Ethanol Rawks

[irokin]

Ive started using 98RON fuel with 10% ethanol and I LOVE how its going. Slight ignition tweeks and I need to change my secondary jets up a size or two but Ive picked up BUCKETLOADS of torque. I'm not so concerned about all the shit people talk about ethanol. Ive weighed up the risks and I'm willing to take them.

 

The reason I think I'm getting a bit more kick is because ethanols naturally oxygenated...so its like a low grade racing fuel. Yippie!

 

If you can find the stuff (its not always easy to find the 98 RON) give it a shot if your game :D

[Dan]

I didn't think that Ultimate 98 had 10% Ethanol? Anyway, won't the ethanol corrode the hell out of your engine... I don't really trust it, but still, prove me wrong :D

[irokin]

I'm finding that Mobil Premium (95) is working better in my stocker than BP Ultimate (more mileage etc)

 

That said BP fuel is very reliable!

 

Noticed mileage increase?

 

Mileage is on track for the week. I usually get 35L/400km

 

I still believe K engines run better on low octane fuel unless they have internal modifications i.e. higher compression ratio.

 

I didn't think that Ultimate 98 had 10% Ethanol? Anyway, won't the ethanol corrode the hell out of your engine... I don't really trust it, but still, prove me wrong :D

 

Ultimate doesnt have any ethanol...

 

Sooo many different myths going around. I think most of its just scare mungering.

 

Few of the ones Ive heard

 

Ethanol attracts water (hygroscopic). (I believe you can't have it both ways. Petroleum is a dispersant and doesnt mix with water well so what the ethanol trys to soak up is dispersed by the petroleum. I could be very wrong but)

 

Ethanol attacks plastics. (This is true for certain plastics...fortunatly there arnt any plastics in my fuel system...)

 

Ethanol corrodes engines. (Its the first time ive heard this but its probably tied in with the hygroscopic characteristics. I don't think it does corrode engines.)

 

Ethanol has poor fuel economy. (Yes...sad but true "For every 1.5 mpg gas gives you, ethanol gives you 1 mpg" BUT! thats for 100% ethanol. Our fuels are limited to 10% ethanol. So your not gonna see a huge reduction (I havent))

 

 

Some good characteristics are that its a great decarboniser. But! It removes it in big chunks so make sure you run a good 98RON fuel before you convert to ethanol...or run it in your engine from new.

 

 

Also this may help some people

 

All Toyota models manufactured locally or imported by Toyota Australia since 1987 will operate satisfactorily on E10 fuel except as listed below.

 

The following models will not operate satisfactorily on E10 fuel due to material compatibility issues:

 

Camry with carburettor engines pre July 1989 and Corolla pre July 1994.

 

Supra - pre May 1993, Cressida - pre Feb 1993, Paseo - pre Aug 1995, Starlet - pre July 1999.

 

Land Cruiser - pre Aug 1992, Coaster - pre Jan 1993, Dyna - pre May 1995, Tarago - pre Oct 1996, Hilux , Hiace, & 4 Runner - pre Aug 1997, Townace - pre Dec 1998.

 

Now...while my car is pre 1987 I know it well enough and I am changing the fuel setup to suit the ethanol (theyd better not take it away from me!).

[Super Jamie]

then i suggest you do some more research, especially in relation to older cars such as KE corollas, and middle aged cars such as your saliva

 

old fuel systems are made up of old metals, and often have varnished over time. old fuel pumps use elastomers. ethanol disolves all of these, causing blockages in filters and carburettors, and fuel pumps to fail

 

due to the construction of injectors on early efi cars (usually pre-1993 vehicles), ethanol is known to degrade the coil insulation and cause the injectors to fail. watch out silvia

 

all these problems have been fixed in late model cars, which are actually designed to be ethanol-friendly. so if you have a mid-90s onwards car, then by all means go for it

 

moisture absorbed into ethanol will be held in the fuel mixture in a suspended state, will go through the combustion process, and be ejected from the car's exhaust still bonded to the ethanol, or at least broken down into accelerated h2o (steam) by the time it's finished

 

ethanol has been proven to make a 2% reduction in fuel consumption. for the average person, that's less than a dollar a week. whoop de do

 

but for me - screw the environment, if i buy a performance petrol, i expect it to be 100% pure with the usual allowances for suphur and impurities, never mind taking away TEN PERCENT of it and replacing it with something which is doing absolutely nothing for my engine, reducing octane (and hence the knock resistance of my high compression motor) and introducing water into the engine environment

 

and realistically, are E10 fuels going to be 10% cheaper? not likely

 

ethanol gets the big thumbs down from super jamie :D

[irokin]

then i suggest you do some more research, especially in relation to older cars such as KE corollas, and middle aged cars such as your saliva

 

old fuel systems are made up of old metals, and often have varnished over time. old fuel pumps use elastomers. ethanol disolves all of these, causing blockages in filters and carburettors, and fuel pumps to fail

 

due to the construction of injectors on early efi cars (usually pre-1993 vehicles), ethanol is known to degrade the coil insulation and cause the injectors to fail. watch out silvia

 

Original fuel pump was ditched about 4 months ago and the new electronic pump knows nothing but 98RON. Fuel filters and rubber lines etc etc have been replaced as well.

 

Silvia wont be touching the stuff...simply because I don't trust it THAT much. $2000 worth of virgin SR20DET isnt something I'm willing to risk. HOWEVER! Ive seen huge improvements in power from a WRX they tested with heaps of different fuels (including fuels like ELF turbomax) and E10 98RON won out over other 98RON fuels like Optimax, Ultimate etc. Not only did it beat them in OUTRIGHT power (by about 10hp) it also won area under the curve. The runs were done in closed loop mode so the ECU tuned itself roughly for the fuel. I'll dig up dyno comparisons if anyones interested...

 

I dunno if I'll stick with it or not...I'll wait till the end of the week and see if I feel like rejetting the carb to suit...

[Corolla_Kid]

Street Machine had an article on the aforementioned fuel and gave it a big thumbs up but i'd still be worried bout my fuel system if i used it. I'm going to stick with my BP Ultimate for now.

[mikeys toy[RL]]

ok, i know this for FACT;

ethanol fuel were used extensively in california as a test bed for durability, smog, economy

i DON'T know about economy, but ethanol is cleaner by a small margin, however.....

ethanol attacks plastics, rubbers, synthetics. i absofukinlutely had to replace all rubber fuel lines every 2 years, my cheap plastic fuel filters would crack within 3

i switched over to elec fuel pumps because my mech. ones would only last a year

[demuire]

Camry with carburettor engines pre July 1989 and Corolla pre July 1994.

 

I guess that means Camry can, Corolla can't. Oh well, Corolla's always been running Ultimate anyway, and Camry has always been run on whatever I can find :(

[Shamry]

Ahhh the camry....run on the smell of an oily rag

 

i miss my camry..lol