E15 gas...good idea or bad?

uh yes and no, at least not at first. Originally it mostly appeared at stations in the mtns and some ag areas here with a dedicated pump was placed for those who want it for atvs, chain saws, off road, boats. Also at a couple of bulk fill places. When it first showed, it was only just a little more than the ethanol mixes, I suppose as a marketing thing, but that caught my attention so I tried a number of tanks...then the price differential suddenly spiked to a point where it was crazy expensive and that large spread has been there for a while. Needless to say it has become too rich for my blood and I do not check anymore.

 

Ive never put that in but why doea my cap say no e20 and up...seems like e15 is safe according to cap

 

What does your owner's manual say? Seems like it would be okay from the cap, maybe because you're driving a 3rd generation.

 

E10, E15, etc is the percent of alcohol in the gas. 10%, 15%, etc. If you run pure alcohol in an engine, you have to run twice as much fuel through the engine or the engine will melt down in a big hurry. (I've melted down a few 2 strokes on alcohol) My guess is that Toyota has figured out the the fuel system is only capable of providing the extra amount of fuel for gas containing 15% alcohol.

 

I know this is an older post, but I just wanted to give you some feedback on running ethanol free. I've been running it primarily. Around town I've seen about .5+ mpg increase and highway I've seen up 2+ mpg. Also I have a 2.5" lift and an ARB bumper. The best I've mpg was 22mpg. In the winter it doesn't matter. I definitely have noticed that my taco has a little more response than when I step on it than regular gas.

 

Stick too regular gas and save yourself the trouble.

 

In my opinion... E15 is flirting with disaster on an industrial scale. The EPA has approved E15 for use "in 2001 and newer cars, light-duty trucks, medium-duty passenger vehicles (SUVs), and (of course) all FFVs by the U.S. EPA." To me, this means that serious fuel problems in older vehicles are unlikely but not impossible. This is still a huge issue because fuel-related problems can cause injury or death. The bottom line is that nearly none of the "regular" gasoline (i.e. not flex-fuel) vehicles through model year 2020 have been approved *BY THE MANUFACTURER* for anything over E10. (Automakers have approved 95% of 2021 models for use of E15.) So for vehicles made 2001-2020, the EPA says yes but the automakers say no. I hope this does not end up becoming a national crap-fest, but I suspect that it will be. Plus, first we are forced to choke down E10, and now E15... how much ethanol is enough? How slippery is this slope and how far is the government going to push ethanol? Aren't there other ways to improve air quality? Dammit.

 

Haven't read all these posts, I got tired of reading. Just say'in I saw my first 88 or E15 or whatever a few weeks ago at a new local stn. I got really confused, there were 6 different selections of what fuel I wanted, then there were 4 different hoses (nozzles). I'd never seen that many selections nor that many hoses before. Trying to figure that stuff out I read on the 88 or E15 sticker to use in any auto produced after 2001. It said do not use on other smaller engines. Not sure but thought they meant not to use in motorcycles, lawn mowers, outboards, etc. I finally settled for 87 octane less than 10% ethanol, & use the hose with the black handle. If that wasn't bad enough I went inside for a cup of coffee. I couldn't figure the coffee machine out either, Finally got assistance & he had to push 4 different buttons just to get me a cup of plain old reg. coffee. I must be getting behind on this technology stuff.

 

I try to use Top Tier gas here in Iowa. QT and Kwik Star have it and I also got confused at their pump and put in 15% in by mistake but they also sell non alcohol Premium which I might try,

 

Gonna give this thread a bump. Anyone else concerned about the recent Biden legislation that now requires 15% ethanol? Are there any fuel stabilizers or additives that could combat this?

 

Ethanol content analyzer, is about the only way to safely adapt to that change. That is quite a bit of work, if your vehicle never came with that.

 

His action doesn't require selling 15%, it only allows the 15% to be sold during the summer when it normally isn't due to emissions issues. 15% is normally just a winter fuel blend. His action loosens the regulation from the EPA.

For what it's worth I've burned 15% in my 2015 without an issue, (according to the gas cap it's ok by toyota) in fact I saw a little increase in my miles per gallon. Your mileage may vary, it wasn't much but it was about a .5 - 1 mile per gallon increase.

 

I’ve always heard rich ethanol blends will destroy rubber components in equipment engineered to run on 0-10% ethanol. Quick Google search confirmed what I was told growing up:

ethanol dries out the rubber components in a fuel system. This leads to cracking and brittle fuel lines, floats, seals and diaphragms.