Canned Gasoline?

[ultrarunner]

I've done tests and always received better mpg with fuel injected cars between low and mid octane fuel.

Didn't matter if driving a Toyota or BMW

Toyota says 87 is ok... with 89 the mpg is better.

BMW requires 91 here because this is what we have... in Europe they require a higher octane and the HP is also slightly hire.

Spoke with a BMS engineer in Munich and he said North American Fuel is inferior to Western Europe...

 

[murphy1244]

"Spoke with a BMS engineer in Munich and he said North American Fuel is inferior to Western Europe..."


Cost a lot more too..

 

[ultrarunner]

Yes... cost varies a lot... it can be anywhere from double to nearly 4 times as much...

Of course strong dollar/strong euro factor in as well as importing or domestic.

North American gasoline and diesel quality are a factor engineers have to deal with...

Taxes are the single biggest reason.

Of course nothing can put a smile on your face like driving the autobahn without speed limits.

The roads are mostly excellent... even to little mountain villages.

On one trip I had 600 miles to cover and even stopping for gas I made the drive in 7 hours... it was a BMW 5 series and 125mph was like 55 in my Silverado back in California...

I bought my one and only new car in Germany when I was there and brought it home to California... almost got a ticket for speeding the day after it got to California... didn't realize how fast i was going because I was conditioned to driving it in Germany and I did notice a difference in mpg from Europe and California... no Ethanol there.

 

[Deere Dude]

Technically Octane is a reference molecule. In practice, the higher the octane number, the harder it is to ignite the fuel. This is important for preventing knock, pinging, or preignition, which will destroy an engine when the fuel ignites on it's own, rather than when you spark plug is suppose to light it. Many people think high octane = better, it does not. Actually, the higher the octane, the less chemical potential energy is in the fuel. So if your engine doesn't have preignition issues, higher octane fuel actually decreases it's power output, not to mention the increased costs to do it.

So the best answer is, all things being equal,always run the lowest octane fuel you can without getting pinging. Of course ethanol & other additives don't make thing equal all the time. Stay away from ethanol as much as possible though.

Thanks for the info Fallon. I didn't know that. I'l have to check the owners manuals to see what minimum is required. I don't know if I would hear pinging anyway with a chainsaw. Cars maybe, but not saws and generators.

 

[MossRoad]

"Spoke with a BMS engineer in Munich and he said North American Fuel is inferior to Western Europe..."...

They'll also say that about our cars, construction, architecture, machinery, art, music, politics, law, health care, food and fashion as well.

 

[ultrarunner]

They'll also say that about our cars, construction, architecture, machinery, art, music, politics, law, health care, food and fashion as well.

They sure love vacationing here... be it the be it cities like SF or the National Parks...

California wine also has quite a strong following...

 

[MossRoad]

Yes, I remember taking spring break from high school back in the late 70's to L.A. and that's the first time I remember seeing large groups of foreigners. Not too many tour buses traversing the corn fields in Indiana back then... :laughing:

 

[Todd727]

Most people don't realize that if you increase the amount of oil mixed in the gas, you effectively lean the engine out. That is why you need to adjust the carb.

 

[ultrarunner]

Too lean and it burns hot witch brings its own set of problems.

 

[5030]

I don't know..... I've been running E10 in everything I own for close to 30 years as that's pretty much all we have at every station in "regular" grade. The only problem I ever had was fuel line in a chainsaw going mushy. And that was after 5 years and 30+ cords. No other piece of equipment has ever had a fuel related problem. Lawnmowers, weed eaters, tillers, my PT425 for 14 years, cars, trucks, snowblowers, etc... and the only piece of equipment that I ever drain is the chainsaw! The only piece of equipment I put stabilizer in is the gas powered generator. Other than that, nothing gets treatment. Nothing gets drained. Nothing get ran dry after use except the chainsaw, which had one mushy fuel line.

Here's something else... I have only maybe twice had to adjust carbs on machinery. They just plain keep on running fine. I often wonder, after witnessing many people that purport carb and fuel problems, if they are not self induced by messing with things that don't need messing with? Most of my machinery has the original spark plugs, for that matter. Maybe I'm just very fortunate and have good luck?

But I just cannot see paying double and triple for gas in a can VS just buying pump gas and rotating the stock at home on a regular basis. I have three 6 gallon cans. So 18 gallons. I fill them about 5 times per year, so I go through about 90 gallons of fuel between my saw, mower, weedeater, log splitter, tiller and tractor. One fuel problem in 30 years of owning my own home and the associated gas powered tools all running E10. And I know of no one else in my family or friends that has fuel related problems. Is it a regional problem, perhaps? :confused3:

Must be that Hoosier gas is better than Wolverine gas 'cause our gas turns to goo if it sits a couple months in a carb.