jfelbab

Here is an interesting article about Madison, WI service stations catering to those who don't want ethanol in their gasoline.

http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/biz/288841

I suspect the Ethanol lobby will soon win over the state legislature though so real gasoline will probably not be available for long here.

Lexmex

We have E10 here in Florida. Actually came into being in my area soon after I got here in mid-April. Already have some idle issues with it and the mileage has already tapered off about 2 mpg.

AM1

iTrader: (6)

not this again. another thread about octane. im not saying a thing this time!
does having e10 really lower your mpg that much?

nabbun

yess'em. i hate it

lexus114

Absolutely! Just as lexmex mentioned,about a 2.0 drop in milage

jfelbab

Take a read of what Ethanol is all about here:

http://www.energyjustice.net/ethanol/factsheet.html

Or view these video news reports:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPFE_IWlFNk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9QQcP_Y1II
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYxD9VIH4L8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeVT7jMYZlo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpf3C2EReVo

After review, I think you will conclude that Ethanol is a farce that is neither economical, good for the environment nor a sustainable source of fuel. It's good for tree-huggers who don't take the time to educate themselves as it gives them a cause. It's good for the large farmers. It's good for the oil companies as they get a federal subsidy to add it to their gasoline. You might also conclude that it is bad for us. It does next to nothing to wean us off of foreign oil and is polluting our environment more than real gasoline would. You might also notice it is using water from our rivers and aquifers at an unsustainable rate.

All that aside, it is easily demonstrable that since ethanol has 34% less energy per volume than gasoline you will get less mileage when you add it to your tank. For most people E10 will deliver 1-2 MPG less. E85 yields a 30% drop in miles per gallon.

CK6Speed

iTrader: (1)

When it comes to ethanol, the effects are immediate and apparent. Not like octane where you may or may not notice a difference, you may or may not experience knocking. When you switch to E10 from non ethanol gas, the difference is night and day (Not so much the power but in your gas mileage) immediately.

Boognish

Ironically, I know lots of tree huggers who all think corn based ethanol is a farce. As you have said, it is nothing more than a subsidy for farmers.

Bowlth

I use 89 in mine, but perhaps I am sacrificing gas mileage as I never get anywhere close to 18 mpg in the city. My 2008 RX 350 AWD typically avgs 14.5 - 15.0 all city driving and closer to 23 mpg on the highway.

lexus114

Regular vrs. premium is a matter of .20 cents per gallon difference.Thats 2.00 for 10 gallons of fuel,to me this is a no brainer.

AM1

iTrader: (6)

i know stations around here use ethanol in the gas. mayve that explains why everyone i know that owns an rx here in so cal has low mpg.

CK6Speed

iTrader: (1)

Not just the RX but any car. I believe it was April 2006 that our state started using E10. Up until that point we had no E10 anywhere. Over night I watched all my cars drop in mileage by about 2 MPG. I mean, one week I'm getting my usual 20-22 MPG on the RX with a cruising range of about 385 as indicated on the info screen (Usually fill up when I get around 330 miles on the trip meter), then all of a sudden the next fill up with E10 and each week thereafter I dropped to about 18 MPG and my info screen cruising range peaked at about 340 miles, and I would have to fill up at around 285 miles on the trip meter.

CK6Speed

iTrader: (1)

I agree. For me, when I lived 20 miles from work I used to fill up every week. Now I live 2.5 miles from work so I fill up about every 2 weeks. Even if I filled every week, at $0.20 more per gallon for premium, that is about $156 more a year (My average fill up is 15 gallons). At my current interval of every 2 weeks, its about $78 a year. For me that is not much. That is basically 1-2 golf games.

Heck, some people save money by putting in the cheaper gas which is just fine with me as that is their car, but then still are willing to pay $75 at the dealer for an oil change I buy the OEM filter from the dealer for $10, buy some synthetic Mobile 1 for $25 at Walmart, change the oil myself and that alone saves more money within a year than you save in gas.

The G Man

Thats depends on how much you think your time is worth. By the time you buy the oil and the filter and do the work. You are looking at about an hour worth of work to save about $35. Do you make more than $35 an hour at work? Not everybody enjoy doing work on their car. As far as the gas debate, if regular doesnt harm the car and they dont mind the lower horsepower, then it money in the pocket.

CK6Speed

iTrader: (1)

If you are worried about how much time its costing you which is probably about 30 minutes of your time, it would be surprising that one would be penny pinching about 20 cents a gallon difference in gas. For me, if you are into cost saving mode and are willing to save 20 cents here and there, you should also be willing to save a lot more in other areas of your car as well. Saving 20 cents in gas might be about $150 a year in savings. Changing your own oil ever 5K miles (At the Lexus recommended interval) will also save you about $150 a year.

Honestly, I personally feel it will take more time to actually drive to the dealer, wait for the service writer, sit down with them, have the dealership do the service, then take 30 minutes to change the oil yourself. Even if the dealership drops you off or gives you a loaner it still takes longer or at least the same amount of wasted time. The only difference is one you are wasting time doing the work yourself at home, and the other you are wasting time taking your car to the dealer and going through the service department.


As for how long it mat actually take to change the oil? Well, I personally usually buy the oil a head of time whenever I make a trip to Walmart or wherever. I generally already have a case or two waiting. I also generally buy oil filters when I happen to be at the dealership since I know I'll be changing it sometime in the future. That is zero down time for that since I collected the parts while on other business. Then the actual oil change time should take no more than 30 minutes. I usually take that long from start to finish including getting my tools out and putting it away.