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Warning About 10% Ethanol Fuel Mix

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Old 06-26-06, 08:05 PM
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Originally Posted by pluto
Good call!!! I would expect 5% more fuel for 10% ethanol though since it burns 2x as fast so 10% of that should equate to 5% more fuel....

Steve,
Did you find you had to add alot more fuel to the cars you tuned in Toronto?
All the cars were using Sunoco Ultra 94 which is ethanol enhanced fuel, not sure on the percentage but I think it's 10%, any thought's....
Old 06-26-06, 09:31 PM
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Originally Posted by howard coleman
ok i'll bite,
Geometric and Functional Analysis
Howard wins, not really.

How about: Yuck Yuck Yuck Yuck!

Last edited by cewrx7r1; 06-26-06 at 09:41 PM.
Old 06-26-06, 09:48 PM
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ethanol has been mixed into our pump fuel for years without us even knowing.
So i wouldn't worry about it too much. They have been secretly doing this for quite a while.
Old 06-26-06, 09:52 PM
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Originally Posted by pluto
Good call!!! I would expect 5% more fuel for 10% ethanol though since it burns 2x as fast so 10% of that should equate to 5% more fuel....
Actually it burns slower!

Meth usually requires twice the amount of gas NOT ethanol.
Ethanol usually requires about 30~40 % more then gas.
Old 06-27-06, 04:08 AM
  #30  
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How high fuel octane number should i put on my Rx7? Its imported from japan, and i dont think they use 95octane ore 98octane like we have in norway. Do i need to use an octane booster?
Old 06-27-06, 05:46 AM
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Originally Posted by enzo250
ethanol has been mixed into our pump fuel for years without us even knowing.
So i wouldn't worry about it too much. They have been secretly doing this for quite a while.
I could be off here but I recall some gas stations in houston as much as 5 to 10+ years ago that had warning labels on their pumps saying the gas may have contained up to 10% ethanol. It was the cheap gas stations that displayed these warning signs, stations like Exxon and Chevron did not.
Old 06-27-06, 07:50 AM
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Originally Posted by thomas_m_cool50
How high fuel octane number should i put on my Rx7? Its imported from japan, and i dont think they use 95octane ore 98octane like we have in norway. Do i need to use an octane booster?
Is the car stock? 93 octane should be fine.
Old 06-27-06, 11:16 AM
  #33  
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Originally Posted by GoodfellaFD3S
Is the car stock? 93 octane should be fine.

he is from norway. I dont believe they use (r+m)/2, for there octane rating. I think they only use RON.

I would just just use the highest octane available to you at the pump, it should be fine.
Old 06-28-06, 10:01 PM
  #34  
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Originally Posted by cewrx7r1
We do not care about weight density which is what you are talking about.
So r u saying that AFR aint based on weight?

Originally Posted by cewrx7r1
We are talking about BTU density.
I aint never heard of BTU denstiy. You got a website link that explains or is that something u just made up?

Originally Posted by cewrx7r1
To produce the same power with ethanol as you would with an average gasoline mix, you need to flow about 40-50% more ethanol.
So the 10% ethanol/gas mix leans out you gas tune by an estimated 4-5%.
OK but teh thread is about AFR not power, or at least that what was written first. So did ur AFR change 3.5% or ur dyno readout 3.5%?

Last edited by cardzrule; 06-28-06 at 10:04 PM.
Old 06-28-06, 10:40 PM
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The thread is about ethanol, which has a direct relationship between AFR and heat, and is used to make power (since its in your gasoline). Lets review some basic principles of a motor. Its an air pump. An AFR richer than 14.7:1 is used to cool the combustion process. Adding more fuel without adding more air (running a richer AFR) will not substainially change power output. If you tune your motor to 11.0:1 and change to a gasoline with more ethanol (less energy) you will still be making the same amount of power if you remain richer than 14.7:1 and do not increase airflow. Since ethanol produces less energy, you need more of it if you want to balance out to your original tune of 11.0:1 and absorb all that extra heat.

I'm not sure what you have as far as datalogging cruising fuel trims, but if you were to look at the long term and short term fuel trims of just about any OBDII equipped car running 10% ethanol, you would see that they are adding fuel to compensate for the increase in ethanol.
Old 06-28-06, 10:59 PM
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Ethanol is naturally over 100 octane, so that should not be an issue. However, I hate the crap, so I go to stations which sell off-road premium (non-ethanol). A biker site lists the non-ethanol stations in my area, and a network of them should be posting in your area.

BTU density is the amount of energy per quantity of fuel. Ethanol has about 15% less energy in it by volume.

I find my mileage is about 7-10% worse with E10.
Old 06-28-06, 11:12 PM
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**** this **** man
Old 06-29-06, 12:40 PM
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Originally Posted by Henessey
**** this **** man
lol, care to elaborate....
Old 06-29-06, 05:22 PM
  #39  
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Originally Posted by svtcarboy
BTU density is the amount of energy per quantity of fuel. Ethanol has about 15% less energy in it by volume.
Mr Stevens my science teacher says that is called energy content. I aint never heard of nothing called BTU density. Is that metric stuff or something?
Old 06-30-06, 09:06 AM
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Originally Posted by cardzrule
Mr Stevens my science teacher says that is called energy content. I aint never heard of nothing called BTU density. Is that metric stuff or something?
The term is used in some articles about comparing alcohol to gasoline and other hydrocarbons, and sometime they refer to it as BTU per volume or BTU to gallon.

From one article:

We usually find the mass energy content of fuels tabulated on an energy/mass basis. Yet the energy/volume is often equally important for shipment, storage and use. This table includes the densities of various fuels and calculates the volumetric energy density.
Old 07-01-06, 02:53 PM
  #41  
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Originally Posted by cewrx7r1
This year after May, gas is no longer to contain MTBE as an octane enhancer.
What are different brands doing to enhance octane in place of it? One way is the 10% alcohol blend that is showing up here in Houston. I mostly use Chevron, and recently they have posted signs on their pumps stating that their gas may contain up to 10% ethanol.
That's your area.

NE Ohio has been 10% ethanol for at least the past 10 years. At least, I never remember seeing a pump that *didn't* say "10% Ethanol Added".
Old 07-02-06, 11:06 PM
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Originally Posted by peejay
That's your area.
NE Ohio has been 10% ethanol for at least the past 10 years. At least, I never remember seeing a pump that *didn't* say "10% Ethanol Added".
According to the US GAS MAP dated May 2006, Ohio does not have any mandated gas requirements. Thus your gas is what ever anyone wants to sell. When I worked in Akron this last winter, no pumps there said anything about alcohol.
But then Akron is not NE Ohio.
Old 07-03-06, 10:46 AM
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If your area isn't mandated by federal law to require Ethanol in your gas.
Its very likely it doesn;'t contain ethanol.

why??

Because Ethanol cost more and less effective..

So as a retailer if you had a choice to pay less why wouldn't you??
unlike you they like pissing money away..
Old 07-03-06, 07:40 PM
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Everwhere i've ever lived has had 10% certain times of the year and other additives the rest of the year. It has signs on all the pumps stating what dates and what percentages and what its supposed to help with.
Old 07-03-06, 09:07 PM
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Keep tuners employed bah....Just add the fuel yourselves. If you have a wideband you can verify the change in a/f ratio. I do this in my cobra to compensate for weather changes/
Old 07-03-06, 11:04 PM
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Originally Posted by Rx_treme
Everwhere i've ever lived has had 10% certain times of the year and other additives the rest of the year. It has signs on all the pumps stating what dates and what percentages and what its supposed to help with.

The map can be found on the Exxon site. I posted it's URl in another post on this forum. Most of Az has real gasoline, but from about the center of the state down to Mexico, there are two regions of AZ CBG and Oxygenated fuel.
Old 07-03-06, 11:46 PM
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You guys are a bit behind the curve.

https://www.rx7club.com/forum/showth...hlight=ethanol
Old 07-04-06, 10:06 AM
  #48  
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Originally Posted by SlingShotRX7
If your area isn't mandated by federal law to require Ethanol in your gas.
Its very likely it doesn;'t contain ethanol.

why??

Because Ethanol cost more and less effective..

So as a retailer if you had a choice to pay less why wouldn't you??
unlike you they like pissing money away..
Ethanol raises the octane content fairly expediently, and it absorbs water nicely. Good to prevent moisture in the fuel system from freezing in the winter. (It's why I laugh every time someone buys HEET, the damn fuel is 10% alcohol anyway!)

My co-worker used to work at a combo gas station/repair shop, and the word from him is that the 10% ethanol mix is actually cheaper, at least in our area, so everyone sells that. There used to be a few places that sold straight "gasoline" (however you choose to define it) but it generally cost a few cents more, and a few cents is a lot at a buck/gallon.


My question is, if oil prices are going way up, and prices at the pump have doubled to tripled depending on grade, how come race gas went from $7 to $5 in the past few years?
Old 07-04-06, 11:15 AM
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Talking

Originally Posted by Mr rx-7 tt
You guys are a bit behind the curve.

https://www.rx7club.com/forum/showth...hlight=ethanol

Maybe so, but noticed the thread died, and no one even added or commented on it. That is the 3rd gen forum mentality and why many of us single turbo people do not go there too often.



Notice the response here, we care about our cars more!
Old 07-05-06, 12:20 AM
  #50  
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Originally Posted by Mr rx-7 tt
You guys are a bit behind the curve.

https://www.rx7club.com/forum/showth...hlight=ethanol
So you saying E10 iz based on a mass ratio? Mr Stevens sez its by volume. I think ur numbers r wrong dood.

Also gas aint 14.7:1 stoich unless u mean leaded. Mr Stevns sez gas is like 14.5:1 and MTBE gas is as low as 14.1:1 for stoich. So goin from MTBE to E10 should be like equal for AFR neway. What teh AFR gauge sez is another story tho coz depens on how lambda is set.

Originally Posted by cewrx7r1
Maybe so, but noticed the thread died, and no one even added or commented on it. That is the 3rd gen forum mentality and why many of us single turbo people do not go there too often.



Notice the response here, we care about our cars more!
I dont think ne1 understands it. I had to ask my science teacher to xplane. I aint seen ne1 yet who understands it without asking a science teacher.

Originally Posted by cewrx7r1
To test this, I added 3.5% more fuel to my boost area for over 10PSI. Then I went logging with my wideband and DATALOGIT. With the additional 3.5% more fuel, my AFRS are what they were last fall when I last logged AFRs.

If you are running 11.2 AFR for 14PSI boost like I am, this new ethanol induced 3.5% leanest; is leaning it out to 11.6 AFR.
Like teh Mr rx-7 tt article sez, if ur AFR gauge is set at 14.7 AFR for stoich then ur readings r totally wrong dood.


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