Is ethanol really that bad for an SC?

Ethanol "Premium" or 100% Gasoline "Premium"

  • 93 Octane with Ethanol

    Votes: 10 71.4%

  • 91 Octane "Pure Gas" no ethanol

    Votes: 4 28.6%
  • Total voters
    14
S

SCLeeham

Registered User
I have religiously purchased "real" gas for my SC, fearing that ethanol would cause problems, leaks and painful bills. It was sort of a pay now or pay later decision. In retrospect, my SC has been very reliable over its 25 years, so I haven't had to "pay later." But - was that really necessary? If I switch to ethanol containing premium fuel now (almost $1/gallon cheaper than my current brew), will it really matter? Let's hear what the experts think.

I'm trying to post a poll, but the options don't seem correct.
 
I'd save the bucks and go with the 93. Now if the cars sits for extended periods of time without going thru a tank of gas then use the non ethanol fuel.
 
It isn't going to cause any problems in terms of creating leaks by itself. As was mentioned, if you leave the car sit for long periods of time, it can cause problems because ethanol absorbs moisture out of the air, and that moisture, if left in the tank for long periods, can cause components to rust. If you regularly drive the car, then the fuel is used up before it has a chance to absorb much moisture, so it is a non-issue. Really the only downside you will notice is a significant drop in gas mileage, probably to the tune of 2-3mpg. At 25 cents a gallon, that would probably be a wash, but if the E10 is $1/gal cheaper, then I would just run that and not worry about it. Only thing is if you are going to store the car at any time, run the tank almost empty and fill it to the brim with the straight gas before you do.
 
Ethanol is used to increase octane. What is used in the non ethanol blend? I had an idea that really don't know if its worth it or not, but I've thought of using non ethanol blend 93 oct and add 10% ethanol to it to raise octane. Don't know if it's worth it or not. Having a hard time finding home brew mixing chart for it.
 
my cars ALWAYS ran better with 93 ethanol as compared to 91 w/o..smoother engine and better mileage..yes,i constantly kept track of mileage while taking long road trips..i even found 93 eth plus 2 bottles of dollar store oct booster and it would get an extra 20-30 miles to the tank.no bs either it was a constant plus every time i used them. sometimes though hard driving effected it of course but when id travel id grannygrain the entire time from point a to b.
 
20psiofevil said:
Ethanol is used to increase octane. What is used in the non ethanol blend? I had an idea that really don't know if its worth it or not, but I've thought of using non ethanol blend 93 oct and add 10% ethanol to it to raise octane. Don't know if it's worth it or not. Having a hard time finding home brew mixing chart for it.
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I run an E30 mix in my 13 EcoBoost F150. With 91 octane that gives me about 95 octane total. I'll find the chart I use.

BTW, Ethanol not only gives you a higher octane but it has a cooling effect to.
 
Review

I'd save the bucks and go with the assignment help. Now if the cars sits for extended periods of time without going thru a tank of gas then use the non ethanol fuel.
 
I have primarily used Super Shell 93 octane for many years and found that the car gets better MPGs over any other brand of gas. The car mostly sits in the garage from December thru March. When a car sits for a storage period the gas tank should be as full as possible to reduce the accumulation of water in the tank. The less air in the tank the less moisture there is to collect from it. The other thing that can help for storage is to use a gas treatment that keeps the gasoline in phase so it will not separate into layers with the water being on the bottom of the tank.
 
r429460 said:
Where do you buy your gas that has so much water in it?
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Gas does not usually have water in it unless it from a station that does not monitor their tanks for it. There is moisture in the air and that is how the water gets into the gas as well as from condensation forming in the tank which is another reason why to keep gas tanks full. The ethanol pulls the water out of the air in the gas tank and then separates into three levels over time with water on the bottom then ethanol then gas. If you are driving your vehicle enough and filling up often then there usually is not much issue with water in the gas tank.
 
6

My car was converted to e85 in 2009.

Its been a trailer queen for the past three years.

It has sat for four to six months with water in the tank issues.

There should be no issues with condensation with a properly sealed fuel tank.
 
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