Experience with Ethanol-Free Gas?

I went back to BP 10% 87 because the E0 89 went from $2.55 to $3.29, then $2.99.

2 tanks later I struggle to get 46-47. Car seems to struggle more to get up to speed, really sluggish. I knew it would different but now I'm thinking leaving it at E0 despite the prices.

I just wish they had E0 87 octane for less than $2.99 (price before hike, when 89 was $2.55). Not sure if running E0 89 is worse than E0 87.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

I just ran across this thread and noticed that E0\87 in my area (Boise, ID, USA) is $2.799\gal vs E10\87 @ 2.599\gal. My first tank was 60 MPG on the E10\87 Chevron. Interested to see the difference (will be doing E0\87 for the next few tanks to get a better idea).

 

That's pretty good! Brand name?
You could get a get a double whammy - you should get +3% due to E0.
Then it gets into what the base gaso looks like, and sometimes the smaller brands have more freedom to give more energy in the base gaso, basically EPA slams the big guys but gives the little guys some slack...I am thinking

No fun here we have RFG.

 

Phillips 66 brand E0\87 is the $2.799\gal and the Chevron brand E10\87 is the $2.599\gal.

Yeah, the 2018 Prius Two Eco has been a ball to drive and getting 60 MPG (calculated at pump) on the E10\87 brings a huge smile to my face. I am really curious to see if the E0 will make any difference (if any at all). 3% is theoretically +1.8 MPG, at an already 60 MPG we're getting close to margin of error territory.

 

It doesn't make cents (pun intended) to spend 7.7% more for a 3% improvement in fuel economy. You would be spending more at the pump just to boost the fuel economy number.

 

This is more just for science and curiosity sake really. More just to convince myself ;-) I’m an engineer and trained to be a skeptic.


iPhone ?

 

So ??
Unless you live near to an actual refinery, ALL of the gas really is "unbranded".

 

True but conceivably the E0 has better energy in the base gaso, so 7% MPG shift is not out of the question.
If it was me, I would be grabbing 1-gal samples in my gaso can and weighing to try to estimate density of the different gasos, whereas density relates to energy content and MPG. A few years ago I did a sampling and reported here for ethanol content and density, but in RFG areas, E0 is not allowed, and all the grades have about equal density. Of course, the other option is to measure MPG, but that varies so much anyways.

If I thought all I was getting 3% (or less) I would probably not use the E0, but that's not a bad price for 3% greater cruise range and MPG.

 

Yeah me too: I don't mind spending $4~5 for a tankful, just to see what it'll do.

Gas is just in the process of going over $1.50 (CDN) per liter up here, btw. Some shortage is a factor I think.

 

But E0 87 Octane ain't coming from the same place...as E10 87 octane, because ethanol does boost octane up a notch.

I think someone above said ethanol is needed by society to boost octane, but that's not really true. The primary purpose of a refinery is to boost octane. So if we put 10% ethanol in there, then we have to ask the refineries to back off, which is exactly what they have to do.

 

Yeah I know but just trying to keep it understanding of the MPG/octane impacts.
Congress makes the rules and that's where we are.

 

Never saw this thread:
Car engines designed to burn 87 octane gasoline should burn 87 octane gasoline....duh!!! 87 octane ethanol-free gasoline(E0) is 87 octane gasoline..... more duh!!! However, designated 87 octane, 10% ethanol blend gasoline (E10) has its 10% ethanol & 90% gasoline components which aren't 87 octane. The ethanol component is 114 octane & the gasoline component is 84 octane. Because none of the splayed E10 fuel octanes ARE 87 octane, it is not surprising that my last 5 cars with 87 octane designed gasoline engines have registered E0/E10 MPG ratios of 1.08%, 1.08%, 1.07%-1.08%, 1.07%, & 1.05%.

 

That's pretty consistent. And not much of a difference. I've seen some government statement, IIRC they say around 3%?

 

I've read several stories that people had emissions tests performed on their gasoline vehicles while burning ethanol-free gasoline(E0). Not only did they pass emissions, but were commended for engines with outstandingly good emissions results.

 

If you don't care how much money you spend on fuel......why drive a Prius to begin with???

The closest gas station to my office only sells E0 (according to THEM! )

I used to watch geezers on Harleys and boat owners line up on Saturday morning to pay fifty cents a gallon more for their gas.
Sometimes they would even put SeaFoam in with the alky-free gas.

Entertainment is where you find it....

So....
These days, some of the nicer stations are starting to sell E0, and sometimes.....Juuuuust sometimes you will find one that uses a separate hose on the pump for the non-hooched gas.....mostly because of something that a guy names PT Barnum once said....

I burned 2 back-to-back tanks of E0 in my company Prius and I didn't see any real-world difference.

YMMV.

 

Considering that E10 is only 10% added ethanol difference to ethanol-free gasoline(E0), a govt saying 3% & many many E0 users saying 5% to 8% (a few people say more), that is a major difference. That is why the "ethanol in gasoline industry" has sat on 10% E10 for years. People like Mendel Leisk say, "oh, its such a little bit". Meanwhile, the "ethanol in gasoline industry" skips along pouring billions of worthless gallons of ethanol into the nation's gasoline stocks & lobbying the gov't to penalize companies that produce E0. If it wasn't for the gov't penalties, E0 would be marginally more expensive than E10.

 

No everyone here will keep their Prius; sell it so they can careless about blow by and continue to go w/e10. But for those of us will drive it to the ground want to keep engine clean or keeping blow by low as possible, e0 will be best.