E 85 Ethanol Question

[redarrow]

E 85 is $2.99 in my neighborhood and reg. gas is $3.49. Thats a savings of about $13.00 per fill up. I have heard that mileage and performance suffers with Ethanol . Any thoughts would be appreciated. I myself have not seen a difference. With the savings that's kinda like getting every 5th fill up free.

[shootumindaface]

If it isnt with performance and MPG you are going to pay for it some where else.. Most likely at the grocery store

[CASH]

Ethanol causes (lower mpg) and it attracts moisture.

Although the use of ethanol has saved my job over the past couple of years, ethanol blows.  I hate it.

[redarrow]

Not that I am calling you a liar, but there is no possible way that your performance can not suffer. Ethanol doesn't put off the btu's a comparable volume of gasoline does. In layman's terms you have to burn more ethanol to get the same performance as gasoline. 99% of the time you will be paying the same because of this. Ethanol is a huge fallacy.
I do not know anybody that hasn't seen around a 15-20% reduction in mileage. If you tow it will go much high. Running on conventional gas, the V6 Chevy Impala, for example, is rated at 21 mpg city/31 highway. Running on E85, the same Impala is rated at 15 mpg city/22 highway.

Thats the feedback I was looking for. Prior to today I had only run 13 gals.in my V8 Silverado. Today I put in about 20 gals. The main reason I asked the question was because I haven't used enough to come to any sort of consensus.I do know that when I kick it in Arse it gets up and runs like a raped ape. Thus the comment about performance. I will have to check MPG first trip I take.Thanks.

[siyakadog]

I save money anything over $.40 spread, Im not pulling trailers or anything but I drive 2011 Sierr@  half ton V8, my 07 & 09 were good w E85 also.

[fallhnt]

It is almost a wash.Best if used on long trips but when I travel I don't see it.

[neal]

I was told by a car dealer which how much can you believe from them? He said E85 had to be .75 cheaper than regular gas for a person to save $?

[bowhunter32]

e85 is not as efficient as gasoline...as for the price difference..like shootem said you pay for it in yur federal tax dollars in the form of susidies..also higher food prices, bcause the corn goes to making fuel instead of going to the table..also the ethanol is more corrosive than gasoline..

[Tail Feathers]

Don't forget that most yard power tools, boats and many small engines say to absolutely not use it!

[afoshie]

 i have a 09 f150 on average with 87 reg gas it gets @ 16 to 17 mpg. Got the itchh one day when filling up. Put e85 in it and it got 10 to 11 mpg with the same type driving. yo do the math but it dont equal out to me. it would have to be a dollar or more cheaper before i will use it again.

[4nwtf]

I found a station that has ethanol free gas so I filled up with it.  It will be interesting to see if i get better fuel mileage with it.  I should know by the end of the week.

[Peck1524]

I found a station that has ethanol free gas so I filled up with it.  It will be interesting to see if i get better fuel mileage with it.  I should know by the end of the week.

These are hard to come by anymore.  Almost all stations are using an ethanol blend, usually up to 10%.

[Skeeterbait]

E85 is not available in our area but from what I have seen of E10 it is going to be awful.  Liberty gas stations are the only place I can get non-ethanol gas They have E10 and ethanol free available and the ethanol free is about 12 cents per gallon higher.  Based on my milage It is cheaper for me to buy the higher price ethanol free.

Anything you aren't going to burn the tank up every week you need to be buying ethanol free.  Outboards, yard equipment, spare vehicle, RV's, gas cans etc.  Alcohol is a moisture magnet.  It sucks humidity right out of the air and you wind up with water in your gas.  Fuel stabilizer does not help this much.  it prevents varnish from setting up from fuel impurities, but it does not prevent moisture very well.  

And there is no economic sense to alcohol in gas.  Not only does it cost more to run a vehicle off it, but it costs more to produce.  I read an article where alcohol produced from corn takes as much energy to produce the gallon of alcohol as you get returned from the alcohol.  Now in South America they are producing alcohol fuel from sugar cane and the return is much greater.  That is economically feasable.  But the US does not have enough area conducive to growing sugar cane.  You can thank the eco-terrorists and the corn growers lobby both for forcing this farce on us.

[HogBiologist]

Once you add back in the realities of ethonal, it comes out dirtier than gas.  You must plow (diseal burnt and land cleared), fettilize (uses oil products), Harvest/transport (uses oil products).  Then as has been stated before, you get worse gas mileage.  It actually comes out to be worse to use corn than oil.  Now there are some other fuel sources like grasses and cane that may be ok, but for now the corn fuel ethonal is an environmental fallicy.  It is worse than gas.

[turkey slayer]

Once you add back in the realities of ethonal, it comes out dirtier than gas.  You must plow (diseal burnt and land cleared), fettilize (uses oil products), Harvest/transport (uses oil products).  Then as has been stated before, you get worse gas mileage.  It actually comes out to be worse to use corn than oil.  Now there are some other fuel sources like grasses and cane that may be ok, but for now the corn fuel ethonal is an environmental fallicy.  It is worse than gas.

Agreed!

x3