Jackson Jambalaya

I'm a big believer. Ward's Texaco by UMC has it. I started using it and it's about 10% more expensive than ethanol gas, but I instantly get about 10% better gas mileage.

So does gas w/ethanol damage your engine?

If not, in light of the higher cost is it a better value?

(scientifically proved facts please, no opinions)

Gas with ethanol damages things like lawnmower engines, maybe boat engines.

I haven't heard anything definite about car engines. Apparently it's hell on rubber tubing, which causes further problems downstream. Accurate information would be appreciated.

Ethanol holds moisture and leaves a gummy residue if it sits for very long. Not as much of an issue in a car engine, a bigger problem in things like lawnmowers that only receive periodic instead of daily or near-daily use.

The mileage/cost ratio seems basically equivalent from most calculations. You'd have to refill more frequently with E10 gas, but the actual cost per mile shouldn't be much different.

Thanks !

If not, in light of the higher cost is it a better value?

(scientifically proved facts please, no opinions)

Go purchase a tank or two of the pure gas yourself and reach your own damn conclusion.

Ethanol breaks down quickly, as in a matter of weeks. I have had a major problem with my small engines when ethanol was used. The problem i had was the ethanol would cause small rubber/rubberized o-rings and seals to either swell or disentegrate. Most of those that swelled were the small seals for needle valves in carbureators and would swell so bad that the fuel supply was totally cut off. The seals that fell apart were also in the carbureators. Ethanol gas also lef a very gummy residue in engines that were not drained and winterized. The residue would not dissolve into regular gas but had to be cleaned with a parts soaking solution. My take, ethanol should NOT be used in any small engine that will sit for more that a couple of days unused. As for vehicles, I havent taken off my injector rail to check it... and I'm not sure i want to.

If you ever see a pump selling E85 (85%Ethanol) take a look at the nozzle. I have seen some heavily corroded. Hmmm.

Using FOOD to make fuel. Pretty damn stupid. And not even good fuel.

Can't disagree with much of anything that's been written. Anon at 10:03, here's some of the basics from a scientific viewpoint:

Ethanol contains about 66% of the Btu value of gasoline. Given that, it would seem that a gallon of pure ethanol would only get you 66% as far as a gallon of pure gasoline. Using a little arithmetic, I'd say that using E10 gasoline (which is what is widely available at gas stations right now) would result in a little more than a 3% decrease in gas mileage.

Many vehicles these days are Flex-Fuel, meaning they can utilize fuel that is up to 85% ethanol (aka E85, although I don't think any place in the state is selling E85 anymore). My truck is a Flex-Fuel vehicle, but I've never run E85 in it; given the energy content and all else being equal, I figured that E85 needed to be 25% cheaper than E10 in order to break even. Usually I saw it at prices that were, at best, 5-6% cheaper than E10.

If you're going to run E10 in a small engine (lawnmower, etc.) then it's best to put some sort of additive in there to protect against the moisture buildup mentioned above. I've had pretty good luck with such additives in my motorcycle.

My offshore boat left me stranded in the Mississippi sound when the fuel tap at the gas tank in the center of my boat broke off due to ethanol corrosion. It was 3.5 years old and I used additives that didn't help. Ethanol plays hell with Aluminum, causing it to corrode. I think that the government should stay the hell out of this issue. When you factor in all the diesel used to run tractors and petrochemical fertilizers to grow it, and electricity from coal fired plants to crack it and make sugar, ethanol actually uses more fuel than it saves. We would be better of mandating a national rail system to transport freight.

It wreaks havoc on motorcycles, because they tend to sit during the cold months. Ethanol attracts moisture, actually pulling moisture out of the air into the gasoline in the tank. The water, being heavier than gasoline, sits in the bottom of the tank. Very bad for motorcycle gas tanks. Use an additive and hope for the best. Sta-bil's website has a lot of information on this subject. I'm not a Sta-bil rep, but I have a 2012 H-D Ultra Limited, and I was warned at length about the damage they are seeing to motorcycles at the shop. Again, it's not so much burning the ethanol blend that is the problem...it's what happens when a bike sits, for relatively short periods. One other tip...keep your tank topped off. Less empty space in the tank leaves space for water vapor to accumulate, which happens with these crazy 80 degree days in November. Ditto quadrupled for you boat/jet ski owners.

Last time I checked Waring Oil at the intersection of old 49 and 80 also had an unbranded pure gasoline pump. Unsure of the octane rating.

I've learned my lesson the hard way re using crap gas in small outboard motors (from 9.9 to 25). That's my only experience but have put the hurt on three motors. Any motor mechanic will advise you against it and recommend ethanol free. It's worth the drive to find it if you're able to.

If you have Sta-bil in your garage, dispose of it safely and check out Yamalube.

Thought I'd take the plunge and filled up yesterday at Jackson Ice. They had all three octanes ethanol free as I use premium. Hope I don't ruin the engine. ;-)

I'm reminded of a Star Trek episode. The crew of the Enterprise couldn't figure out why the inhabitants of the planet were at war or why one half of the population felt superior to the other half as they all looked and behaved identically as far as the crew could tell. All of the people were half black and half white. Turned out that it depended on which side of their bodies was white or black.

Go to Hawkins Field and fill up on some 100 Octane leaded avgas. That should get your engines roaring.

What the hell is the relevance of the Star Trek comment?