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thoughts on e10 fuel

Posted: Thu Sep 17, 2015 3:08 am
by bcmaxx
Im currently running regular 91 octane fuel no ethanal. Curious how e10 91 octane fuel would be to run in my legacy turbo? Good,bad? Closest 94 octane is 45min drive away or id use that exclusively

Re: thoughts on e10 fuel

Posted: Thu Sep 17, 2015 4:31 pm
by TurnNburn
if you have access to non ethanol premium then that's what I would/have used in the past. depending on where you are, all of the blend on the west coast is E15 at least. Less in the winter. Personally i find the variability in the concentration of ethanol in gas annoying and inconsistent even if you only use 1 specific gas station. You can try switching just to see the difference but my butt dyno told me that the non ethanol was worth the extra $.50 per gallon. It drove and idled better, and to me, that was what the car wanted.

Re: thoughts on e10 fuel

Posted: Thu Sep 17, 2015 7:58 pm
by mike-tracy
You get better mpgs on non ethanol. I wish I could find some for $0.50 more a gallon, cause that's what, $7.50 more a tank

Re: thoughts on e10 fuel

Posted: Thu Sep 17, 2015 8:59 pm
by James614
Ethanol has lower energy density, and so produces less force per combustion than pure petroleum gas. More fuel must be injected to make up the difference (hence the lower fuel economy).

Also, I'm 99.8% sure companies that sell E10+ mix the fuel such that you don't see the octane benefit of the ethanol.

What I'm saying is, zero benefit from Ethanol blends, except they are usually cheaper.

Re: thoughts on e10 fuel

Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2015 10:16 pm
by Legacy777
Everything being equal and if the blend is truly 10% ethanol with 91 octane the resulting octane from E10 & 91 octane will be higher than just 91 alone.

This is from this website:

"Enhanced Petrol and Engine Performance

Unleaded E10 is United Petroleum’s ethanol-based unleaded petrol offering. As a result of ethanol being present, it has an octane rating of 95; higher than the 91 octane of normal unleaded petrol. Ethanol is a natural octane enhancer - adding ethanol to petrol boosts the octane number and its performance. It also helps the other components in petrol burn more completely thereby having a cleaning effect on a cars fuel system."


However if there is moisture in the tank that the ethanol absorbs that can lower octane rating. If you are getting 91 with E10 blend you'll be better off from a detonation & pre-ignition stand point. However, as others have mentioned the ethanol blend doesn't have as much energy density as pure gasoline.

Re: thoughts on e10 fuel

Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2015 1:51 am
by nortonjefferson
I dont have a boosted leggy right now but my 331k ej22e loves ethanol free fuel. Luckily the station i go to is located in my home town, i have met people from the south sound and beyond at the gas station saying they make the trip up just to get the fuel. The premium is 92-93 octane and fluctuates a small amount depending on the batch of fuel recieved.
Back on topic, i cant say ive ever used e10 and even if i did i wouldnt have reliable information due to my non turbo situation at the moment hahah.

Re: thoughts on e10 fuel

Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2015 6:49 am
by bcmaxx
They finally put in a 94 pump in town. No ethanol. Car runs like a champ

Re: thoughts on e10 fuel

Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2015 8:08 am
by Pntaste4evr99
All I've found is 92 with 10% ethanol. Still runs good, but I can't compare with anything.....

Re: thoughts on e10 fuel

Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2015 2:12 pm
by mike-tracy
Pntaste4evr99 wrote:All I've found is 92 with 10% ethanol. Still runs good, but I can't compare with anything.....
Tom Thumb gas in Lake Stevens has or had ethanol free premium. Reset your ecu and try a tank full.

Re: thoughts on e10 fuel

Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2015 6:21 pm
by nortonjefferson
mike-tracy wrote:
Pntaste4evr99 wrote:All I've found is 92 with 10% ethanol. Still runs good, but I can't compare with anything.....
Tom Thumb gas in Lake Stevens has or had ethanol free premium. Reset your ecu and try a tank full.
The Snohomish co-op also has ethanol free premium as well, i think its $3.39 a gallon right now

Re: thoughts on e10 fuel

Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2015 7:33 pm
by Pntaste4evr99
I'll have to try those, funny when u don't have a life u miss things that are right around the corner (so to speak)

Re: thoughts on e10 fuel

Posted: Mon Jan 04, 2016 3:54 am
by Legacy777
That Tom Thumb gets a lot of business, but always had expensive gas when I lived in Lake Stevens.