Most of California's major refiners plan to switch pollution-reducing fuel additives early next year from MTBE to ethanol.
Is this going to affect our L's performance

"The amount of ethanol required to oxygenate gasoline so that it burns more cleanly is less than the MTBE that is being replaced so the difference must be made up with gasoline."

 

If anything, I think it would be BETTER... You're getting more fuel per gallon with the oxidized gas. Should see a slight MPG improvement, too! (you know, like a few hundredths )

 

as if our crappy 91 octane isn't bad enough.....for crying out loud why

 

I'm so depressed!

 

Actually Oxygenated fuel is the reverse of this. It's less HP and Less MPG.

 

Holeshot is correct. We get the MTBE crap here for winter fuel. Mileage, performance and fuel filters all suffer.

 

If you do get the methanol additive you will like it better is more resist to ping since it cools the cyl.Mileage will be about the same.BUT you will find that you will be changing your filter more because it also cleans your fuel system out but it also cleans the storage tanks at the stations out too.Stan
PS roundy rounders here run straight methanol with over 15 to 1 compression.

 

That's correct - but they already HAVE oxygenated fuel there. They're just getting a NEW, IMPROVED oxygenated fuel. Read the post better.



We have oxygenated fuel in NJ, too - MTBE. That's what they USED to have ALL THE TIME in CA. NOW, they'll have a better fuel, with ethanol added for the oxygenation effect. There is MORE fuel per gallon, and LESS of the additive. That would definitely equate to better gas mileage.

 

Friend who own a gas station says to expect about 10 percent reduction in fuel economy. Shelf life will be way less, too. Skip

 

Silver Bolt,

The gasoline in the winter months is actually blended with Ethanol, not MTBE. This is done between the 1st of November and the end of February. Ethanol fuel is used to cut back on the emmisions during the winter months when they can be abnormally high. Fuel mileage will hardly even be noticed, with some experiencing a little more, while others will see a slight drop.

The first year this fuel was used in this area, fuel filter probelms were quit common, especially on older cars, but newer vehicles and most cars that have run this gas befoore, very seldom have much of a problem with fuel filters now.

The only areas affected are certain boundary areas in and around the Portland Metropolitan area. Cities outside these boundaries can continue to sell the regular gasoline. Vancouver stations use to sell the blended fuel also, but I believe they have lowered their emmisions enough to not have to sell the oxygenated fuels during the winter months.

What part of town do you live in?

 

NAVI,
I am in Sherwood just South of Portland. I thought the same thing until I filled up at a 76 station the other day. The attendent was applying decals to the pumps warning that the fuel contained MTBE. I asked of course he didn't no anything more than winter fuel. I was thinking they banned MTBE due to it being a carcenigen(sp?). Either way I now my mileage drops this time of year. I change my fuel filters at each oil change anyway so that's not an issue with mine.

 

Hmmm? Unocal must still be using MTBE then. That's unusual as most all of the other suppliers in our area use Ethanol. California is phasing MTBE out by the end of 2003, and possibly sooner, so more than likely Ethanol will be the only available additive for fuel blending here. I'll have to check into that.

I have a friend that owns the Chevron station at 6 Corners in Sherwood and I have a lot of accounts in that neck of the woods also. Glad to see another Oregonian on the forum here.

 

Back before I got my first Lightning (April 2000) they switched to MTBE in the gas here. I had a Lexus LS400. Once they made the switch I noticed a considerable differance in milage.

Besides the poor milage, MTBE is aweful stuff. The reason it is being phased out is because the stuff is worse than spent nuc fuel rods. It has poisioned the ground water throughout all of CA. Bad stuff.

All the Unocal 76 stations here in Lost Angeles no longer have MTBE and have switched to Ethanol. I was hoping to see an increase in mileage with this fuel over the MTBE crap, but no such luck.

k

 

MTBE is one form of oxygenation. Ethanol is another. However, it's near impossible for a motor to adjust itself for this "lean" effect that such additives bring with them. This creates for "wonderfull" engine life as well. Thanks CARB! You morons!

CARB knew before even releasing MTBE, that it had dire health implications. They had proof of that nearly 3 years later and still they pushed on to mandate it and encourage other States to follow suit. Not until it was a media storm, how bad MTBE was did CARB ACTUALLY do anything.

They claimed it was for cleaner air. In reality, they were fully aware of the limitations and dangers MTBE carries. Only OFA pulled the wool over the public's eyes and worked in colusion with CARB.

CARB is idiots. Pure and simple.

Ethanol, at least, is better on the enviroment and going to be as messy with an engine. There's a reason manufacturers will only stand behind fuel with less then 10% Ethanol mixture being used in their vehicles.

 

Ethanol, at least, is better on the enviroment and going to be as messy with an engine. There's a reason manufacturers will only stand behind fuel with less then 10% Ethanol mixture being used in their vehicles.

And if that is so, then they will blend it to those specs. It's been used for several years and other than the initial fuel filter problems, it has been used without much problem.