Not to say I care too much about this whole gas mileage thing, I think I would lose my mind if I did... but I've been noticing whenever I fill up with 10% Ethanol fuel, I get WAY better gas mileage...

Putting common sense into the equation, I can only assume that ethanol mixed fuel is thicker, therefore harder to burn...

Any experiences with this, or am I just crazy?

 

i wouldn't put ethanol into the TC. don't u need to have an engine that supports ethanol? i might be wrong

 

^some gas has actually 10% ethanol mixed with it... termed gasohol..

i noticed that too.... that's why i only put gasohol in my tc for better miilage..

i dunno why i get better milage w/ gasohol.. maybe someone here knows...

 

i thought only FFV cars accepted gasohol. that is w/o any engine side-effects

 

i believe summer mix gas has ethanol in it. correct me if im wrong.

 

Pretty much all gasoline (at least for us in the midwest) can have up to 10% ethanol mixed in. Ethanol actually reduces your mpg but also has the wonderful benefit of burning cleaner. In some cases, 89 octane gas (Unleaded Plus/Silver) is cheaper in the midwest due in fact that it contains ethanol vs. pure gasoline.

The Fuel Flexable Vehicles (FFV) are actually capable of using E-85, which consists of 85% ethanol. It's just an alternative fuel source which is also better for the environment. Unfortunately performance and mpg do take a hit.

 

oh

 

also... our tc is capable of handling a gasohol mixture of 10% ethanol.. nothing higher than 10%.. as stated in the owners manual...

 

most gas comes with 10% ethanol. its a state law in WA.

It was a political issue for a while earlier this year (around April) when Bush said that it is no longer a requirement to put ethanol in gas so gas should become cheaper since ethanol costs more money and people would have to fill up less.

ref: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...toryId=5362367
ref2:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/04/25/bush.energy/

 

Ethanol is typically in winter mixes, because it reduces the ill effects from water condensation in your gas tank (the product Dry-Gas is primarily ethanol). Ethanol also contains less energy than gasoline does. The two camps spin the chemistry of ethanol differently. Some site the lower "energy content" in ethanol to reduce mileage, while other say 10% ethanol increases "combustion efficiency" leading to better mileage. Personally, I've noticed mileage decrease when on the 10% blend, but I believe NJ runs it all the time now so no more testing.

Sources:
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/031128.html
http://autorepair.about.com/od/generalinfo/a/050205.htm
http://pdftohtml.spiritofanime.com/p...onomyStudy.pdf

 

I always put ethanol in my car. Farmers need all the help they can get and ethanol plants pay above-market value for corn. (My dad farms)

 

Ethanol will work with the tC. All we have here in VA is 10% mix. We have no choice but to use it. If it wasnt compatible with some cars, I doubt an entire region would sololy use it.

 

Most people see a decrease in mileage when they run ethanol. My father’s mileage went down 10% when he switched to E85. But since E85 is cheaper he actually comes out ahead.

I wouldn’t mind if they made a conversion kit for tCs to run E85. Even if it becomes more expensive than gasoline, I’d rather my fuel money stayed in the country instead of getting sent overseas to countries that would rather see us dead. But then again, if we were no longer their biggest customers…….

 

here in florida you have to be a nimrod to buy e85. i work at a lincoln mercury dealership and all the -6 and 07 town cars and grand marquis are flex fuel. people ask us all the time where the e85 stations are and theres only three i think in florida(miami, cape canaveral, tallahasse). but if you do the math, the mileage you lose out on with e85 plus the cost of it its not work it. just stick with the goold ol 87

 

E10 is going to work; its the new standard for gasoline across the nation. You don't have a choice anymore whether to put that in or not.

E85, on the other hand, is what you may call "ethanol" instead of regular gasoline. Our cars won't do too well with that, or at least its not supposed to.

 

I already solved the issue.
1 Tank E-85
1 MAG1 Octane Booster

34MPG

However, power was drawn from the engine on the higher end of acceleration. Most likely due to the thickness of the ethanol. Was 2.80$ /gallon

End solution.... don't use Ethanol based fuels other then the regular, plus or supreme w/ the 10% added...

 

All cars sold in the US have to be able to run 15% Ethanol fuel I think. Running anymore on a car thats not designed for it will wreck your fuel system though. Ethanol is more corrosive than gasoline.

 

My gas station pump in fine print says contains 15% ethanol. The special engines are for 85% ethanal. BTW ethanal has a higher octane level in case ur wondering y you need a diff engine

 

My gas station pump in fine print says contains 15% ethanol. The special engines are for 85% ethanal. BTW ethanal has a higher octane level in case ur wondering y you need a diff engine

 

My gas station pump in fine print says contains 15% ethanol. The special engines are for 85% ethanal. BTW ethanal has a higher octane level in case ur wondering y you need a diff engine