Watch Out !

[Wyn]

I just pulled up to my regular gas station and the tanker truck was there. All the pumps had new stickers on them. "Contains 10% or less Ethnol"

 

Passed on the fill up and am now here. Is this a problem? Are all the stations going to this?

 

Do I need to duel plug my bike? OMG what will they come up with and how much??? And will we find out latter that it was all BS?

[T__]

I just pulled up to my regular gas station and the tanker truck was there. All the pumps had new stickers on them. "Contains 10% or less Ethnol"

 

Passed on the fill up and am now here. Is this a problem? Are all the stations going to this?

 

Do I need to duel plug my bike? OMG what will they come up with and how much??? And will we find out latter that it was all BS?

 

Wyn, it should be pretty transparent.. My guess is at times you have been using gasoline with alcohol in it & didn’t even know it.. I don’t know what the laws in your state are but a lot of states/areas don’t require pump alcohol content posting on the pumps if below a certain content..

 

If you have been using nothing but gasoline without alcohol content (I doubt it) your biggest worry won’t be how it runs on the E-10 but more how much it cleans your fuel system out & can plug a filter or injector..

 

Alcohol is wonderful fuel system cleaner..

 

Twisty

[velomoto]

No need to worry - anyone who's driven thru Colorado in the winter has filled up with this. I've read there is a power loss but couldn't say this is something I would've noticed. All the family vehicles work the same with this fuel.

[GordonB]

Been doing this in California for several years now, no worry.

[amz]

Yeah, in the Midwest, most stations have the 10% ethanol sticker on the 89oct pumps. On the rare occasions when I had to use 89 'cause there was no 91+ pump (small towns), I have seen a drop in mpgs, but that was about it. The mpg drop can be dramatic, though; went from 45-ish to 39-40-ish!

 

While the mpg drop sucks, I have not seen any real ill effects from the ethanol, but I always go to Top Tier Gasoline stations...

[upflying]

Here is a 19 page propaganda booklet from our government about the effects of ethanol on engines. Oxygenates in fuels has been there for a long time. Happy breathing.

BTW, I would not fuel up while a tanker is making a dump at the station. Me thinks the dump disturbs sediments at the bottom of the tanks and you could pump some of the muck in your tank.

http://www.epa.gov/otaq/regs/fuels/ostp-3.pdf

[Wyn]

Thanks, Okay, but won't it burn out your catalitic converter??

[Mister Tee]

Thanks, Okay, but won't it burn out your catalitic converter??

 

No. The penalty you pay for ethanol additives is a decrease in mileage, since alcohol has much less energy content than gasoline. The whole idea is that it is supposed to burn more completely before it even reaches your cat.

 

That said, here is the potential problem - MTBE has been all but phased out here in the U.S. but they may still be places where there are stocks gas with MTBE. MTBE and alcohol are NOT COMPATIBLE. This was a a problem with some fuel injected bikes, and some cars a few years ago when the switch was made from MTBE, and more alcohol containing fuels became available. A gummy tar-like substance forms when you combine the two, and it can clog up injectors. So, if you know that you are running a fuel containing MTBE, run it out as close to empty as you can, if you need to use an alcohol containing fuel. And vice versa.

[Wyn]

Thanks all, I guess I'm a bit relieved, and educated.