what octane rating?
Champion
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 2,697
Likes: 3
From: Cape Carteret NC
Ethanol actually helps to reduce knocking. You are indeed correct, Ethanol is attacked by a TON of people for being bad for engines, environment, and your wallet. These people try and spread this around to give Ethanol a bad name. I personally don't think that in its current form that Ethanol is the cats Rear to our problems, but its a step.
My state has been using a 10% blend in all of it's gas sold for over 15+ years and you don't hear of it being a major problem.
BTW. does anyone know the octane rating of e-85?
My state has been using a 10% blend in all of it's gas sold for over 15+ years and you don't hear of it being a major problem.
BTW. does anyone know the octane rating of e-85?
if I recall correctly, the octane level of e85 is somewhere around 95.. some list 105, but it has been disproved.. it still doesn't help the fact that alcohol ignites faster than gasoline though- which is the reason folks complain of pinging on ethanol..
Ethanol kills mileage pretty much plain and simple.
Professional
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 139
Likes: 0
From: Minnesota
I have never had pinging in any of my vehicles. And they all run on 10% ethanol gas. Higher levels of ethanol in the mix Actually help reduce the temp that the engines runs (because of its cooler burn), and is supposed to reduce pre-iginition in the cylinders. Heck 100% ethanol is a racing fuel in drag racing. I have also heard of people converting the high compression engined cars over to e-85 because its cheaper than racing fuel, With great results. I had seen a good article about it in hotrod mag, But can't find it right now.
Record Breaker
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,048
Likes: 1
From: Wisconsin
gas doesn't burn.. gas fumes burn.. gas turns to fumes really easy though, but at a higher temperature than alcohol..
flash point is defined as "the lowest temperature at which the vapor of a combustible liquid can be ignited in air".. the flash point of Alcohol (in gas form) is lower than gas (or gas fumes), and is therefor ignited easier than gas.
flash point is defined as "the lowest temperature at which the vapor of a combustible liquid can be ignited in air".. the flash point of Alcohol (in gas form) is lower than gas (or gas fumes), and is therefor ignited easier than gas.
Look at the autoignition temperatures for both gasoline and ethanol.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethanol 791.6 F
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_point 495 F
Ethanol autoignites 296.6 F higher than gasoline.
You'd have to add octane (or similar chemical that works with alcohol) to alcohol to the point it could no longer be considered just alcohol any longer to achieve near the same flash point as gas.
Octane, absolutely stabilizes gasoline to where it will ignite a much more predictable point.. it is inert.. it doesn't go BOOM by itself, it just keeps the gas from going BOOM before spark is applied..
Hopefully it doesn't go BOOM before the spark has been applied, and before the piston has arrived at TDC.. if it does, it resists the force of the crank, and something has to give.. It results in a PING.. which is most often the piston rod cap slapping against the crank and widening the slight gap that exists there.
Octane, absolutely stabilizes gasoline to where it will ignite a much more predictable point.. it is inert.. it doesn't go BOOM by itself, it just keeps the gas from going BOOM before spark is applied..
Hopefully it doesn't go BOOM before the spark has been applied, and before the piston has arrived at TDC.. if it does, it resists the force of the crank, and something has to give.. It results in a PING.. which is most often the piston rod cap slapping against the crank and widening the slight gap that exists there.
Record Breaker
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,048
Likes: 1
From: Wisconsin
If you can prove me wrong on anything please do. I am always looking to learn something new or look at something in a different way.
Champion
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 2,697
Likes: 3
From: Cape Carteret NC
this is a situation where i started regurgitating what I've heard without floggin' researching it myself.. I'll fix that though.
Grand Champion
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 7,055
Likes: 7
From: Lee County, North Carolina
man I'm not one to try to disprove anything unless I know absolutely- and this I don't know absolutely.. Most of what I've picked up is from conversation or listening to folks I thought knew...
this is a situation where i started regurgitating what I've heard without floggin' researching it myself.. I'll fix that though.
this is a situation where i started regurgitating what I've heard without floggin' researching it myself.. I'll fix that though.
Banned Goober Smoocher
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 8,916
Likes: 1
I have found that when I fill up with E10, the truck doesn't run too good. 91, without E10, it screams.
When the gov't introduced the E10, my dads mileage in his truck went down by 1 full MPG avg.
WTF?
And Ethanol is good?
It has made fuel more expensive, which has made food and other goods more expensive. Along with the fact that there is not as much corn...that and we're sending our corn over to China and Africa and the like.
Either way, we're getting f**ked out of our own ****.
[rant\]
When the gov't introduced the E10, my dads mileage in his truck went down by 1 full MPG avg.
WTF?
And Ethanol is good?
It has made fuel more expensive, which has made food and other goods more expensive. Along with the fact that there is not as much corn...that and we're sending our corn over to China and Africa and the like.
Either way, we're getting f**ked out of our own ****.
[rant\]
Administrator
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 87,397
Likes: 4,213
From: Clayton MI
I have found that when I fill up with E10, the truck doesn't run too good. 91, without E10, it screams.
When the gov't introduced the E10, my dads mileage in his truck went down by 1 full MPG avg.
WTF?
And Ethanol is good?
It has made fuel more expensive, which has made food and other goods more expensive. Along with the fact that there is not as much corn...that and we're sending our corn over to China and Africa and the like.
Either way, we're getting f**ked out of our own ****.
[rant\]
When the gov't introduced the E10, my dads mileage in his truck went down by 1 full MPG avg.
WTF?
And Ethanol is good?
It has made fuel more expensive, which has made food and other goods more expensive. Along with the fact that there is not as much corn...that and we're sending our corn over to China and Africa and the like.
Either way, we're getting f**ked out of our own ****.
[rant\]
Professional
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 139
Likes: 0
From: Minnesota
I don't know what you think, But I kinda like the idea of getting the middle east's fingers out of my pocket. Even if it's just a little bit.
I know that at the current time ethanol isn't perfect, but there making large strides in making ethanol a more viable product. In the future we aren't gonna have much of a choice if we like our IC engined vehicles. At least ethanol is giving us more options.
I know that at the current time ethanol isn't perfect, but there making large strides in making ethanol a more viable product. In the future we aren't gonna have much of a choice if we like our IC engined vehicles. At least ethanol is giving us more options.