[Quinny]

Our local supermarket has recently started selling Ethanol fuel - E85. It cost 79.9 cents as opposed to 1.51. I know it's no panacea, just looking to save money. I'm not happy with the use of agricultural products to produce fuel, but can't afford to not save money.

It's supposed to be 30% less efficient than normal fuel.

I've started trying to 'wean' my car onto it and started with 25% e85 75% petrol now 75% E85 25% petrol. Haven't seen any noticeable problems yet and haven't changed anything on car which is a Mitsubishi.

Thought I'd share experience as I'm saving quite a bit of money and also ask for any practical advice. Don't really want to delve into political correctness or it's appropriateness as a transition technology, just wondered if it can screw my car up and also if it's available in other parts of the world?

[Subjectivist]

If you get a turbo compressor installed on your engine you can make up a lot of the difference in fuel efficiency.

[Subjectivist]

Our local supermarket has recently started selling Ethanol fuel - E85. It cost 79.9 cents as opposed to 1.51. I know it's no panacea, just looking to save money. I'm not happy with the use of agricultural products to produce fuel, but can't afford to not save money.

It's supposed to be 30% less efficient than normal fuel.

I've started trying to 'wean' my car onto it and started with 25% e85 75% petrol now 75% E85 25% petrol. Haven't seen any noticeable problems yet and haven't changed anything on car which is a Mitsubishi.

Thought I'd share experience as I'm saving quite a bit of money and also ask for any practical advice. Don't really want to delve into political correctness or it's appropriateness as a transition technology, just wondered if it can screw my car up and also if it's available in other parts of the world?

From Wikipedia,

Fuel economy
In theory, all fuel-driven vehicles have a fuel economy (measured as miles per US gallon, or liters per 100 km) that is directly proportional to the fuel's energy content.[55] In reality, there are many other variables that come into play that affect the performance of a particular fuel in a particular engine. Ethanol contains approx. 34% less energy per unit volume than gasoline, and therefore in theory, burning pure ethanol in a vehicle reduces miles per US gallon 34%, given the same fuel economy, compared to burning pure gasoline. Since ethanol has a higher octane rating, the engine can be made more efficient by raising its compression ratio. In fact, using a variable turbocharger, the compression ratio can be optimized for the fuel, making fuel economy almost constant for any blend.[26][27] For E10 (10% ethanol and 90% gasoline), the effect is small (~3%) when compared to conventional gasoline,[56] and even smaller (1–2%) when compared to oxygenated and reformulated blends.[57] For E85 (85% ethanol), the effect becomes significant. E85 produces lower mileage than gasoline, and requires more frequent refueling. Actual performance may vary depending on the vehicle. Based on EPA tests for all 2006 E85 models, the average fuel economy for E85 vehicles resulted 25.56% lower than unleaded gasoline.[58] The EPA-rated mileage of current USA flex-fuel vehicles[59] should be considered when making price comparisons, but E85 is a high performance fuel, with an octane rating of about 94–96, and should be compared to premium.[60] In one estimate[61] the US retail price for E85 ethanol is 2.62 US dollar per gallon or 3.71-dollar corrected for energy equivalency compared to a gallon of gasoline priced at 3.03-dollar. Brazilian cane ethanol (100%) is priced at 3.88-dollar against 4.91-dollar for E25 (as July 2007).

[timmac]

If you get a turbo compressor installed on your engine you can make up a lot of the difference in fuel efficiency.

Yep higher compression also helps with MPG when burning ethanol, and those that say it destroys engines and seals are wrong, all newer models cans handle ethanol and many older as well, just some old rubber gas lines can break down faster but newer gas lines no problem..

[Shaved Monkey]

We have had it in Australia for a fair few years ,I used to use it ,but the price to efficiency/potential wear didnt add up.
I now pay 10% more for my fuel and use higher octane.
I have done tests over many tanks, driving long distance from the South of Australia to the North over a few days.
The extra money spent more than paid for itself in performance and price per distance.
I dont use much more than $300 of fuel per year now so the difference in price is negligible but the the performance is noticeable.

[Simon_R]

Hi Quinny

We have had this for a while down with us (Poitou Charentes) my wife has an old saab and we have been using this for well over a year.
I have noticed nothing bad and as for fuel economy ... with our roads and driving styles, lets just say that's an insignificant part of the equation

Simon

[Subjectivist]

A few years ago my kid brother bought himself a turbocharged sports car which he proceeded to fuel with E-85. He drove it for three or for years on the subsidized fuel during the latter half of the 00's and when the price difference between regular unleaded and E-85 shrank to almost nothing he sold it.

All told he figures it saved him a couple thousand dollars on fuel costs while commuting and it was fun to drive. If the subsidy ever returns to what it used to be I expect a lot of people to follow the same pattern.

[Quinny]

Know what you mean Simon. Haven't really noticed any difference in number of times i refuel. It just costs nearly 50% less, so its a loads cheaper. Car is worth nothing anyway, but is going to be ideal as a small work vehicle for local stuff.

Did send a long detailed response thanking everyone for their comments, but for some reason it didn't post. Thanks again

[BobInget]

In Southern Oregon we have a single fueling station selling pure unaltered gasoline. Users report an increase in mileage of about 12%. Most buy it for older engines, chain saws and the like. Regular 10% added ethanol sells for almost $4. (a USD gallon) while 'pure' gasoline sells for $5. Needless to say, not a big seller. Ethanol is miscible in water. IOW's if you are storing an older vehicle over winter either drain the tank or fill it to the max to slow condensation over months of inactivity in hot, then cold temps. There are several gasoline 'additives' a person can add to prevent (or slow) water contamination.

My big gripe is with diesel pricing. Once, way below 'regular' in price it now sells for 'high test' pricing because US refineries export so much high demand for more economical diesel. (gas-oil)