winchman

There's a station in town selling gasoline they claim doesn't contain ethanol. The price is about 12 cents per gallon higher than stations selling gasoline marked "up to 10% ethanol". It's a small un-branded station, so I have no idea where they're getting the gas.

Does it make sense to spend the extra change for non-ethanol?

I tend to stay away from stations like that. Many years ago they had a reputation for selling crappy gas, but it's probably all crappy nowadays.

n7zfe

My neighbor has a 50's Chevy Nomad and a 57 Chevy pickup. He requires the no-ethanol gas because he says it doesn't corrode old seals and hoses. Modern vehicles should have no problem.

I usually don't care most of the time, but I like to patronize the local no-ethanol stations here in Boise occasionally just to support them. I like having the option. The price difference is a little less than what the OP is reporting.

Ethanol also attracts water. I store my 350Z during the winter, and make sure I fill it up with no-ethanol (plus Stabil of course) when I put it away in early November.

You will also get better miles per gallon with no-ethanol. Ethanol produces fewer BTUs of energy per gallon than gasoline during combustion, so it takes more fuel to go somewhere. I doubt the improvement is enough to make up for the difference in price the OP is seeing. I wonder what MPG the E85 users are seeing.

I've been told that the ethanol is mixed in with the gasoline when they're filling up the delivery truck at the terminal before taking it to the gas station. I don't believe ethanol is compatible with pipelines, so they can't mix at the refinery. They have to ship it by truck. If anyone has better info about this, I'd be interested.

VQ35deMax

iTrader: (6)

In my area, the price of gas with ethanol and without it is the same. So I get gas without ethanol.

Scooped350Z

I thought 92 and 93 octane does not contain ethanol.

plumpzz

iTrader: (10)

There would be about a 3% reduction in mpg.

Dealsgap

Its getting to the point where you can't find stations like this. The below website might help. Just put your particular state after "=".

As stated, ethanol is harder on older cars. I recently had to replace my injectors (@ $150.00 a piece) on my old 94 Maxima because we moved and I started using a different brand of gas unknowingly with higher ethanol levels.

My mechanic (which has always worked on my Maxima) told me it was because of the ethanol and the "older injectors" not being as "compatible".

http://pure-gas.org/index.jsp?stateprov=VA

dfresh713

iTrader: (2)

I wish they would move back to non-ethanol. In reality it's making gas prices higher.

n7zfe

As I understand it, adding ethanol actually improves the octane rating.

doshoru

iTrader: (3)

this.

dcastillo819

iTrader: (2)

Im running 93 octane with no ethanol from the shell gas station. But I will never purchase ethanol ever again. Used it once because I had to, and only put 10 dollars to get me to the next gas station on my 93 rx7 and couldn't go past 5k rpm's and it would smoke like a frieght train when I would shift gears. I have had a bad experiance with it and never again.

The_Laughing_Man

iTrader: (1)

sed

gregom

iTrader: (3)

I'm lucky I have two fuel stations that sell non-eth here in Boise on my route to and from work. I don't have my Z fixed up yet but my 83 RX7 runs like crap on E90/E85 so I pretty much have to run non-eth or it has all kinds of problems.

danisr1

iTrader: (5)

Ethanol also eats up outboard boat motors, not a fan