ethanol free gas vs ethanol mix gas??? for tacoma

Unfortunately my entire State forces us to use Ethanol (thanks lobbyists & career politicians!).

For my track bikes I run 100LL (AvGas).

I'm thinking about taking all of my fuel containers to PA to the nearest gas station that sells 'real' fuel for my Taco.

 

I used this database to make a list of service stations along my usual routes:
http://www.pure-gas.org/

 

Here in Georgia, we have grocery stores (Ingles and Kroger) that also have service stations. Using an Ingles or Kroger "savings" card earns you points which are converted to cents off of each gallon of gas. While the stations at the grocery stores don't carry ethanol free gas, you can often find another station carrying the same brand fuel as well as ethanol free (for me, it's Shell), and for now, the pumps will apply the savings to the ethanol free gas too. It's relatively low right now, and getting .10 cents off each gallon saves me an additional couple of bucks too. Add to this, I get my fuel reimbursed at .29 cents a mile, and it's a no-brainer for me to go ethanol free. My engine ticks less, doesn't lag from stop-starts, sounds smoother and seems to idle slightly lower at cruising speed. Prior to my lift and upsized tires, my range was 422 miles max to a tank. After my lift, my mileage dropped big time (see: A/T tires as the culprit). Using ethanol free fuel consistently, my tank range has increased from 310-325 miles to 360-385 miles, depending on route and my driving habits. I've also done the Volant CAI with scoop and magnaflow catback exhaust, so these factors probably contribute to my numbers as well.

 

In Ontario, we can only get E0 gas on the premium 91 octane grades. So that puts us in a dilemma somewhat.

So...
run 91 octane and get the benefit of E0 gas

or

run 87 octane, what the truck was tuned for, and put up with E10 sh$t in the blend

So in the end, what's worse, 91octane in the tacoma or E10 blend crap?

 

As a side note, I run nothing but ethanol free 91 octane in all my carb-based lawn and garden equipment. I've seen a carb diaphragm in my stihl chainsaw turn cardboard stiff and convinced it because of the ethanol in today's 87 octane blends. Never had that problem before ethanol was introduced.

 

Run 91 pure if you don't mind the price difference @HV_Taco

 

I drive ~50 miles RT each day to/from work. 80% highway, 20% city. I do 75 on the freeway and 45-50 in the city streets with plenty of stop lights.

• 87 with Ethanol: Average 21-22 per trip and same MPG per tank.
• 87 w/o Ethanol: Average 24-25 per trip and same MPG per tank (today had 25.3mpg).

The ethanol free is about $.50 more per gallon (Race Trac and Marathon by me both have it). I don't care about the price breakdown - I like less fill ups and not putting corn in my engine. Also use the EF fuel on my lawn equipment and motorcycles.

 

Same here. I have all Echo small engine stuff and I keep a canister of high octane ethanol free gas especially for them. No sense in running $1,200 of equipment into the ground in 2-3 years.

 

I have a 1975 Honda motorcycle. I've had nothing but carb trouble since ethanol gas was mandated. The NEXT time I rebuild the carbs, replace fuel lines and filters, I'm only running high octane ethanol free gas through it.

 

I've seen 89 EF at Foodland pumps, but not Hele. About .50/gal different between 87 E-10 and 89 EF at Foodland.

 

You are not alone . I had the same problem with a 73 Honda Cl 350 and a 78 Firebird 400 . When they started with the ethanol , the alcohol in the fuel acts as a cleaner an loosens all the varnish in the tank and lines then it dries and the needle valves stick for the carb floats and the older rubber parts either melt or stiffen up and crack.
To this day I will not use ethanol in small engines /boat motors /old cars or anything that sits over winter or does not use a tank of fuel a month. I used to drive a 80 mile round trip to fill up 7- 5 gallon gas cans in the fall , treat them with stabil , and fill the stored items for winter and run the rest out of fuel .
Always put stabil in the noncorn gas in the above stuff as well . Stopped having problems since then in the 1990's .
At the time there was the MTBE crap they had ............... Dam EPA @$^&I%*%*& payed off cronies!

 

Hele in kalihi by Kam shopping center it's 2.89 a gallon.

 

you must live in one of the monsanto bought states

 

thats pretty cheap. 3.05 or something here on king street . im gonna check them out next time in kalihi.

 

$3.19 here I believe. 91 pure

 

Any data on better get up? Dyno runs or anything like that?

 

Nope. Just data from my ass in the seat.

 

I would be interested to see some info if anyone has it. I've had the carb trouble on small engines and run the high octane EF stuff in them now, but would love to see some independent data about fuel economy and power output.
In my opinion, driving habits seem to have a much bigger impact on fuel economy, so some scientific data would be great to read.

 

I would love to see that too. Would be a great experiment.

 

Corn squeezins just aren't as efficient as gas. Pure alcohol cars don't get as good a mileage.



As far as lawn equipment and ATVs, mine run fine on it..... Been doing it for years. I do run the carbs dry at the end of the season though.