PeterJ63

Does it harm the engine & fuel lines of my 2008 RX 350 to use 0% Ethanol gasoline? Is there an advantage to use it over premium gasoline?

Carver

Ethanol is a scam. There is not one good thing about it. You actually burn more gasoline because corn ethanol isn't as efficient as the sugar ethanol. It's hard on your engine, causes more pollution that is affecting the water table and it costs more. Ethanol does exactly the opposite of what we were sold. If you can get ethanol free fuel do so immediately, your car and wallet will thank you.

RX330inFL

Actually, in many regards the reverse is true, PeterJ63. Why you cannot run gas with ethanol in old vehicles, boats, etc. without having to replace a lot of rubber pieces if it can be done at all. The more ethanol the more it eats up O-rings, seals, hoses -- anything it touches -- depending on the type rubber used. New vehicles are designed to not have a problem in using the up to 10% ethanol (E10) fuels of today. There was talk about increasing the amount of ethanol to 15% (E15). Let us hope it does not go anywhere. No telling what damage might be done with the higher amounts.

I keep ethanol-free gas available for use in my tractor and other equipment out here on the farm as well as for my classic vehicles. For my RX I run just regular pump gas (E10). It was designed to handle E10 fuel and since I would not have access to ethanol-free in my travels I might as well just stick with what I can get. Saves more for the other stuff.

The following site will show you which ethanol-free gas stations might be in your area:

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

You may even find that your RX runs better and gives you higher MPG on ethanol-free 89 octane than 93 octane E10. So, do not hesitate to experiment with what you have available in your area.

1koolfella

iTrader: (1)

I thought the purpose of Ethanol was to combine with the water in the fuel tank and then burn it off during the combustion stage. I was under the impression that water in the fuel system is almost as bad as contaminants. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Carver

Ethanol's propensity to retain water is one of it's worst properties, problem being, it has already retained water before it hits your fuel system. Your fuel system had to be 'ethanol proofed' in order to prevent the corrosion it would otherwise cause.

RX330inFL

Ethanol replaced the use of MTBE in gas as a means to oxygenate the fuel and help make it completely burn during combustion. MTBE is nasty stuff and was getting into our water and food system much like what happened with lead when we putting that stuff in our tanks.

Yes, ethanol is hygroscopic. It is the reason why it cannot be transported in pipelines along with the gasoline itself. Instead, it must be transported in tanker trucks or by railcar.

Yes, ethanol is corrosive. However, only a little in these concentrations. As stated above, ethanol is "oxygenated." What do you call oxygenated iron? Rust. Gasoline is corrosive as well even when ethanol-free. Ethanol is a better solvent and so its propensity to dissolve attack fiberglass and certain types of rubber. The bigger problem in using ethanol is its hygroscopic properties. By attaching itself to water it is more likely to cause rust in metal gas tanks. But it is the water doing most of the damage.

The use of ethanol in concept is not a bad idea. However, as Carver pointed out we use corn based ethanol here in the US thanks to big-Ag. Brazil is the largest user of ethanol fuel and theirs comes mostly from sugarcane. A better choice would be to produce ethanol from switchgrass. Much of the recent increase in food costs over the last decade here in the US is due to competition for corn. The higher price for corn means higher prices on most every other food product.

Carver

Ethanol production has played hell with US grain exports because so much land has (and is ) been converted to corn. Ethanol was a political play all the way, big agra and the greens, what a team,

jfelbab

I live just 5 miles inside the mandated Ethanol use boarder. I routinely use Ethanol free gas and have for most of the past 10 years. I note that I get an additional 1-1.5 MPG with pure gasoline. I also am required to have my vehicle emission tested and the results are identical no matter which gas I have in the tank. I suspect the computers in modern engines have a way of adjusting to burn clean on either form of fuel.

I see no benefit of using Ethanol outside of the AG industry.

I see plenty of downside. Ethanol is made from a food grain. We are converting other cropland to corn just to sell it to run our vehicles. While the world relies on the US grain production to feed itself, they watch us burn it in our cars. Large amounts of forestland are being converted to grow corn. This outweighs the claimed effect of lower carbon pollution of ethanol. Ethanol production also uses a great deal of water and all across our country ground water levels are diminishing in some areas dangerously so.


FWIW, A couple of good reads on Ethanol:
http://www.edmunds.com/fuel-economy/...n-the-way.html
http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2011/03...ter-resources/

lexus114

The sickening part of all this is, todays vehicles all ready burn fuel as cleanly as mechanically possible. So like Carver mentioned, it`s all Bull****!!