Ethanol free gas worth it?

[mamboman777]

At my last fill up, I saw they had no ethanol gas, so I thought, "what the heck?" And filled up using that. I knew the mileage works be better, but it's a lot better. On the way down to San Antonio I got 33 mpg. On the way back I got 42. All highway, mostly 75 mph.

The regular gas was $3.67 and the no ethanol was $4.50


My question, is that worth the extra cost on a regular basis?

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[Scott Asheville]

What was the wind direction? Mileage is all about relative speed through the air mass, and equation is not linear. If you had a headwind headed out, and a tailwind coming home, those mileage figures could be useless. If it was calm, maybe they're spot on.

 

[dalola]

You're not going to get 28% better FE from E-free gas over E10/15, so there were other factors at play.

You would need to run several tanks of each consecutively to get a good average for each blend. It will most likely average out to not be cost effective at a ~$.80/gal difference. The break-over point is likely in the $.20-.30 range.

 

[D&Dmav]

Ethanol gas is poison for forced induction engines in my experience. I always look for non ethanol gas to fill up with. I generally keep my vehicles a long time.

 

[mamboman777]

Yeah, sadly you can’t compare different directions of a round trip. There are variations each way that affect mileage whether you realize it or not. You’d need more data eliminating as many variables as possible.

I know and agree, I was just wondering, if these were the only data points, fits it work out?

 

[gte105u]

Why not just do the math? If you divide the cost per gallon ($4.50) by new average of the two mileage (37.5 mpg) you get 12 cents a mile. Break even for the new mileage at $3.67 is averaging 30.58 mpg or better. Were you getting that? Would need multiple data sets and adjust with changing gas prices to determine long term cost benefit. Remember there are other factors besides just money to consider as well.

 

[MLowe05]

I've experimented with non-ethanol gas vs E10-E15 in several cars and the differences were extremely minor. Certainly nothing that would justify the price increase.

You'd need to run one tank of E10-E15 and one take of 100% gasoline in the exact same conditions to get the real difference, but we can already tell you no, it will not be worth it money wise.

 

[rlhdweman]

At my last fill up, I saw they had no ethanol gas, so I thought, "what the heck?" And filled up using that. I knew the mileage works be better, but it's a lot better. On the way down to San Antonio I got 33 mpg. On the way back I got 42. All highway, mostly 75 mph.

The regular gas was $3.67 and the no ethanol was $4.50


My question, is that worth the extra cost on a regular basis?

My testing gave me this, e-87 vs 91no-e, I get 10% better fuel economy, but the cost is 17% more, so it costs me 7% more + I also can get full power capability of the EB engine, the difference in power is quite noticeable. So unless the 91 creeps up to a buck more a gallon, I am sticking with the it.

 

[mamboman777]

 

[Old Hickory Trojan]

You would need to get ~22.6% more miles out of every gallon to break even from a cost perspective at that pricing. So 25% more mpg would just start to be noticeable, 30% still wouldn't be too much cost savings. Especially when going out of your way to buy E0.

If the only difference is E10 vs E0, that's not logical. Assume the 10% ethanol does nothing to propel your Maverick and that's 11.1% more mpg, except ethanol does move the vehicle, just not as far as gas.

Your insufficient data points point to a 27% gain in mpg that could easily be explained by wind alone, let alone the other variables at play.

I had a Class C Motorhome and drove the same trip multiple times to visit the grand kids ( approximately 350 miles there and back each time on the same route) and found that ethanol free gas increased my MPG between 3-4 MPG....from 7-8 MPG to approximately 11-12 MPG. I was consistant speed around 57 MPH and 2000 RPM. Biggest deal for me though was ethanol free just plain treats the engine better. Probably drove the MH overall 9000 miles for those trips alone and filled tank going and coming each time and tracked fuel type each fill up. The cruising range was close to the distance each way

 

[jtpc2021]

At my last fill up, I saw they had no ethanol gas, so I thought, "what the heck?" And filled up using that. I knew the mileage works be better, but it's a lot better. On the way down to San Antonio I got 33 mpg. On the way back I got 42. All highway, mostly 75 mph.

The regular gas was $3.67 and the no ethanol was $4.50


My question, is that worth the extra cost on a regular basis?

500 mile trip at 33mpg @ $3.67 = $55.60

500 mile trip at 42mpg @ $4.50 = $53.57

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Also, from what I’ve read, pre-2001 or so vehicles that weren’t engineered for ethanol mix will be better off with 100% gas. Newer cars are designed for the inferior fuel the government has pushed on us, so less need to hunt out the pure stuff.

 

[Haha48]

I've done 87 89 92 and 94. 92 and 94 is no ethonal. Gas mileage was about the same but with 89 and 92 it had way more power it was noticeable however my mileage up and down hills was the same only saw a 1 to 2 mpg difference I do 89 now simply because it runs smoother with 94 no different from 92 smelled richer out the tail pipe

 

[Phileaux]

Alcohol & alcohol/gas mixtures wash the oil off cylinder walls while running. Will this effect the longevity of the engine? Yes, but their are A LOT of other variables to engine life than just that. If alcohol fuel wasn't subsidized to make cheap no one would buy it.
In MN they had 20/80 Gas/Alc that was real inexpensive but you got 50% less millage.
I try to run pure as often as I can and definitely before road trips. Engine runs smooth and strong.

 

[ford5]

I have an F150 3.5EB and a Nissan Murano. I monitor mileage closely and have seen less than a 5% increase in fuel usage in both vehicles using E15 up to E30 instead of no ethanol gas. Cost savings is always greater than the increase in fuel usage with no noticeable difference in performance. I've used higher ethanol blends for many years and have yet to experience any issues.

 

[bobbill]

I don’t put a lot of miles on my ride last couple of years only approximately 3500 miles per year. I ordered a XLT hybrid and was wondering since most of my driving is city should I use the non ethonal simply due to the fact that I may not need to fill up but every 2 to 3 months?

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