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Ethanol is killing my mileage
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Posted by rudysmallfry (My Page) on Fri, Apr 21, 06 at 12:12
| Ever since my gas station switched to the Ethanol additive, I'm getting significantly less mileage per gallon. I used to get 380 miles on a tank in my Honda Civic. Now I'm down to less than 300. I realize ethanol is a weaker form of fuel, but this is ridiculous. Has anyone else experienced this? |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Ethanol is killing my mileage
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Surprise! Surprise!
But look on the bright side, we're getting less addicted to oil ;o) Higher price + lower power = using more? Means more frequent trips to the gas station so I doubt the oil companies are complaining. Who's plan was this anyway? Corn Lobbiests in cahoots with oil lobbiests in cahoots with our "leaders"? I truly am sorry Rudy, that watered down version hasn't hit my area yet but I'll let you know where my present 23-25 mphs goes when it does. An insult to injury ain't it. |
RE: Ethanol is killing my mileage
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| Rudy, from your posted milage numbers (380 to <300) that's ~ 20-25% reduction in milage/gal. Is the blend that your local gas station is suppling the 10% ethanol blend? If so, then the result is that you'll be burning more oil for an equal amount of milage, how this new blend helps cut down on oil consumption is questionable. |
RE: Ethanol is killing my mileage
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| I had lunch with a co-worker who will soon be testing octanes on this new improved product. He said that people are having combustion problems due to some older under ground gas station tanks that are contaminated with water. The alcohol (ETOH) in the gas mixes with the water (unlike gasoline) and this water mix gets pumped into your car's tank causing problems like stalling, low milage, etc. After a few weeks all the water should be pumped out of these under ground tanks and distrubuted among unsuspecting motorists. Hopefully this is what happened to you and your milage returns to normal soon. Let us know if you see an improvement. That new blend is now entering my area and a Brand New Wawa station just opened up so I'll get my gas from them hoping their tanks are cleaner than average. |
RE: Ethanol is killing my mileage
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| I think most of the gas stations on CT have gone through their transition. A lot of stations are closing for a day to clean out their tanks before adding the new ethanol blend. I'm no expert on the subject, but I think we do have a higher ethanol content in CT than some states. If anything, I'm using more oil than before. I'm there every two trips to work instead of every 3 1/2. This is bullsh_t. I'm already not a fan of this ethanol stuff, and from previous posts I've read, it doesn't look as if ethanol alone can sustain us. What are our other options? Are hydrogen cars still in the works? |
RE: Ethanol is killing my mileage
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| I'm not sure what to believe about hydrogen cars. Googled up below are some reports that state certain H cars are now available for a price but where one finds the hydrogen fuel is another story. About CT's ethanol fuel, is your's the 10% blend? When I went to my new WAWA last nite it doesn't appear that they have the ethanol yet. I'm glad because I filled up a few extra gas containers for summer lawn mowing and I don't want to screw up those engines either. Radio report said that water in the fuel mix can corrode engine parts such as fuel injecters so troubles may be ahead...also rubber/gaskets and ethanol don't seem to get along either. |
Here is a link that might be useful: It's a gas...
RE: Ethanol is killing my mileage
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| Yep, we have the 10% blend. Says it right on the pump. I was happy to see that CT is already conducting an investigation. There's concerns that ethanol might not be any better for the air or water than the stuff they just got rid of. Something about the corrosiveness of the ethanol. They might petition the federal government for a waiver to stop using it. Sure would make me happy. |
RE: Ethanol is killing my mileage
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| Hey! The price of oil has reached 70 USD a barrel, and Brazil is about to reach oil independence, in Europe the price of a gallon is around 6 USD.... what can I say, saddly the americans don't seem able to think out of the box. Everyone complains about the price of gasoline in the US, but you don't realize that this low price make so that no real energy independence can be achived and no real environmental policy can be carried out. Ethanol by itself is not a solution, it is rather part of the solution. Ethanol can be used mixed in cars in mixies of E90 or E85. Making it compulsory everywhere in the US would reduce the oil import, meanwhile the farmes could benefit of this. In the same time the ethanol can be produced partly by using electricity, which in turn can be produce in nuclear facilities, so everything is produced in the US... More diesel can be more widely used in North America, the politicans should change this idiotic ban on diesel. Diesel means better mileage and smaller CO2 emissions. Also there is Biodiesel.... that can be produced in the US, so no more soldiers to be sent in Irak or anywhere else in the world. More just imagine a hybrid car, that instead of using a regular gasoline engine it would use a Biodiesel car and more, it would be plugable (http://www.hybridcars.com/plugin-hybrids.html), so even lower CO2 emissions and complete energy independence.... Just think of it... energy independence and the country that would be considered the cleanest and most environmental friendly. This would be somthing to contemplate.... |
RE: Ethanol is killing my mileage
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Gerry and others, what inputs are necessary to get Ethanol?
How much of the fertilizer is derived from natural gas or other petroleum inputs? What are the tractors and other implements burning?
IOW how SUSTAINABLE is it?
I did hear of an algae that could be raised on waste water as a nutrient in man made ponds. It seems a larger proportion of that biomass could be turned into fuel.
Five years from now, I don't want to be subsidizing farmers to monocrop corn like we subsidize oil now.
A combination of sewage treatment into energy/fuel production is what we need to aim for IMHO. |
RE: Ethanol is killing my mileage
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| 23 MPG is what I'm getting from the new blend. I filled up twice before making the calculation on the 2nd tank full and the 23 mpg is typical for my 98' Caravan on the previous gasoline formula. So not much if any change for me. |
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