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Ethanol Spiked Fuel

globalrider

globalrider

Alps Adventurer
I noticed an article in the December 2021 BMWMOA about ethanol.

Some months ago, I checked three fuels in my area and calculated the amount of ethanol in the fuel. Note that fuel, even from the same company can vary across the continent.

Test Procedure:
Fuel hoses are shared between grades, therefore any fuel collected for the test was after fuel of that grade was used to fill my vehicle.
1000 ml graduated cylinder.
800 ml gasoline added.
200 ml dyed water added.
Graduated cylinder was shaken vigorously and then left to settle.

Ethanol.jpg
 
GlobalRider said:
I noticed an article in the December 2021 BMWMOA about ethanol.

Some months ago, I checked three fuels in my area and calculated the amount of ethanol in the fuel. Note that fuel, even from the same company can vary across the continent.

Test Procedure:
Fuel hoses are shared between grades, therefore any fuel collected for the test was after fuel of that grade was used to fill my vehicle.
1000 ml graduated cylinder.
800 ml gasoline added.
200 ml dyed water added.
Graduated cylinder was shaken vigorously and then left to settle.

View attachment 86407
Click to expand...

Very interesting! Thanks for posting this.
 
In the states, all the pump stickers say, "May contain up to 10% Ethanol" so you can never be certain of the exact amount. I use the app "Pure-Gas" to shop for non-ethanol fuel whenever possible. http://pure-gas.org/ Regualr non-ethanol is easy to find around me, premium not so much.
 
motormike said:
In the states, all the pump stickers say, "May contain up to 10% Ethanol" so you can never be certain of the exact amount. I use the app "Pure-Gas" to shop for non-ethanol fuel whenever possible. http://pure-gas.org/ Regualr non-ethanol is easy to find around me, premium not so much.
Click to expand...

If touring in the Great Plains or the Mountain West or the Pacific Northwest your fuel options are "take what you can get" when you need fuel. In more congested places you may have more options but don't count on it west of the Mississippi!
 
Where I am, as far as I know, the only non-ethanol available is Stewart's premium.

So, that is what I purchase for my R80ST and yard equipment.

Unfortunately, their ice cream is amazing.

SPP
 
I don’t understand the “spiked” part. :scratch
It has been mandated, not that I’m a fan in any way, shape or form, since 2005. I’m not surprised at any wild swings in formulations either. If anyone has been to a bulk distribution center (rack) or watched a fuel delivery in a slush-filled rainy can appreciate that fuel works as well as it does.
OM
 
slowpokepete said:
Where I am, as far as I know, the only non-ethanol available is Stewart's premium.

So, that is what I purchase for my R80ST and yard equipment.

Unfortunately, their ice cream is amazing.

SPP
Click to expand...

The salty caramel gelato is pretty good too!
There are a few more stations that have ethanol free around here (otsego county)
 
Omega Man said:
I don’t understand the “spiked” part. :scratch
It has been mandated, not that I’m a fan in any way, shape or form, since 2005. I’m not surprised at any wild swings in formulations either. If anyone has been to a bulk distribution center (rack) or watched a fuel delivery in a slush-filled rainy can appreciate that fuel works as well as it does.
OM
Click to expand...

I still recall the statement in the Haynes Manual I got when I bought my first K75 in 1986. It said I should not use gasoline "adulterated" with alcohol.

Dictionary
a·dul·ter·ate
/əˈdəltəˌrāt/
verb
past tense: adulterated; past participle: adulterated

render (something) poorer in quality by adding another substance, typically an inferior one.
 
PGlaves said:
I still recall the statement in the Haynes Manual I got when I bought my first K75 in 1986. It said I should not use gasoline "adulterated" with alcohol.

Dictionary
a·dul·ter·ate
/əˈdəltəˌrāt/
verb
past tense: adulterated; past participle: adulterated

render (something) poorer in quality by adding another substance, typically an inferior one.
Click to expand...

:thumb True words, Paul.
 
Omega Man said:
I don’t understand the “spiked” part. :scratch
Click to expand...

"Spiked" in that it is not gasoline.

Omega Man said:
It has been mandated...
Click to expand...

I realize that. Thanks to politics though. I am sure we do not import ethanol, so I am sure it is produced right here.

Some years ago I checked with a few companies and "premium" should not have any ethanol in it. Well Ultra 94 has almost 10% and Shell V-Power had 1.25%. My Porsche 991 ran much better with the Shell V-Power 91 and no, its not my imagination (I am used to listening to engines from my flying days). Porsche advertizes the Ultra 94.

Nothing like doing a test yourself as I trust no one.
 
There is a good one, a Super Unleaded and an Unleaded where both have an Octane rating of 87. Go figure.:scratch

And why bother listing Unleaded as all automotive fuels at pumps are. Notice the Super Unleaded uses American Ethanol.

Gas Pump.jpg
 
GlobalRider said:
There is a good one, a Super Unleaded and an Unleaded where both have an Octane rating of 87. Go figure.:scratch

And why bother listing Unleaded as all automotive fuels at pumps are. Notice the Super Unleaded uses American Ethanol.

View attachment 86418
Click to expand...

I always thought that different color ID stickers with different information helped consumers have less of a chance of putting the wrong product in their vehicles :dunno
All the directions are for the people that are not real mechanical. Sort of like when I sit waiting to get to a pump (diesel) like the one in the picture. The vehicle at the pump is pumping gas and yells “can’t you go to another pump?”
I explain, comprehension seems low, because they never thought of why the outside, maximum access pumps, were the only ones that had a Green handle.
OM
 
Omega Man said:
I always thought that different color ID stickers with different information helped consumers have less of a chance of putting the wrong product in their vehicles :dunno

OM
Click to expand...

BP likes to confuse people by using green handles for gas.
 
Omega Man said:
I always thought that different color ID stickers with different information helped consumers have less of a chance of putting the wrong product in their vehicles :dunno
OM
Click to expand...

I was refering to the two different labeled grades yet they both had the same octane number.

Yup, I had a VW diesel for almost 4 years (VW bought it back). I remember the times at the pumps.

Back during my flying days, someone pumped Jet fuel into a Cessna 206 Turbo. Its a Turbo, not a Turbine engine. He didn't get far. Its sad when one has to monitor everything.
 
GlobalRider said:
"Spiked" in that it is not gasoline.



I realize that. Thanks to politics though. I am sure we do not import ethanol, so I am sure it is produced right here.

Some years ago I checked with a few companies and "premium" should not have any ethanol in it. Well Ultra 94 has almost 10% and Shell V-Power had 1.25%. My Porsche 991 ran much better with the Shell V-Power 91 and no, its not my imagination (I am used to listening to engines from my flying days). Porsche advertizes the Ultra 94.

Nothing like doing a test yourself as I trust no one.
Click to expand...

Yes, the government subsidized ethanol industry produces all of the corn juice we use in the USA right here, and with a negative net energy benefit. We also produce all the petroleum we need in the USA, and were a net exporter for many years, if not sill. From what I can tell, the only reason to keep contaminating gasoline with ethanol is to support a well-established and powerful industrial agricultural lobby. Even National Geographic determined a number of years ago that ethanol production in the US is not energy efficient because if the very high energy inputs required to produce a non-naturally occurring biomass.
 
GlobalRider said:
"Spiked" in that it is not gasoline.

I am sure we do not import ethanol, so I am sure it is produced right here.
Click to expand...
How much ethanol did the US import in 2019?
The United States substantially increased its sugarcane ethanol imports in 2019 to a total of 13,000 b/d, up 9,000 b/d from 2018 levels, all of which were sourced from Brazil.May 1, 2020
 
GREGFEELER said:
Yes, the government subsidized ethanol industry produces all of the corn juice we use in the USA right here, and with a negative net energy benefit. We also produce all the petroleum we need in the USA, and were a net exporter for many years, if not sill. From what I can tell, the only reason to keep contaminating gasoline with ethanol is to support a well-established and powerful industrial agricultural lobby. Even National Geographic determined a number of years ago that ethanol production in the US is not energy efficient because if the very high energy inputs required to produce a non-naturally occurring biomass.
Click to expand...
While the whole fuel additive/mixing deal seems iffy to me......It did get us off MTBE which was a huge environmental nightmare, especially for the independent owners with a leak. The costs were extraordinary.
OM
 
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