I don't think it is sufficiently widespread, either. I can't think of a single e85 station in this area. There doubtless are some, I just haven't visited or noticed them.
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I don't think it is sufficiently widespread, either. I can't think of a single e85 station in this area. There doubtless are some, I just haven't visited or noticed them.
We have 1 in my town, I think it is because of all the refineries, but my wife's father owns a Lincoln Navigator that can take e85 and he tells me that it is not worth it. With the amount of times he has to refill he comes out better using regular unleaded.
I will be in Houston, TX. tonight until Saturday if any of y'all'll be there.
It's a small town, you might all bump into each other.
Ethanol just doesn't have the energy density of gasoline. I use an alcohol stove while hiking (it weighs 1.1 oz). I use either denatured alcohol, or methanol....well, ok, I use denatured alcohol because that's what I find most often. The flame is often invisible, but the heat is such that it takes longer to boil water than with white gas (napthalene, I think) or the butane/propane mixes lots of people use. It's also the most expensive fuel on the market, by far, and it won't burn at all if the stove is resting directly on snow.
So, I'm not surprised that E85 isn't worth it.
In the other direction, we have a few ethanol-free stations. The prices for that stuff are jacked up so high that it can't possibly be cost effective. I'm not sure who is buying it, but they are paying a premium for it. Therefore, I expect the only buyers are those who have some kind of finicky luxury car, or they are cranks and curmudgeons.
We have several ethanol-free stations and I don't find the markup too bad. In fact, right now I'd say that the average $/gallon is $1.80 and for ethanol-free it's maybe $1.99. Even when gas was reaching $4/gallon the ethanol-free barely broke $4/gallon.
My new (to me) E250 van takes E85, my Mustang specifically says "NO E85" on the gas cap and both my motorcycles are premium (91+ octane) fuel only.
Like Shaggy I know of no E85 stations nearby and even if I did I wouldn't use it as my new van is dog slow and underpowered as it is and pulling a race trailer is tough enough. Obama's changes in the CAFE standards no longer exempt work trucks and effectively killed off the Triton V8 and V10 truck engines as well as the good old reliable Econoline vans.
In the old days Indy cars burned methanol and it was cool to watch an engine fire melt the cowl with no visible flame.
Or kart/dirtbike racers who get tested for fuel additives. Years ago a bunch of my kart racing buddies would run their KT100 engines on Amoco 93 Ultra, but shortly after BP took over Amoco they began to get DQ'd for alcohol in their fuel as BP didn't feel the need to inform their customers of the switch.Quote:
Originally Posted by Shaggy Hiker
What do they have against booze?
I would have thought that the ethanol lowered performance. So what's the real story?
It certainly lowers mine. Although I could probably blame that on age too.Quote:
I would have thought that the ethanol lowered performance.
To me, E85 had little impact on performance (a suburban) just lower economy. I do think it's a bit foolish to use ethanol, but dollars are dollars.
Trucks will still be viable with the new steels coming out. But its viable for the big three, by charging much more to retain profits. Maybe fewer, but higher cost, trucks. Thats why Ford is moving the grot-box manufacture to Mexico. Cheapy cheap cheap; sell more high economy junkers; sell more profitable trucks and SUVs.
Could you imagine the irony in a 40% tariff against the auto industry? The irony is that foreign auto makers like Toyota would not be affected, it would be Ford that would get the biggest hit!
There's no irony; they make them out of aluminum, now...
I thought that they manufactured their vehicles in Mexico?
Rules is rules. No additives allowed, even alcohol.Quote:
Originally Posted by Shaggy Hiker
My Ford van was built in Avon Lake, Ohio and my Mustang was built in Flat Rock, Michigan.Quote:
I thought that they manufactured their vehicles in Mexico?
Well, I got it...Quote:
Originally Posted by SJWhiteley
I've known 'em to end up in lakes, but never come from one.Quote:
Originally Posted by homer13j
Just when I thought 2016 couldn't get any worse... my wife's parrain died last night in a motorcycle accident.
Ummm, that sounds bad, but what's a parrain?
Godfather. It holds a lot more significance in South Louisiana.
It is also her uncle too.