picture. What better way to put the screws to rural Americans AND take another whack at the fuel industry!

 

[Kinnakeet]

New truck..as in current or very recent model year? You should be fine...except for seeing a slight reduction in mpg maybe. Others I know saw a slight but still noticeable decrease in "seat of the pants" pep and mileage..on the order of about 2 mpg.

I do not think you are going to feel any change in HP by going to E85 or 93 octane one is corn liquor and the other (93) is to help stock pinging if your car has a high compression ratio

 

[glhs837]

The ethanol wreaks havoc on engines. But let us think about the bigger picture. What better way to put the screws to rural Americans AND take another whack at the fuel industry!

Well, not car and truck engines anymore. Small engines still a disaster. Cant speak to marines engines.

 

[Gilligan]

Well, not car and truck engines anymore. Small engines still a disaster. Cant speak to marines engines.

An unmitigated disaster for marine engines on many levels. So much so that we (the NMMA) tried to bring a class action suit against the government's ethanol mandates some years ago.

 

[glhs837]

An unmitigated disaster for marine engines on many levels. So much so that we (the NMMA) tried to bring a class action suit against the government's ethanol mandates some years ago.

I wasnt sure if the industry had taken steps in newer engines or not. But I know product turnover is also far slower in marine than auto so it will take far longer. Mush easier to stop this ethanol nonsense.

 

[Gilligan]

I wasnt sure if the industry had taken steps in newer engines or not. But I know product turnover is also far slower in marine than auto so it will take far longer. Mush easier to stop this ethanol nonsense.

Yamaha came out a couple years ago with new warranty terms...if you use gas with more than 10% ethanol in one of their outboards, no more engine warranty for you.

The engine manufacturers like Yamaha can't do squat about the tankage and filtration on any boat...so the damage ethanol causes is outside of the envelope they have an "engineering control" over.

 

[1stGenSMIB]

Well, not car and truck engines anymore. Small engines still a disaster. Cant speak to marines engines.

You won't see me putting E-anything into my 1970's boat motor nor any B&S or Stihl products I own. I don't know how many carbs I've taken apart that sat with E-10 in them for a while..
Nice to see the Wawa on 4/235 has E-zero now when I am in a pinch and can't go to Murphy's in King George. Will need to compare Wawa's prices to Ridgell's..The guy at Ridgell's told me the E-zero was his best seller, but he sometimes gets burned when oil prices fluctuate, and can't modify his prices based on the market like the big boy retailers do.

 

[Sneakers]

This year I decided to stop buying gas and mixing it for the 2-cycle engines. I use them so little, and they foul so quickly, and the gallon of mixed fuel can sit forever before I use it. Even with stabilizer it gets old. Decided on a whim to get a couple pint cans of alcohol-free pre-mixed 40:1 small engine fuel. Much easier.

 

[glhs837]

This year I decided to stop buying gas and mixing it for the 2-cycle engines. I use them so little, and they foul so quickly, and the gallon of mixed fuel can sit forever before I use it. Even with stabilizer it gets old. Decided on a whim to get a couple pint cans of alcohol-free pre-mixed 40:1 small engine fuel. Much easier.

Same here. I've converted to electric for almost all my yard equipment except the pressure washer. And I use that so infrequently that it's worth it to just buy that $20 a gallon stuff.