Ethanol free gas worth it?

[FordDiehard]

I average about 4-5 mpg better mileage with non-ethanol gas. Around here it runs about $.50 more per gallon than E10 gas. Those who already have their Maverick, what octane does Ford recommend for the EcoBoost engine?

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[GPSMan]

Regular E10 $5.25
Ethanol Free $6.99

The only reason to buy ethanol free is for simple /small engines. Weed Whackers, snowblowers, chain saws, watercraft.

Also for non electronically controlled engines that cannot self adjust if/when needed.

I actually have a 1941 tractor engine. Runs fine on E10 since I can manually adjust the A/F ratio.

 

[Ron Neal]

Slightly different question but not worth starting a new thread
I was told if you buy premium fuel it's ethanol free, any truth there?

 

[Sliphorn]

Slightly different question but not worth starting a new thread
I was told if you buy premium fuel it's ethanol free, any truth there?

..
No, it is only ethanol free if the pump says so.
..

 

[TexasHybrid]

If not ready to do math, skip this post.

Buying fuel, you are buying energy.
E-10: 115.8 KBTU / Gallon
E-0: 120.3 KBTU / Gallon

Then work on the compus

Example:
At 40 MPG on E-10 (2.895 KBTU/Mile) should yield 41.5 MPG on E-0. (120.3/2.895)

A better method in my opinion is to simply calculate cost per mile or cost per KBTU and select the cheapest.

 

[TheWizziard]

From another site:

How does it Affect my Mileage?

Ethanol contains roughly one third less energy than ethanol-free (also known as non-ethanol) gasoline does, which means you will get slightly fewer miles per gallon if you use E10 or E15. The fewer miles per gallon you get is small, but measurable. Vehicles will typically get 3-4% fewer miles per gallon out of their vehicle when running E10. For E15, the amount goes up to 4-5% fewer miles per gallon. For example, if you’re driving a vehicle that gets 32 miles per gallon, and you’re running E10, you would get between 0.96 to 1.28 miles less per gallon, taking you down to between 30.72 to 31.04 miles per gallon.

 

[TheWizziard]

If not ready to do math, skip this post.

Buying fuel, you are buying energy.
E-10: 115.8 KBTU / Gallon
E-0: 120.3 KBTU / Gallon

Then work on the compus

Example:
At 40 MPG on E-10 (2.895 KBTU/Mile) should yield 41.5 MPG on E-0. (120.3/2.895)

A better method in my opinion is to simply calculate cost per mile or cost per KBTU and select the cheapest.

I agree. Cost per mile is more revealing than miles per gallon.

 

[mamboman777]

Slightly different question but not worth starting a new thread
I was told if you buy premium fuel it's ethanol free, any truth there?

It's my understanding that the opposite may be true. The easiest way to raise octane is by increasing ethanol content.

However, that probably varies a lot depending on other factors.

 

[teh603]

The only reason to buy ethanol free is for simple /small engines. Weed Whackers, snowblowers, chain saws, watercraft.

Honestly, "ethanol free" isn't going to keep a small engine shop from voiding the warranty. They'll find something else, like the gas/oil mix being off by a drop or two, or you used bass boat oil instead of the exact brand that's on their shelves that they didn't bother to tell you to buy.

 

[Bob The Builder]

What I do know is my chain saws all love non ethanol gas and that is what they get.

 

[Delbert]

I did the calcs on my Honda hybrid a few years ago and the non ethanol came out with 13 percent better milage. It was cost effective at that time to use it.

 

[rlhdweman]

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?

In this case you do want to use a fuel without ethanol if possible, ethanol fuel can experience phase separation after a month or 2, ethanol is great at absorbing moisture, but when it reaches all it can absorb it will separate with the moisture to the bottom of your fuel tank, that's when things get ugly.

 

[TheWizziard]

I did the math for my situation. (aprox. based on local gas prices and an estimate of 40MPG with common ethanol blend.)
A trip to my daughter's (154 miles) would cost me approximately $1.75 more with ethanol free.
My daily drive to and from work would cost me approximately $53 more a year with ethanol free.

Ethanol free gives you better miles per gallon but because of the price difference it costs more per mile.

 

[NJBob]

Wish there is somewhere in NJ that I could even buy ethanol free. In my Weed Wacker I switched from mixing my own to buying a premixed can definitely runs better. I have 69 Z/28. I buy leaded racing gas for that mixed with pump gas. But it costs a fortune. Hopefully it lasts longer without going bas as I rarely drive that.

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