Some very good reasons NOT to experiment. Thanks. Hopefully we will soon see

I thought it was illegal to sell "pure" petrol (non-ethanol) gas in Maryland, where I live. I was in Easton with a friend to do some boating. Yes, you can get pure gas at any marina (the two-stroke outboards need it), but there is also a gas station in Easton, MD that sells pure gas. Yes, it's expensive. I think over $5/gallon. My questions:

Would I notice a significant change in power with a full tank of pure gas? (The idea would be to get very close to empty, then fill it up with pure gas.)
Even with little to no change in power, is there a reason to do this occasionally anyway? Like, to burn a tank of gas w/o any moisture from the ethanol content.

Are there other considerations for occasionally using pure gas? Or, is it a waste of money?

Thanks for any facts (or opinions),
Bob

1999 Arctic Sivler/black/black (sold)
2008s Silver/black/black - so predictable
2011 Outback
8/24/2011 first Grandson

So, I can get racing fuel down here..98 & 110 octane is available. There just happens to be a drag strip not too far from me. I guess that's why they sell it near me.

and that's saying something.

There is no benefit in doing so other than if you want to see what it will feel like paying $5/gallon for gasoline in preparation of when gasoline rises to $5/gallon in the very near future.

Oh, and to see if there is any performance difference. I do not think there will be any provided the ethanol gasoline octane rating was correct for the vehicle. If the non-ethanol gasoline has a lower octane rating -- ethanol is an octane booster -- there could be a performance drop off.

There might be a miles per gallon improvement but probably on the order of %5 and not enough to make up for the difference in cost.

There is no water to worry about. In fact with non-ethanol gasoline the risk of water increases. Ethanol and water mix so if there was any water in the gas the agitation of the fuel by the pump and the movement of the car would mix/combine the water and ethanol so the water would be consumed (well removed from the tank) along with the ethanol. There can't; be much water even then as the fuel filters do not pass water very well at all. The water blocks the flow of gasoline. (I experienced what happens when water in the fuel tank gets passed on to the fuel filter. The engine dies. Right now. Thankfully this happened years ago with another vehicle.)

Anyhow, my Boxster has burned over 10,000 gallons of gasoline almost all of it with ethanol and when the fuel pump quit at over 200K miles the tank had no sign of any water in it, the fuel pump housing had no sign of having ever been in contact with anything other than gasoline, and the fuel injectors are original. Water can't be too big a problem.

Just as always buy a top tier gasoline, buy the correct or as close as you can get octane, and buy from a busy station.

Meaning the boat gas is formulated for the particular needs of a boat engine: Assumed air fuel ratios at various throttle positions, boats maybe being run at more constant throttles, spark timing, etc. Also what might be more optimal for a 2-stroke vs. 4.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/26/2013 10:39PM by Laz. (view changes)

an automobile gas station?

Generally I wouldn't put boat gas in a boat motor. The stuff sits around a long time and the storage tanks are probably not as temperature stabilized and vented as automobile gas station storage tanks. The "station" probably buys gas from whatever distributor has the cheapest that season. Yuck.

the day when ethanol is not mandated in gas so we can drive with good quality pure gas from every gas station.

Saw a Tesla recharging station on a RT 95 rest stop :-)
Would be nice when someone figure out how to recharge an electric vehicle as quickly as filling a car up with gas.

And it's a Tesla coil!




Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/27/2013 10:04AM by Laz.
(view changes)

The issue has to do with ETOH's tendency to absorb water. If oyu are in dry climates,its prbably not a big deal, but in warm, wet areas, ETOH can absorb water and deteriorate. The "official" shelf life is 90 days, btu that can vary from 15-300 depending on temperature, how its stored, adn ambient conditions.

The fuel economy difference should be very small - on the order of 7-12% x ETOH % or, for E10, 0.7%-1.2%.

Just another reason that garage queens are nto really well maintained cars.

Grant

Grant

gee-lenahan-at-gee-mail-dot-com