mrmikey
Veteran Member
If that question was directed at me
, Nova Scotia, 'bout 40K outside Halifax.New rules for ethanol in gasoline
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, Nova Scotia, 'bout 40K outside Halifax.mo1
Platinum Member
88 octane 15% alcohol gasoline with the blue hose and blue nozzle has been around all year long for many years here in Missouri. Kum & Go and Signal in particular carry it in many of their locations. In fact, I can't remember seeing any grade/type of fuel only being around on a seasonal basis here, if a station has a specific type of fuel, they sell it year-round.
RustyA
Platinum Member
Here in Wisconsin many stations offer E10 87 octane, E15 88 octane and ethanol free 91 octane for off road and collector car use only. I run E15 in my flex fuel Explorer and it adds about 1 mpg better fuel economy. In our F-150 we notice no difference in mpg. If you have a flex fuel and run E85 the purpose of varying every 4th tank or so is to recalibrate the flex fuel sensor. E15 is usually 5-10 cents less than E10, 91 octane non ethanol can be up to $1.00 more.
alexpops
Platinum Member
you can still add water, mix it up and separate out the ethanol which combines with the water, but it drops the energy content of the gas. Several youtubers show the process, but it seems to take a while & you have fuel being transferred from one container to another. I'd want a water blocking filter before putting in any machinery, & probably needs a booster of some sort to get the energy & octane levels up to the machine's specs.
mo1
Platinum Member
The funny thing is that the "booster" you would be adding to your fuel is likely just very expensive ethanol in a bottle. Ethanol has a very high octane rating, particularly when blended in small quantities to gasoline. It also is an oxygenate so you will have lower tested emissions, and unlike organometallics, it won't destroy your catalytic converter or foul your oxygen sensor. Those are why pretty much all of those little bottles of "gas booster" at the auto parts store are basically ethanol plus just enough methanol or gasoline or something else to let them avoid having to pay the alcoholic beverage tax and requiring a liquor license to sell.
Torvy
Super Member
One of the few things we disliked when we lived in Wisconsin was the gas laws. Prices are artificially high and change (sometimes dramatically) when they shift from one season to another.
RustyA
Platinum Member
Seasonal blend gas is used in cold climates for easier cold starting in winter. Lowers mpg about 10% and you can tell April 1st when summer blend hits pumps from your fuel economy.
drssg
Veteran Member
OK Folks. 15% ethanol is NOT E85!
They are two different product.
E15 is 15% ethanol and 85% gasoline.
E85 is 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline.
Also, the OP's statement is misleading.
No one is forcing people in those states to use E15. It allows them to sell E15 all year VS just seasonally.
EPA proposes allowing year-round sale of cheaper, higher-ethanol gas blends in Wisconsin and seven other states
A fuel blend with larger amounts of ethanol, known as E15 or Unleaded 88 could become avialable year-round under a proposed EPA rule.www.jsonline.com
Well how about that. I learned something today!
I somehow assumed that E85 was 85% gasoline and 15% ethanol. I didn't realize vehicles could run on 85% ethanol.
I don't recall seeing E15 offered locally, but I could have missed it.
dirttoys
Platinum Member
Ethanol is a great cautionary tale. Might have been a genuine benevolent idea to stretch out the time we have oil available, and not a way for a politician to get some personal gain, or pay off some votes.........
But, hindsight I (personally) don't think we can look back and say it worked out to the betterment of the world. That's ok, try, fail, try harder.
Unfortunately we get to see how the government deals with bad ideas. Nobody owns them or is accountable. Way to few (if any) crappy policies get rolled back. Most of the time the poor dorks just double down and keep moving forward.............
Best,
ed
dirttoys
Platinum Member
Not op, but in my small town, we have one station that supplies booze free fuel, it is a buck a gallon higher than e10, and if they decided not to offer it, there is no rule, reg, or law that would make someone else step in and do it. I would be surprised if it is available in 2 years, and shocked if it is available in 5.
Best,
ed