Ethanol Blend Question
 

Hello,
I know the question about the proper octane has been asked to death, but I've got a different angle. A local station where I usually fuel up offers 87 Octane (ethanol-free), and an 89 Octane that is 10% ethanol. The twist is, the 89 is $0.10 to $0.15 cheaper than the 87. I know a little about the E-85 fuel that is starting to show up, and that your vehicle has to be specifically built for that fuel, but does 10% ethanol do any harm to any engine components or decrease fuel mileage or power? Of course, I would prefer to buy the cheaper one (like at $3.15+, what's another dime?), but not if I'm hurting my truck. Oh, by the way, it's a '98 SuperCab Lariat 2wd, 4.6 w/ 5-sp manual, with 114k miles. No mods, just a new set of plugs and mostly trouble-free driving. Thanks for the feedback.

Fordman3

a lot of stations are going with the 10% mix

it will not hurt anything ..its actually good..cleaner
but it used to cost more $$$ to make than it was worth


that was then this is now

you will see more and more in the future i'm sure

...zap!

Ethanol doesn't provide near the fuel effeciency or the "energy" that non blended fuel does.

https://www.f150online.com/forums/sh...hlight=ethanol

Been using it here in Colorado for years in the winter months ( mandatory in the Denver area because of the brown cloud ). Burns cleaner but the fuel mileage SUCKS!

It's ok to use up to 10% blend in most vehichles.
The fuel milage is another issue.
The 'eth' adds oxygen to the combustion process allowing more complete combustion.
The effects of this is detected by the oxygen sensors.
What do they do? They return the detection signal of extra oxygen in the exhaust gas and in turn increase the amount of fuel trying to get the fuel system back to the calibrated air/fuel ratio of 14.7 to 1.
End result is more fuel burned.
How much better off is the emmisions, from the 'eth'? Not that great.

Hey guys,
Thanks for the tips. I actually have noticed no drop in fuel mileage since using this 10% blend. My 2wd 4.6 5-sp SuperCab gets 19-ish mpg on a long, steady interstate cruise, and even holds at 16.5 to 17 with mixed town/cruising trips. And that's with 3.55's, with the A/C on. If I could improve on that mileage by using the non-blended 87, it might be worth the extra $$? Thanks again.

Fordman3

When I lived in southern Illinois they blamed the high gas price on it being a 10% ethanol blend. You could cross the border and save at least $0.25 a gallon. Its good to hear that it is cheaper now. Of course, Illinois being the tax-friendly place that it is, I am sure none of that extra cost was in taxes. :rolleyes:

The blend is likely cheaper due to .gov subsidies. It's neat in concept, but it still doesn't have the bang for the buch that gas does.