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I'm sure everyone has noticed, for the last few years, all the major gas stations have a notice on the pumps stating that the gasoline "contains up to 10% ethanol". yeah, I'm sure it's right up to 10%, and then some. Ethanol, just in case you didn't know, is alcohol. Ethanol is simply alcohol. It's alcohol in any, and every, form. The government puts ethanol in gas for environmental purposes, correct? Well, this would be a good thing if it worked that way, but it doesn't. There are gasoline burning engines. (The vehicles that we drive on the streets everyday), and there's ethanol/alcohol burning engines. They are not interchangeable. You either have an alcohol burning engine, or a gasoline engine. Gasoline engines do not like being fed alcohol.
We're lucky enough to have 2 gas stations, here in town, that still sell ethanol free gas. I have heard of these ethanol free stores for a couple years now. I didn't realize how big a difference it makes until I finally ran my truck almost completely out of gas, and put ethanol free gas in it. Being the truck was pretty much empty, I could tell a difference by the time I had gotten about a quarter-mile down the road, and idled at a red-light. That ever-so-slight rough idle that's supposed to be "characteristic of the 5.4" and feeling the cams was gone. She was purring like a kitten. That split second of valve chatter that's also "characteristic of the 5.4L" was gone. I haven't done the math, but my 5.4L F150 gets at least 25% better gas mileage with ethanol-free gas. Go figure...it's a gasoline motor. Not an alcohol burner!
To draw an accurate scientific conclusion. You should test your hypothesis at least 3 times.
So, I had a tank of that 10% ethanol gas in my motorcycle. I don't have a gas guage on my bike. It's a sportbike(Yamaha), but it does have a gas light that comes on at 1 gallon left. At the same time, the odometer starts at 0.0, and begins a count of how many miles you've rode with the gas light on.
My bike gets an easy 35mpg. The literature on the bike when you buy one new claims 48mpg on the HWY. I've always got around 30-35mpg riding pretty easy.
Well, I wanted to make it across the bridge and into town to put this ethanol free gas in my bike, so I was riding very easy on the throttle. I was like grandpa on the thing. I had done some more riding, then decided I better head toeards the gas station. I didn't quite make it there. I ended up having to coast into a gas-station with 25miles clocked. wtf?! I should've at least had another 10miles. So that's a sure 30% drop in gas mileage for my bike.
That's 2 tests with synonymous results. No need for a 3rd.
Conclusion: The whole ethanol hype has not only been a huge waste of time and money, but it's also bad for gasoline motors as well as even worse for the environment than leaving our gasoline to be pure gasoline for gasoline burning engines.
Leave alcohol to alcohol burning engines.
Who in the hell are the clowns that came up with throwing alcohol in our gasoline as some kind of help? Gasoline engines don't like alcohol. At all. And vice-versa. It doesn't take a scientist, or mechanic, to know that fact. And it shouldn't take a scientist, or environmentalist, to understand that by continueing with this ethanol in our gasoline burning vehicles. We are just damaging our engines and putting more exhaust into the atmosphere.
What happened to common sense?
We're lucky enough to have 2 gas stations, here in town, that still sell ethanol free gas. I have heard of these ethanol free stores for a couple years now. I didn't realize how big a difference it makes until I finally ran my truck almost completely out of gas, and put ethanol free gas in it. Being the truck was pretty much empty, I could tell a difference by the time I had gotten about a quarter-mile down the road, and idled at a red-light. That ever-so-slight rough idle that's supposed to be "characteristic of the 5.4" and feeling the cams was gone. She was purring like a kitten. That split second of valve chatter that's also "characteristic of the 5.4L" was gone. I haven't done the math, but my 5.4L F150 gets at least 25% better gas mileage with ethanol-free gas. Go figure...it's a gasoline motor. Not an alcohol burner!
To draw an accurate scientific conclusion. You should test your hypothesis at least 3 times.
So, I had a tank of that 10% ethanol gas in my motorcycle. I don't have a gas guage on my bike. It's a sportbike(Yamaha), but it does have a gas light that comes on at 1 gallon left. At the same time, the odometer starts at 0.0, and begins a count of how many miles you've rode with the gas light on.
My bike gets an easy 35mpg. The literature on the bike when you buy one new claims 48mpg on the HWY. I've always got around 30-35mpg riding pretty easy.
Well, I wanted to make it across the bridge and into town to put this ethanol free gas in my bike, so I was riding very easy on the throttle. I was like grandpa on the thing. I had done some more riding, then decided I better head toeards the gas station. I didn't quite make it there. I ended up having to coast into a gas-station with 25miles clocked. wtf?! I should've at least had another 10miles. So that's a sure 30% drop in gas mileage for my bike.
That's 2 tests with synonymous results. No need for a 3rd.
Conclusion: The whole ethanol hype has not only been a huge waste of time and money, but it's also bad for gasoline motors as well as even worse for the environment than leaving our gasoline to be pure gasoline for gasoline burning engines.
Leave alcohol to alcohol burning engines.
Who in the hell are the clowns that came up with throwing alcohol in our gasoline as some kind of help? Gasoline engines don't like alcohol. At all. And vice-versa. It doesn't take a scientist, or mechanic, to know that fact. And it shouldn't take a scientist, or environmentalist, to understand that by continueing with this ethanol in our gasoline burning vehicles. We are just damaging our engines and putting more exhaust into the atmosphere.
What happened to common sense?
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