REC90 (0.0% ethanol) For The WIN!

[fixizin]

I guess the "loophole" for not having to sell (the FED.god inspired/subsidized SCAM known as) E10 is to market pure, unadulterated petrol as "recreational" fuel, e.g. for boats, ATVs, etc.

This "pure gas" is marketed (in FL anyway) as 'REC90' (recreational fuel, 90 octane). Occasionally you find REC91. Anyway, the classic car guys turned me on to this, but the closest station was too far out of my orbit to bother with. (Meanwhile, they'd be loading up the 5 gal. cans/racing fuel drums/etc. and stacking in their garages... lulz.)

Time (and markets) marches on, bingo, new station very close by, selling REC90... BUT, they would ALWAYS (it seemed) be out? I'm in Boater's Mecca, so I figured it was them. Turned out it was just new station + owner figuring out supply chain issues.

REC90 finally in stock all de time, so... ran me Ranger down pretty low, then took on 10 gallons... NICE! It's 10-11% higher in price, but yields 20% higher mileage--no brainer! Yes, my Ranger is Flex-Fuel (V VIN).

An added bonus is... it SMELLS like "real" gasoline... brings back memories.

As fate would have it, a new E85 station opened within reasonable range, so I'll probably try some of that on a near-empty tank, for compare and contrast.

 

[Earl43P]

We've got two rural convenience stores that sell zero ethanol, all grades.
I run it exclusively in my motorcycle and lawn equipment.

And pay 20cents more per gallon, to boot.

I hadn't heard of Rec90 though.

 

[Jfive]

Your trying to say that E10 gives you 20% worse mileage How do you figure. Now if you have a flex fuel vehicle, it can sense how much ethanol is in the fuel and adjust the fuel requirements. But at 85% ethanol you wouldn't even loose 20% mileage. I do think E10 should disappear and there should be more E85 at stations, but I always laugh when someone tries to say how bad there mileage is cause of 10% ethanol. I did multiple back to back mileage checks going on no ethanol gas for a while and regular E10, and didn't see a change. But how could I really as the computer just injects a certain amount of fuel in when you push on the peddle, and stops when you let off. The computer doesn't change injector pulse width or anything, cause your running more ethanol in the gas, so the only person you have to blame is yourself for having a lead foot, and not coasting to stop lights and such. I don't buy E10 in the winter usally, cause it doesn't start as good in the winter. Here E10 89 octane is the same price as no ethanol 87.

 

[JoshT]

Jfive, I'd say you got lucky. When I run non ethanol vs e10 it makes a big difference. The truck runs better, has more power, and goes further on a tank of non-ethanol fuel. I admit that I have not done actual calculations so I do not have MPG figures. I will follow that up by saying I do not drive better when running the non ethanol either, if anything I drive less efficiently because the better running and more power make it more fun to drive. I usually get high 200s mile range per tank when filling up on non-ethanol, and usually low 200s mile range when filling up on e10. I fill up at 1/4 tank every time. Last tank running e10 got me right at 190 miles. IIRC last tank of non-ethanol had me at around 270, but it's been a while so I don't recall exact number. Problem for me is the station is so far out of the way that going there to fill up isn't justified.

 

[fixizin]

Granted, a single 10-gal "sample" does not meet rigorous stds. for publication in a peer-reviewed journal (but it does make the math easy, lol)... however, real life numbers and "driver feel/experience" pretty much as JoshT reports, i.e. NOTICEABLE, bordering on dramatic.

Now if you have a flex fuel vehicle, it can sense how much ethanol is in the fuel and adjust the fuel requirements...

The computer doesn't change injector pulse width or anything, cause your running more ethanol in the gas...

BOTH of these statements canNOT be true. In fact, AFAIK, changing injector pulse width (aka "duty cycle") is EXACTLY what the ECM does in response to input from the (forget the acronym) ethanol-sensor in the high-pressure fuel line. Try again. (It probably also varies ignition timimg, etc.)

But at 85% ethanol you wouldn't even loose 20% mileage.

Well, we'll soon see about that. Most guys on TRS report way worse than 20% hit! I'm just thinking it will absorb/mop-up any water in my system, here in Humidity Land. Besides, I just feel "boring" for not having ever tried E85, in the 13+ years since I drover her off the lot.

I do think E10 should disappear and there should be more E85 at stations...

Why? You do know that corn-based-ethanol-as-fuel is a thermodynamic (and political... and FINANCIAL) SCAM, right? That it takes more net Energy INput than it yields... that only in Brazil (to date), with its EQUATORIAL latitude, and use of SUGAR CANE as feedstock, is ethanol actually viable... you DID know this... right? Oh... wait... are you a... subsidized CORN FARMER?

 

[stmitch]

In my experience, e85 increases performance, decreases pinging, and decreases mileage compared to gasoline or e10. Since I live in the corn belt, it's usually $.30/ gallon cheaper than regular unleaded though, so the lower cost balances out the loss of mileage. Since it costs pretty much the same to run either fuel, I choose e85 whenever I can since my truck runs so much better on it, and the alcohol keeps my fuel system and engine clean as a whistle.

If you've never tried e85 before, I'd phase it in slowly, by mixing it with normal fuel. If you put a full tank of e85 in right away, you may clog fuel linjectors or filter with junk being cleaned out of the fuel system.
You may not notice a night and day difference when switching from gasoline to e85, but switching back from e85 to gas was always a shock for me. The truck sounded different, and had worse performance overall after I'd gotten used to the e85.

 

[Jfive]

BOTH of these statements canNOT be true. In fact, AFAIK, changing injector pulse width (aka "duty cycle") is EXACTLY what the ECM does in response to input from the (forget the acronym) ethanol-sensor in the high-pressure fuel line. Try again. (It probably also varies ignition timimg, etc.)

I was referring to people that don't have factory E85 cars. As they don't have the sensor that tells the computer to increase fuel based on the % of ethanol in the fuel. It happens in the fuel rail, so it can change as the vehicle goes, and say you fill up with regular, it will change as soon as the mixture changes in the fuel line. How does a non Flex fuel vehicle lose mileage, when it doesn't have this sensor. You would be running lean, which could cause you to burn a valve or piston. E10 is not gonna hurt an engine, as most cars since the 80s are designed to accept up to E15. E85 has 105 octane vs 85 to 92 that most regular gas has. In some areas the price difference is big enough to offset the mileage loss. Some areas don't have as big of gap. I don't disagree that its not very cost effective for ethanol, but I still like that its a renewable race fuel.

 

[fixizin]

the alcohol keeps my fuel system and engine clean as a whistle.

... I'd phase it in slowly, by mixing it with normal fuel. If you put a full tank of e85 in right away, you may clog fuel injectors or filter with junk being cleaned out of the fuel system.

Ouch. That's a good "real world" consideration...

Down here the price diff is way too small to cover the mileage hit... so I better get some before their stock passes its "sell-by" date, stagnating in the underground tank, lulz. (Kidding... I'm sure the racing/tuner guys are lapping it up.)

Not sure what the shelf-life of E85 is vs. REC90, but I bet neither is nearly as good as DIESEL.

 

[Tedybear]

We've got pri unleaded here without the ethanol. It's just a game of smoke and mirrors. As for actually doing any good? Other then helping out corn farmers? It's actually kicked our MPG down slightly and fouls plugs with our older engines.

S-