1. Its the same here. Take out corn and charge more. That crap needs to go away. Your fuel mileage will go up 20% without corn. Ethonol does zero for emissions.

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   1. Ethanol isn’t supposed to do anything for emissions, regardless of whatever bill was being sold.

      It’s supposed to progressively replace oil with a “cheap” and “renewable” alternative that’s even more lucrative for the elites.

      That it’s not good for engines — indeed, some higher-end engines don’t tolerate it at all — which will force consumers to either replace cars (maybe even EVs, but good for business either way) or not drive (good for Green initiatives) is a win-win bonus.

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      1. Oxygenated fuels are supposed to make engines run leaner, reducing emissions of carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons.
         Just one little detail: modern engines, having oxygen sensors, will see through the trick and just use more fuel to compensate.
         And some additives can have highly perverse results: shortly after the authorities (EPA or state, I don’t recall which) mandated inclusion of MTBE in the super-duper-oxygenated fuel for CA, my ’89 Jeep started emitting large quantities of unburned hydrocarbons directly from the fuel rail, bypassing the engine (and emissions-control doodads) entirely. Because who bothers with materials compatibility testing, and besides, who’s still driving a car that has seals made of the old materials? (Never mind that any car old enough that oxygenated fuel will reduce emissions is old enough to have old materials in the fuel system.)

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2. Lucky. Local stations that offer the Sugar Free gas are a good bit closer to a dollar above the regular E10 gas. It’s all I use in my storage and small engine stuff. Not replacing another carburetor again . . .

   I know my truck is good for better gas mileage with it and that makes me hate the damn ethanol bullshit even more.

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3. I keep several cans of Baptist gas in the barn, mainly for the lawnmower – safer for small-engine fuel systems, and also I think it stores better (haven’t had any trouble running equipment on 6-month-old fuel).
   I keep thinking I should try feeding it to the Prius, to see what that would to do gas mileage.
   (Latest reports indicate that corn ethanol has, overall, 20% or so higher CO2 emissions than actual gasoline. And it’s a net energy drain, like so many “green” things. But it brings in the Iowa vote!)

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4. Yep, the real gasoline is more expensive everywhere it’s available.

   It’s the only thing I run through my small engines because it doesn’t have or pull water out of the air.

   Keeps longer, too.

   But man, the diesel prices are freaking crazy.

   It’s nice to have a very efficient diesel car, but the fill-ups are getting to be painful.

   5

   1. Yeah, pump diesel is nuts. My old diesel Rabbit ran great on waste veg oil cut 4:1 with Coleman fuel.

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5. My boat runs like shit on the alcohol fuel. Ethanol free is the way to go. I haven’t tried it in a vehicle.

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   1. Even more important for your boat, ethanol fuel is hygroscopic and will damage your fuel system even more quickly than in a car.

      Carbureted vehicles run like shit on it for multiple reasons, firstly due to it changing the the tuning (stoichiometric ratio and jetting are different), and secondly (but significantly for me since I encounter hot weather) because it increases vapor lock dramatically. For both reasons, I’m converting my ’57 Chevy to fuel injection soon.

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   2. Oh, have a look at getting a water separating fuel filter funnel.

      It’s a good idea to use it with even the good gas depending on where you buy it.

      There’s a couple of different sizes, from a small that’s great for small engines and lawn mowers, to one that will work as fast as the pump.

      I think the ones I have is a “Mr. Funnel” branded from Amazon.

      https://youtu.be/5exQCUaBc7I

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6. Yes, it is. Ethanol (via corn) has significant subsidies, so is cheaper.

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7. Well, the other engineers and chemists here have already mentioned the major disadvantages of EtOH-contaminated fuel except for the deleterious effect of EtOH on rubber parts (gaskets, o-rings, etc.). Of course, there’s a whole second set of negatives when you look at distortions in the market for corn caused by use for EtOH–it drives up food and feed prices, and drives farming operations to grow corn on land that may be more suitable for other crops, and disincentivises crop rotation on said land.

   I’ve heard that using sugar cane in EtOH production makes some economic sense, but using corn makes none at all….

   5

   1. Using sugar cane would make more sense; it’s the sugar that gets processed into alcohol, so it reasons that starting with a higher, purer sugar content makes better, purer alcohol.

      But the food industry is far too in love with adding sugar to everything to give up their supply (think how much sugar the soft drink industry alone uses), and corn is cheap and plentiful (and wins votes in Midwestern states), so….

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8. Old age alert!!! I remember back in 1970-72 when unleaded gas came out. It was cheaper than leaded gas “because we don’t have to add the lead to the gas”. AS SOON AS THE CARS WERE REQUIRED TO HAVE UNLEADED gas, the price jumped way above leaded. Business/government/fascist leftists have been lying about a LOT of things, for a LONG time. No change coming down the pike, either.
   FWIW…..As a side note, living in the Texas gulf coast region, I store gas for emergencies, like hurricanes/piss poor electrical system/drunks taking out power poles/etc. I use Stabil in my storage cans, with the ethanol gas, without any problems from my generator/lawnmower/car. Got lazy (lazier) a few years ago and didn’t rotate my storage, used two year old gas in my generator and car without ANY problems at all.

   4

   1. Yup, that always confused me: simplify the production process and reduce raw materials costs by leaving out an ingredient, and then charge more for it.

      And back then a lot of us had older cars that needed the lubrication so we had to pay even more to buy the lead additive to put back into the more expensive unleaded gas.

      Unfortunately, there are no gas stations around that sell ethanol free gas where I live. There are boat docks where you can get it to fill gas cans but it’s pretty expensive and not exactly practical to fill a car (or truck) from. I’m honestly not sure why that is. I don’t know of any local ordinances prohibiting it and there are gas stations in the state that sell ethanol free, just not within reasonable driving distance.

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9. From an energetics sense, a fuel makes sense when you get more energy out of it than you put into making it.
   .
   Brazilian sugarcane ethanol fuel is good in this context. I’ve seen studies that indicate corn ethanol in the US just barely breaks even, and others that say it doesn’t, but comes close; but regardless. If the margin is so small it’s arguable, it’s not worth the trouble.

   2

10. Obligatory links here:
    https://www.pure-gas.org/
    https://trufuel50.com/

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11. I remember how 10 years ago we were told using corm for ethanol was a temporary thing, and soon we would be using agricultural waste like corn stalks and wheat stalks instead.
    .
    Well where is it?

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12. I have never seen ethanol-free gas at New England gas stations. It shows up at the local lawnmower etc. shop in gallon cans. So far my lawn mowers seem to do ok on regular adulterated fuel.

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    1. It’s all I buy here on the coast in Maine. If I forget to drain it out of lawnmower before winter, it’ll still start up just fine come spring. And I’ve used three year old gas (with pri-g) with no issues whatsoever. I pay a premium for it, normally 30-40¢ more per gallon compared to regular, but only 10-15¢ more than the comparable octane rating, and it works out in mileage to be at worst a wash. Bugs the hell out of my boss I won’t fill my personal vehicle or gas cans at our company gas station though. Not enough for him to start carrying real gas though.

13. Only 40 cents more per gallon?

    Around here non-ethanol gas costs around a dollar more per gallon. The 20% increase in fuel efficiency didn’t cover the price difference for most people (though it might soon). It’s primarily available for modded or “performance” engines that need non-ethanol fuel because they run like junk on E10 gas, and the gear-heads and horsepower nuts (read: amateur “street racers”) obsessed with their cars and with money to burn (almost literally, in this case).

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14. Just had a random thought: is aviation gasoline no-ethanol? I wonder if that’s a plausible option.

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15. Centennial airport, Centennial Colorado, Signature Flight Service.

    Fuel and Service Rates
    $6.35
    100LL Full Service
    Piston Infrastructure Fee
    $5.00
    Single Engine Piston Handling
    $39.00
    Light Twin Piston Handling
    $99.00
    Heavy Twin Piston Handling
    $99.00
    So Not A Deal.

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