Ethanol Free Gas

[ericm979]

If it has nothing to do with government then way is E0 not more available?

There are federal requirements for a certain amount of ethanol blended into fuel. It's a bulk amount, not a percentage in the fuel. If the bulk amount adds up to say 8% of all the fuel sold, then they can sell E0 as long as 80% of the fuel sold is E10. Those aren't the actual numbers (and those change every year), just an example.

gas producers sell anything they can so someone is stopping EO use in all the gas stations. My Buddy has a shell station and tells me the state won't let him have eo fuel tanks.

Dunno about your state but as far as I can tell California has not banned E0. However there is an oxygenate requirement and ethanol is an oxygenate, and the federal ethanol requirements still apply. So it's easiest to make and sell E10. Only a few stations sell E0 in my area and they charge a premium for it.

 

[ultrarunner]

Might have missed it but my boat repair friend says ethanol causes havoc with older fiberglass fuel tanks and it is not just the tank as the dissolved mess spreads to the engine…

Why E10 & early fibreglass tanks don't mix - Leighton O'Brien

Evidence gathered by Leighton O’Brien points towards integrity issues and loss of containment in older fiberglass resin tanks.

www.leightonobrien.com

 

[ultrarunner]

There are federal requirements for a certain amount of ethanol blended into fuel. It's a bulk amount, not a percentage in the fuel. If the bulk amount adds up to say 8% of all the fuel sold, then they can sell E0 as long as 80% of the fuel sold is E10. Those aren't the actual numbers (and those change every year), just an example.



Dunno about your state but as far as I can tell California has not banned E0. However there is an oxygenate requirement and ethanol is an oxygenate, and the federal ethanol requirements still apply. So it's easiest to make and sell E10. Only a few stations sell E0 in my area and they charge a premium for it.

My understanding is no pump E0 sold…

When sold E0 and leaded fuel is sold in cans and drums…

 

[Ricn]

EO is available in many areas, just not close by for me. I travel 30 miles one way to get it, what a pain plus extra expense over the $6.50 price of the gas.

 

[ruffdog]

There are many different testers on the market for testing ethanol levels of fuel. I bought mine in the 80s and they all work the same. First put water in to the first line, fill to the top line with gasoline, shake shake shake, let sit for several minutes and read ethanol level.

Fuel-It! Glass Ethanol Content Tester

 

[jyoutz]

My understanding is no pump E0 sold…

When sold E0 and leaded fuel is sold in cans and drums…

EO is sold at pumps, but they are few and far between.

 

[Jstpssng]

. I travel 30 miles one way to get it, what

To put this in perspective I travel 20 miles for it, as well as for E-10

 

[Too many Kubotas]

To put this in perspective I travel 20 miles for it, as well as for E-10

For me it's also 20 miles, but 100 for the E-0. Not round trip, by the way.

Definitely not worth the hassle, even at 200 gallons at the time, especially since E-10 works just fine.

 

[jyoutz]

I just discovered that a small air park close to me has 100 octane E0 gas. The person there says they use it in small engines such as mowers. The E0 I used to buy was 90 octane. Would there be any problems using the 100 octane fuel in my small engines?

 

[Too many Kubotas]

Nope. It shouldn't hurt anything. Just make it harder to start.

 

[John_Mc]

I know I went to Boston Harbor Marina with no luck... may have been timing?

It would be a miracle if you have a source in or around Oakland California.

Edit: It does show 19 for all of California...

Edit Update... Just called the nearest one listed in Sunol California and they do sell leaded racing fuel but no E0

The person I spoke to said not for a long time yet it still shows on pure gas.

The Pure-gas site is user supported. If you see a station that is listed incorrectly, please update the listing. If you come across a station that sells E0 that is not on the list, please add it.

 

[ericm979]

I just discovered that a small air park close to me has 100 octane E0 gas. The person there says they use it in small engines such as mowers. The E0 I used to buy was 90 octane. Would there be any problems using the 100 octane fuel in my small engines?

If it's unleaded it won't damage anything but it's a waste of money. Your equipment only needs a minimum of 87 octane, or 89 for many Stihl products.

 

[two_bit_score]

Nope. It shouldn't hurt anything. Just make it harder to start.

Why would it be harder to start?

 

[Torvy]

Had to go into the city today (well, Rockwall for locals). Got gas at the Murphy (Wal-Mart) for $2.28. They offered E0 at the same pump, but separate hose. I didn't notice the price, though.

I've seen videos about some places that share a hose. If buying a small quantity, like for a small engine, you may get some ethanol as high as 3-5% due to ethanol sitting in the hose from prior sale.

 

[jyoutz]

If it's unleaded it won't damage anything but it's a waste of money. Your equipment only needs a minimum of 87 octane, or 89 for many Stihl products.

I know the octane is higher than needed, but it’s a close by source of ethanol free gas.

 

[Too many Kubotas]

Why would it be harder to start?

The whole idea with high octane gas is that it's harder to ignite, to prevent pinging in high compression engines.

 

[jyoutz]

Had to go into the city today (well, Rockwall for locals). Got gas at the Murphy (Wal-Mart) for $2.28. They offered E0 at the same pump, but separate hose. I didn't notice the price, though.

I've seen videos about some places that share a hose. If buying a small quantity, like for a small engine, you may get some ethanol as high as 3-5% due to ethanol sitting in the hose from prior sale.

Just pump some E0 into your vehicle first, then fill your cans.

 

[LD1]

Yesterday, I went to the same gas station that I've been buying Ethanol Free Gas from and realized that not every pump has it. This is a huge gas station, but only the pumps at one end of all the pumps has it. If somebody was looking for it, drove up to the wrong end of the pumps and didn't see it, I hope they would keep looking for it.

I'm on my third tank of Ethanol Free Gas and my mileage is starting to slip back down. I'm at 17.1 mpg. It seems to have dropped a tenth every day since I hit the high of 17.5 mpg on my trip to Dallas. I guess the hundred miles of 80 to 90 mph driving gave me better mileage then 20 miles to the offramp, then another five miles of slow driving to the house. I haven't been anywhere else, and I can't explain the drop in mileage.

17.1 is still a lot better then the 14.1 mpg that I've been getting the last couple of years from the cheapest gas available, but it's .65 cents a gallon more, which is $16.25 more per fill up. I'm wondering if it's worth the extra money for the extra mileage?

We have sheetz around here. They actually have an "unleaded 88" gas that they have a sticker cautioning you to only use in 2001 or newer vehicles or something like that. But their udl88 say "may contain up to 15% ethanol"

But it is usually 45-60 cents per gallon cheaper that regular.

So for me....when sheetz first came around 2 years or so ago.....I started using E0 in the vehicles.....also wondering if the increase in mileage would be worth the added cost. But actually.....the cheapest "per mile" is the stuff with 15% ethanol and sold at quite a discount

 

[Ricn]

No issues here, works great!

 

[BoylermanCT]

I'm jealous that ethanol free gas is available near many of you. In CT, it is only available as racing fuel at 94 and 110 octane in 1 and 5 gallon cans for $22 a gallon or $100 for 5 gallons. Stewart's gas stations in NY sell it at the pump for a dollar more than regular gas, but the closest one is a little over an hour away.