Neighbor Drives 50 Miles to fill up with Fuel with no Ethanol.

[sweettractors]

He drives a Chevy Z-71 Pickup with 327 eng. Retired plant maintenance foreman from the Corvette plant in Bowling Green Ky. He swears the fuel containing ethanol will destroy most engines over time. Is this a proven fact? If it is, why is the gumment subsidizing it? Ken Sweet

 

[s219]

There's no question two-strokes run better and are more consistent and reliable with regular gas. But I've run several cars past 100,000 miles using ethanol blends, and haven't run into issues.

During ski season, I do make a slight detour to buy regular gas for my chainsaws, at a place along the way to the ski resort. I fill a couple 5 gallon tanks, and it generally lasts me most of the year.

 

[Pete Judd]

The ethanol fuel that sat in the carb of the JD314 that I just got has the float corroded in place after it sat for 2 years. So it can cause problems when it sits. But I think the modern cars, with fuel injection that are driven all the time won't have any problems. When I get the JD running again, will use the Ethanol until late in the season, then will fill with the nonethanol and Stabil before I put it up for the winter. I can get it about 10 miles away, and I go there for my high sulpher off road diesel, so can kill 2 birds on one trip.

 

[MasseyWV]

Ethanol is garbage, but it's anything but easy to find pure gasoline these days.

 

[LMan1967]

Ethanol-free gas is at least 75 cents a gallon more here.

 

[hosspuller]

I can get it about 10 miles away, and I go there for my high sulpher off road diesel, so can kill 2 birds on one trip.

It's unlikely you're getting high sulfur off road diesel unless your source is an exempted small refinery. Almost all diesel fuel, both on & off road is ulsd. By 2014 all the exceptions go away. See link here Locomotive, marine and non-road diesel fuel standards. - Clean Diesel Fuel Alliance

Might as well get your diesel fuel locally.

 

[riptides]

Well, all my vehicles over the last 15 years went over 100k with no engine issues.

Four in my fleet now, 235k Dodge, 115k Chevy, 112k Ford, 110k Hyundia...... no engine issues.

I think your neighbor is mis-informed.

 

[clemsonfor]

In a boat or something that sits its terrible. In a vehicle that you burn a tank of fuel in a week, not really a problem. Ethanol can absorb 10x its weight in water, making that fuel sink to the bottom. Like in a boat this is a problem, when this fuel gets sucked up off the bottom your running really low octane fuel in the motor and in a 2 stroke you can burn up pistons etc from this.

 

[aczlan]

In SOME older engines, there are seals which were not compatible with Ethanol. In those cases, he is correct. Otherwise (IMO) not so much.

Aaron Z

 

[jinman]

He drives a Chevy Z-71 Pickup with 327 eng. Retired plant maintenance foreman from the Corvette plant in Bowling Green Ky. He swears the fuel containing ethanol will destroy most engines over time. Is this a proven fact? If it is, why is the gumment subsidizing it? Ken Sweet

Ken, if he is driving 50 miles (100 mi round trip?) in a Z-71 pickup to buy fuel, he should put in a tank and get it delivered. He's burning way too much fuel and wear on his vehicle to have that make any sense at all. I think his use of "destroy an engine" is overstated, but I'm sure he sees a difference in performance between the ethanol blend and pure gasoline. On highway driving, I get 1-3 miles/gal more with pure gasoline. There are two non-ethanol stations in a town 10 miles from me where we shop regularly. I buy small engine gasoline from them because it just works better. One station is only about 5 cents more per gallon than the ethanol-blend stations and the other is a full-service station that's about 50 cents more per gallon. I've never seen non-ethanol at 75 cents more than regular gas as LMan1967 has in his location. I would think that would guarantee no sales and very old gas, but who knows?