Hybrid Mileage improvement with 100% ethanol-free gas

[Ozarkbeard]

One advantage of ethanol blend not everyone is aware of: It prevents fuel line freeze up.
... Not having to worry about fuel line freeze is worth the small sacrifice in MPG. At least up here in the frozen tundra.

I'm sure it's happened, but down here in the mostly unfrozen Ozarks, I don't know of anyone personally who's ever had that problem.

Based on others here who say it's not worth the extra cost for real gas, despite the higher mileage, I'll probably just continue buying ethanol blend, at least until they get rid of the stupid subsidy for ethanol. Waste of taxpayer money, IMO.

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[Waterick]

I have tried both in my hybrid in the 5000 miles I've had it and don't see a significant difference. Maybe, the regular (ethanol enhanced) tanks l got really were not a full 10 percent ethanol. Remember, notices say may contain up to 10 percent ethanol.

 

[Mike S]

This list seems pretty outdated and misleading. E.g: In order to decrease the carbon load in fuel, it is illegal in Canada since 2022 to use gas that contains no alcohol, but there are plenty of stations incorrectly listed. The only place that I can think of that sells alcohol-free fuel for older small engines is Home Depot at $10/quart.

Ethanol free gas is widely available in most of the country. In SW Florida all the RaceTracks sell it.

 

[dldjtad]

Recently, I accidentally grabbed the wrong nozzle at the gas pumps and filled my 2.5 Hybrid with what we call "real gas" around here. I noticed it when the pump was showing the price as 50¢ more per gallon than the price marquee showed for "Regular" (10% ethanol) gas. I did not notice the Octane rating, but it was just Regular ethanol-free, not mid-Grade or Premium - all of which are available here. I grumbled to myself about filling the truck with more expensive fuel than I normally do, and quickly forgot about it.

Later, I kept noticing the mileage was consistently at least 5 MPG better than what I was used to. It finally hit me that it might be the real gas is giving better MPG. In the past, I've tried higher octane gas, but it still contained ethanol; and it made no difference in my Hybrid's mileage, vs ethanol gas of lower octane.

Anyone else experience the same thing in their Hybrid Mavericks?

If you use regular gas, you will get better gas mileage than if you use gas with ethanol in it.

 

[Old Fart]

I buy pure gas for all my genneys, so after hurricane season we run out the 100% gas through the hybrids but WaWa usually has it at all of their stations, 89 rating but near the coast you can get 91-93 rated, tooling down A1A, is a dream.....I like to use pure gas for towing rather than premium but while towing I tend to use Exxon, BP, Shell so it's whatever they have on hand.

I'm hoping this is my last trucklet before I get planted, I'm trying to take care of it, even though it's a crappy build.

 

[rlhdweman]

Alcohol has fewer btu's than gasoline. Less power, more fuel needed. Simple physics. Try to tell that to a farmer who has 2000 acres of corn.

Should be mandatory that farm equipment can run with 10% ethanol they produce, they would find a different crop to plant in it's place. And you will get 10% give or take less mpgs using it, every vehicle I have had since the early 90's lost 9-13% mpgs using it, there was no exception, my Maverick is about 9% loss using it.

 

[SLINGSHOT]

With 2000 acres I would guess he has a diesel combine

yup. Then he doesn't have to burn the shit that he produces.

 

[Master Blaster]

Ethanol free gas is widely available in most of the country. In SW Florida all the RaceTracks sell it.

RaceTrack fuel is not TopTier-certified, and therefore not suitable for use in a Mav. Its shit fuel that will carbon up your intake valves.

 

[agmonaco]

Thanks for the info. Ethanol is garbage. ruins farmland. CO2 is plant food. 10% ethanol 10% at least loss in mileage.

 

[dochawk]

Apparently Mazda does this monitoring and if high octane increases the HP - they publish this so that HP addicts like my son buy it ( and thus waste money they don’t have).

They may have started; I have no idea.

I have a 2006 Miata GT, which asked for premium. (around here, at 2000 ft, there is 87, 89, and 91/92, all 10% ethanol year round).

One day I absent-mindedly reached for the same pump ant Arco that I'd been using for decades. And then a few days later, in a freeway emergency, I opened it up to get out of the way--and it sagged, rather than accelerating!

experimenting found that either 89 or half& half of regular a& premium let it perform without a problem.

Whereas a 90s Northstar is just fine on 87; it just doesn't get all 300 hp.

 

[Timothyd]

Recently, I accidentally grabbed the wrong nozzle at the gas pumps and filled my 2.5 Hybrid with what we call "real gas" around here. I noticed it when the pump was showing the price as 50¢ more per gallon than the price marquee showed for "Regular" (10% ethanol) gas. I did not notice the Octane rating, but it was just Regular ethanol-free, not mid-Grade or Premium - all of which are available here. I grumbled to myself about filling the truck with more expensive fuel than I normally do, and quickly forgot about it.

Later, I kept noticing the mileage was consistently at least 5 MPG better than what I was used to. It finally hit me that it might be the real gas is giving better MPG. In the past, I've tried higher octane gas, but it still contained ethanol; and it made no difference in my Hybrid's mileage, vs ethanol gas of lower octane.

Anyone else experience the same thing in their Hybrid Mavericks?

My Maverick is on a Costco regular diet but I've noticed in the past the difference. Makes sense, ethanol has less energy than petroleum.

 

[XHusker]

With 2000 acres I would guess he has a diesel combine

If he has corn he wouldn't have a combine, that's for the beans. He'd have a picker.

 

[Tbone289]

Thanks for the info. Ethanol is garbage. ruins farmland. CO2 is plant food. 10% ethanol 10% at least loss in mileage.

So, you're saying that ethanol has no energy content, or even negative energy content? Supposedly, pure ethanol has 30% less energy content than gasoline. Therefore gasoline with 10% ethanol content would have 3% less energy content than pure gasoline, and as a result the loss in mileage should be about the same 3%.

Edit: I see now that this has already been explained a couple of times in this thread. Why is it that observations in this thread are so far off? I've never experienced the ~10% difference between gasoline and E10 people are claiming.

 

[todd92]

E0 has 3% more BTU's than E10. You get 3% better MPG, period. If you were getting 45 MPG in your hybrid on E10, you'll get 46.5 MPG on E0. There is no way you're getting 5 MPG more. E0 is NEVER worth the price difference. It's great for long term storage in small engines.

 

[SloopJB]

If he has corn he wouldn't have a combine, that's for the beans. He'd have a picker.
[/QUOTE

I am not a farmer, however attached you will find the source of my information concerning the use of combines for the harvesting on the corn plant, corn kernel separation and subsequent production of ethanol in Nebraska.

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