Ethanol Free Gas

suzuki2000

suzuki2000

Well-known member
Forum Sponsor
Over the border on the weekend having dinner with some friends, we stop for gas at a Sonic Gas, and I see they have a pum,p labelled Ethanol Free gas.

I know it is standard preactice to "cut" gas with ethanol for various reasons. If I recall correctly gas contains max 10-15% with E85 obviously being 85%. I'm not quite old enough to remember uncut gas, I think thay leaded gas just wnet by the wayside as I was just starting to drive

The Ethanol free gas was about $.25/gal higher then regular and noted a 91 Octane rating.

I believe the price was just higher then the "super" but then Octane was lower.

I am not a chemist, engineer, or petroleum expert, so can somebody tell me in coles notes what I get for the extra ~$.07/litre

do i expect greater mileage, lower emissions, better general performance,...?
 
Some (maybe many) of the stations here sell Ethanol free premium (ie their premium is ethanol free), usually says on the pump in small writing. The deal is that a certain percentage of the sold gas needs to be X% Ethanol by volume. So my understanding 10% in reg and 0% in premium means 5% if they sell the same amount of both....
 
Basically, Ethanol is used in fuel to increase octane and lower emissions. Ethanol-free gas will have more energy per unit, which will increase fuel economy. I use Shell 91 which is (supposed to be) ethanol free.
 
Gasoline in the USA generally contains 10% ethanol. In Canada it is "up to" 10% but the industry average is apparently 5%.

Ethanol in engines that were not designed to accommodate it (mostly older models - before early 1990's - and small utility engines, lawnmowers etc.) can have major problems with seals, gaskets, and internal carburetor parts. Most engines other than small utility engines built since the 1990's are designed to allow up to 10% ethanol. Read your owner's manual.

BUT ... Fuel containing ethanol deteriorates faster than fuel that does not. If used in engines that see only intermittent use, with long periods of storage, it can cause problems. There are fuel stabilizers that now claim they can compensate for the effects of ethanol, but I'm not sure I believe them. Best bet is, if you are going to store an engine for a while, store it with the fuel system completely empty. That way there is nothing to go bad. Don't forget to drain carburetors. Fuel that is sealed inside - in fuel injectors, fuel lines, fuel rail, filter, fuel pump - doesn't seem to go bad (because it isn't exposed to air or water). Just empty the fuel tank.

Some people claim to see higher fuel consumption when using fuel that contains ethanol. Personally, I've never had this happen. Theoretically, gasoline with 10% ethanol will have 3% less energy content per volume.

If you have a hot-rodded engine, in which someone has used epoxy to build up the intake ports, ethanol is really, really bad.

If you have an engine that is tuned very lean to the bleeding edge, ethanol makes it act even leaner (because it has lower energy content and is not as good for cold starting) and it could cause driveability problems. Most production engines are not tuned that close to the bleeding edge.

In Canada, Shell V-power is the only gasoline known to not contain ethanol, according to the signs at the pumps.

Bottom line, for most people in most applications, the ethanol won't do anything bad. If you are using it in a utility engine, gasoline without ethanol is probably a better choice. If you are planning to store a vehicle for more than a few weeks, making the last fill-up before storage an ethanol-free one is not a bad idea, then store it as close to empty as possible (and drain the carbs, if so equipped, before storage).
 
so i've learned something today....

I had thought all gas in canada had some ethanol content
 
Some wise advice from Brian above.

The ethanol really tends to gum up the works if left to sit. Especially noticeable in smaller engines like he said.. lawn mowers, snow blowers etc. I noticed a HUGE improvement in performance in those two when I switched them exclusively to ethanol free gas. I don't notice much if any difference in performance in the bike or cars, but I do switch to ethanol free in the bike for the last few fills ups of the year to make sure there's no ethanol sitting in it over the off season.

The only thing I disagree with, is I fill the tank to the brim before storage. IMO a nearly empty tank breeds condensation and rust.
 
So........I need to use Premium gas in my lawnmower and snowblower ? (because I dont have a Shell station anywhere near to get V-power)
 
I've heard that you can get ethanol free 87 octane at marinas. I'm not sure how true that is. Maybe someone here knows for sure.
 
You should yes. But as far as I know only shell carries premium ethanol free gas.
hdsomeday said:
So........I need to use Premium gas in my lawnmower and snowblower ? (because I dont have a Shell station anywhere near to get V-power)
Click to expand...
 
00ninja said:
I've heard that you can get ethanol free 87 octane at marinas. I'm not sure how true that is. Maybe someone here knows for sure.
Click to expand...

Yes you can. But it's freakin expensive. I just trailer my bowrider up to a Shell station after use and fill with 91. Ethanol is even worse in a boat.
 
DJM said:
Yes you can. But it's freakin expensive. I just trailer my bowrider up to a Shell station after use and fill with 91. Ethanol is even worse in a boat.
Click to expand...

So much for that idea. Besides I don't have a marina near by. But that said, I would consider it for long term storage.

Thanks for the info.
 
hdsomeday said:
So........I need to use Premium gas in my lawnmower and snowblower ? (because I dont have a Shell station anywhere near to get V-power)
Click to expand...

No ... you need to use Shell V-power (or, apparently, Ultramar ... that's one I don't often see).

PetroCanada (formerly Sunoco) 94 is the worst for ethanol content ...
 
just_luc said:
The only thing I disagree with, is I fill the tank to the brim before storage. IMO a nearly empty tank breeds condensation and rust.
Click to expand...

Never had an issue with this. Outdoor storage, it might be an issue. If the temperature doesn't vary too much, then the tank vent remains sealed, no air goes in or out, no corrosion.
 
Brian P said:
No ... you need to use Shell V-power (or, apparently, Ultramar ... that's one I don't often see).

PetroCanada (formerly Sunoco) 94 is the worst for ethanol content ...
Click to expand...
Maybe that explains why my WRX doesn't seem to like the Ultra 94.

Husky stations sell Shell fuel and have ethanol free 91 as well.
 
Brian P said:
BUT ... Fuel containing ethanol deteriorates faster than fuel that does not. If used in engines that see only intermittent use, with long periods of storage, it can cause problems. There are fuel stabilizers that now claim they can compensate for the effects of ethanol, but I'm not sure I believe them. Best bet is, if you are going to store an engine for a while, store it with the fuel system completely empty. That way there is nothing to go bad. Don't forget to drain carburetors. Fuel that is sealed inside - in fuel injectors, fuel lines, fuel rail, filter, fuel pump - doesn't seem to go bad (because it isn't exposed to air or water). Just empty the fuel tank.
Click to expand...

I've always thought it was bad to store a fuel tank empty, for fears of condensation happening within the gas tank which could lead to small amounts of water in the system (depending on how/where it's stored). I'll just stick to a full tank w/ stabilizer.
Forum Sponsor
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom