15% EBlend Gas

[CtownCyclone]

I have tried this in the past. Unfortunately, the pump in my tanks always pulls from the bottom. It never seems to mix properly and I still get the knocking. Not to mention the hassle of doing the credit card twice...etc.

Half joking on that. I've considered it at times (Corvette likes 91, will take 89), especially since they treat 91 octane like liquid gold. Never actually did it, though, for basically the reasons you mentioned. If you filled with 91 first, then topped off with 87, I wonder if you'd get enough sloshing in the tank to provide good mixing. Maybe try a 2:1 ratio or something.

 

[Triggermv]

I have tried this in the past. Unfortunately, the pump in my tanks always pulls from the bottom. It never seems to mix properly and I still get the knocking. Not to mention the hassle of doing the credit card twice...etc.

Some retailers still sell an 89 blend at their pump, but they are becoming fewer and fewer. As you can see with my explanation above, anymore, if a retailer picks up an 89 gasohol blend at the terminal for sale, it is actually a 3-way blend of low-grade unleaded (84), premium (91), and ethanol (100). Also, the reason it is so pricey compared to the 87 gasohol is because it has the expensive premium blended into it. Back a few years ago, the pipelines used to ship 87 straight unleaded as their base product, so it was super cheap and easy to make 89 gasohol simply by blending the two products with no premium. Now that everything converted to 84 low-grade, it isn't so easy and isn't so cheap, hence why most retailers don't sell it anymore.

 

[CtownCyclone]

Does "leaded" gasoline still exist and is it sold anywhere?

I just remember seeing those pumps as a kid and my dad telling me to be sure NOT to put that in my car! To this day, I still have that slight fear.

Yes, yes it does. Aviation gasoline.

 

[herbicide]

Does "leaded" gasoline still exist and is it sold anywhere?

I just remember seeing those pumps as a kid and my dad telling me to be sure NOT to put that in my car! To this day, I still have that slight fear.

To make it more confusing, "regular" used to mean leaded, and now "regular" means Unleaded!

Yes, yes it does. Aviation gasoline.

Certain race fuels still have it. Also common in 3rd world countries and offshore marine (ocean) stations.

But you’re not going to find it at any normal gas station.

 

[Gorm]

Some retailers still sell an 89 blend at their pump, but they are becoming fewer and fewer. As you can see with my explanation above, anymore, if a retailer picks up an 89 gasohol blend at the terminal for sale, it is actually a 3-way blend of low-grade unleaded (84), premium (91), and ethanol (100). Also, the reason it is so pricey compared to the 87 gasohol is because it has the expensive premium blended into it. Back a few years ago, the pipelines used to ship 87 straight unleaded as their base product, so it was super cheap and easy to make 89 gasohol simply by blending the two products with no premium. Now that everything converted to 84 low-grade, it isn't so easy and isn't so cheap, hence why most retailers don't sell it anymore.

Oh yes, there are a few of those still hanging around in the Cedar Rapids area. Usually these are places that sell "branded" gas. Like Phillips 66 or BP. I will stop and top off the tank at these places if I have the chance. I do like that Walmart has ethanol at all of their pumps as well. 87, 91,and 93.

However, I do work in Iowa City, and my main driving route only has Caseys and Kum&Go. Thus, just the 87e, 91 and 88 e15 stuff.

 

[herbicide]

Some retailers still sell an 89 blend at their pump, but they are becoming fewer and fewer. As you can see with my explanation above, anymore, if a retailer picks up an 89 gasohol blend at the terminal for sale, it is actually a 3-way blend of low-grade unleaded (84), premium (91), and ethanol (100). Also, the reason it is so pricey compared to the 87 gasohol is because it has the expensive premium blended into it. Back a few years ago, the pipelines used to ship 87 straight unleaded as their base product, so it was super cheap and easy to make 89 gasohol simply by blending the two products with no premium. Now that everything converted to 84 low-grade, it isn't so easy and isn't so cheap, hence why most retailers don't sell it anymore.

I wondered why e10 went from 89 to 87. Thanks!

 

[Triggermv]

I wondered why e10 went from 89 to 87. Thanks!

Yep, that is exactly the answer for you.

 

[BCClone]

Again as a fuel industry trader, to simplify for everyone, there is only two products that ship through the pipelines in Iowa that most all fuel retailers pull from. BP is the only real exception as they have their own pipeline. One product is 84 octane low-grade fuel, which you can't sell in and of itself because in Iowa, everything sold to the consumer needs to have an 87 octane level or higher, so it has to be blended. The other product is straight unleaded premium, which is 91 octane. Then, once at the terminal, that is when most our ethanol (100 octane) gets blended in (some retailers blend their own), which gets shipped in to the fuel terminals by rail or by truck locally, usually as some type of high blend (E85 is used a lot). This results in the fuel terminals having three products - low-grade unleaded (84 octane), premium unleaded (91 octane), and some blend of 100 octane ethanol as their base products. Then, any blend you see at the end terminals is some blend of those three products and the resulting blended octane level as well.

Another take-away from this is to all those people who say a certain retailer sells better and different gasoline than another retailer is mostly false. Outside of BP, pretty much all retailers are pulling the exact same gasoline at the exact same terminals. Where you do get a little difference is with some of the different performance enhancing additives that certain retailers add and certain retailers don't to their gasoline. However, the base fuel is the exact same, again, with BP being the exception.

One other small difference that I've been told by managers of gas stations is the amount of tanks and the way they receive fuel. Some have double tanks and will run one down and then switch over while others will continually "top off" the tanks. The ones who run the tank down will have fresher fuel and the quality will stay better.

 

[jdcyclone19]

Subsidies are down a lot now compared to where they were when corn based ethanol really started in 2008. Yes there are mandates out there but we have overproduced the mandate up until because economics work to make it.

I burn ethanol in everything I drive and prefer 15% over 10% blend when it's available. It runs cooler and is like running a infection cleaner all the time. I have checked in my ridgeline and the difference between 87 octane reg gas and 87 octane 10% blend was less that a 1/2 mile per gallon and the 15% dropped it another 3/10 to 4/10 of a mile so it's not that much. I have also burned only 10-15% blended ethanol in all my vehicles and so far I have had exactly 0 issues with engines attributed to using ethanol. And that is in 2003 up to current 2016 vehicles with anwhere from 35K miles to 177K miles.

I do not use ethanol gas in my lawn mower and snowblower and most of the time my motorcycle but otherwise other than checking mileage every once in a while I only use ethanol.

I'll support farmers even if it did cost me a little bit more over saving a few pennies but putting more money in the towel heads that would rather see us dead. However, in about all the checks I've done, it isn't costing me anything more and in some cases I'm saving a bit.

Then again, I do my own research instead of reading big oil articles trashing a program that hurts their bottom line and take it as fact.

Never knew engines could get an infection!

 

[Triggermv]

One other small difference that I've been told by managers of gas stations is the amount of tanks and the way they receive fuel. Some have double tanks and will run one down and then switch over while others will continually "top off" the tanks. The ones who run the tank down will have fresher fuel and the quality will stay better.

Gas stations turn over their inventory so quick usually, there isn't going to be much difference in fuel quality. Truthfully, the biggest difference probably comes from the build-up over time of crap at the bottom of the tanks. Therefore, you have the highest probably of getting that crap by pulling either the last gallons in the storage tank or filling up while the tank is being refilled by a transport as all that new fuel being pumped in will stir up the tank. The latter is going to be the worse scenario. Therefore, if you see a fuel transport dumping while you are wanting to fill, you maybe want to wait or go someplace else.

On a separate note, to farmers and business out there with their own bulk tanks, those are the ones who are going to see the degradation of quality over time. So, to those people, if you aren't using your fuel very quickly, you are going to be using a worse and worse gasoline product over time. Gasoline degrades faster than diesel.

 

[ruxCYtable]

The whole exhaust system (catalytic converter, muffler) on your car reduces your fuel economy, is slightly harder on your car due to the back pressure, but definitely better for the environment.

OK, I now support my car having an exhaust system.

 

[wxman1]

Does "leaded" gasoline still exist and is it sold anywhere?

I just remember seeing those pumps as a kid and my dad telling me to be sure NOT to put that in my car! To this day, I still have that slight fear.

To make it more confusing, "regular" used to mean leaded, and now "regular" means Unleaded!

AvGas is 100 octane low lead.

 

[FOREVERTRUE]

OK, I now support my car having an exhaust system.

Well you asked how something that would decrease mileage could be good for your car. lol

 

[BCClone]

Well you asked how something that would decrease mileage could be good for your car. lol

Should we now bring up things like A/C, radios, other electronics that create a slight pull on the engine and hurts fuel economy even if just slightly?

Honestly, like curtis said, it is hard to find any industry that isn't getting some sort of subsidy out there either directly or indirectly. Becomes hard to know what the actual direct cost is of any actual product you purchase.

 

[FOREVERTRUE]

Should we now bring up things like A/C, radios, other electronics that create a slight pull on the engine and hurts fuel economy even if just slightly?

I agree I was just poking fun, but in all seriousness my truck's catalytic converter collapsed so I cut it out and gained far more mileage back than lose by using ethanol blends, though I can't hear myself think. It is fun to scare the kids though.

 

[VeloClone]

I used to have a FFV and ran E-85 regularly. I religiously tracked the mileage and found that when fuel prices were high (and there was a larger percentage difference between E10 and E85 prices) I was generally money ahead burning E85. When prices were lower I was always behind. If I had a FFV right now I would have to make a conscious decision to support farmers to burn E85 because with the very low prices the math generally doesn't work out.

 

[NickTheGreat]

Should we now bring up things like A/C, radios, other electronics that create a slight pull on the engine and hurts fuel economy even if just slightly?

Honestly, like curtis said, it is hard to find any industry that isn't getting some sort of subsidy out there either directly or indirectly. Becomes hard to know what the actual direct cost is of any actual product you purchase.

You mean like the freaking cars themselves!