joemessman

Do any of you guys and gals use ethanol free gas? I really don't see any advantage to it. What do you think?

Kent1999

Religious issue, mostly.

I've used ethanol blends in all my cars for decades, with no issues.

*Is there a chemical difference? Sure.
*Is it detectable on a dyno? Perhaps.
*Does it cause any issues in modern cars? Never had a gas-related issue in any of my cars since I started using it in the 1980's.
*Is it noticeable in everyday driving in modern cars? I've never noticed any difference.

YMMV. If it makes you feel better to use ethanol-free gas, go for it, but don't expect big changes.

Drive on.

Midiwiz

yeah you'll use less seafoam with ethanol free.

OnPoint

Equal octane ratings b/n E10 and E0, the only difference you'll notice will be a slightly lower mpg with the ethanol-containing fuel as it has lower energy content. Other than that, with modern equipment, it's fine. Boats, lawnmowers and other items it can cause problems, but with our cars, it's fine.

I have available to me regular octane E0, which I run in my 60s muscle car and my lawn equipment, but there isn't any premium level octane E0 where I live, so it's a moot point for my vettes - and they wouldn't need it anyway.

Zymurgy

I'd use ethanol free if I could get. EPA won't allow it around here.

dbaker

Here in the SouthEast,non-ethanol is 89 octane and sometimes this is hard to find.

\db2

LDB

Less power is one of the more common misconceptions about E10. Less mileage, yes, but less power, no. How can that be when the cause of less mileage is that ethanol has less energy per gallon? Easy. What happens when you change from E0 to E10 is that by monitoring the exhaust gas O2 sensor output, the engine’s ECM notices that excess O2 in exhaust is getting too high. It corrects for that by having the fuel injectors squirt a bit more fuel (ie, add what’s called fuel trim). That squirting of extra fuel is what causes mileage to fall. But since it’s squirting more fuel, the total amount of contained energy in the fuel being injected remains the same. So mileage drops, but power remains unchanged.

A few boat owners make the point that their boats won’t run as fast on E10 as E0, which they claim is proof that ethanol does indeed cause a power loss. But most boat engines do not have exhaust gas O2 sensors with feedback loops like cars do, so the quantity of gas being sent to the engine does not increase as in the case with your car. Therefore the contained energy in the fuel sent to the boat engine does indeed fall, and unlike the modern car, the boat does lose power. A car built before about 1990 (including almost all cars with carburetors and some cars with early fuel injection systems) would lose power like the boat, not maintain power like a modern car.

joemessman

Thanks for all your expert opinions. I'll just stay with my Chevron.

Bill Dearborn

When I was at instructing at a Carolina Motorsports Park track event last year the station just outside the entrance was selling 90 Octane Ethanol Free gasoline as their premium gasoline. I went through 4 tankfuls with no issues although it might have been hard to tell since the track can be pretty much run in 3rd gear. There was no way to tell if the engine got soft in the upper rpm ranges while in 4th gear since the speeds are limited on a short track like that.

Bill

Rebel Yell

I tested it out in my C6. The car didn't run any better, and the uptick in the mpgs wasn't good enough to make up for the increased cost of the gas. So, I discontinued my testing.

JoesC5

No problem finding 91 octane ethanol free gas locally, so I use it across the board in my four cars.

On a trip, ethanol free 91+ octane can sometimes be hard to find. Depends on what part of the country I'm in.

More stations are offering ethanol free gas, but it seems only to be 87 octane from the new stations coming on board. Makes sense as most cars are set up for 87 from the factory.

Astrowing

It is awful in my antique cars and gas engined tools. But in modern closed loop fuel injected engines it runs fine. I only know of one station in Houston area. Many are up in Arkansas.

///ADMAN

None sold around here. Only 100+ octane racing VP near the track.
I have to make my own E0 for my bikes, quads and classic cars.

Bigredwing

Surprised nobody mentioned that one of the reasons ethanol is bad for older cars, motorcycles, outboards and power tools is that it eats up the seals, hoses and gaskets. I recently restored the fuel system on my '82 CE and made sure to use all the new rubber for that specific purpose. Ethanol killed my weedwacker and I had to replace the carb on it.

vbdenny

Probably not EPA as that is federal and many states allow ethanol free. Something with your (and my) states that don't. Not sure the deal on that.

Midiwiz

ergo the seafoam reference. your carb had the jet gummed up as injectors etc will also. Harley sells an ethanol "remover" so it doesn't kill the engine.

you have to remember Corn isn't good for you....why would a corn by product be good for anything else

JK 23112

As far as I know, there is no "ethanol-free" gasoline available around here - except for a marina (because boats are allowed to use 'pure' gasoline). Every gas station I have seen displays the "Fuel contains 10 percent ethanol" decal on their pumps.

While ethanol-free gasoline seems as hard to find as a unicorn, at least we can find 93-Octane unleaded premium fairly easily. There are also plenty of "Top Tier" brands in our market (Shell, BP/Amoco, Exxon/Mobil, Valero, Costco, etc.); which is good for Corvette owners.

Ethanol has a lower BTU content (less "energy" in a gallon) than does gasoline. Octane with ethanol is no problem at all, but your fuel mileage will decrease somewhat versus plain gasoline. In Pennsylvania, they sell E85 - 15 percent gasoline and 85 percent ethanol - at a substantial discount. It can be used ONLY in vehicles that are rated as "FlexFuel" and despite costing less per gallon, you will burn much more of it because of the lower BTU content.

I have only used E10 "TopTier" unleaded premium in my Corvette......so I have nothing to compare it to regarding straight gasoline. I doubt I will ever drive it anywhere that sells it, either.

vbdenny

Comes down to this. Ethanol belongs in people, not cars.

Kent1999

Maybe because this is a C7 forum, and ethanol is perfectly fine for C7’s?

Perhaps in the C1/2/3 forums, that concern would be more relevant/prominent.

Zymurgy

Well, yes and no. DFW area is an EPA designated non-attainment area. Non-attainment areas must have and implement a plan to meet the standard, or risk losing some forms of federal financial assistance. So, the state prohibits the sale of ethanol free gas as part of the plan to meet the standard. If it weren't for the EPA and the resultant loss of Federal $, we would not have the ethanol free ban. Texas has fought the EPA on this for years.