MPG Increase - Non-Ethanol Gas - What to Expect?

My wife, son and myself will be taking a road trip from MA to TN this weekend for a total of 920 miles each way. I'm making it a point to only fill up with ethanol free gas and I'm wondering how much my mpg will increase.

We're driving in her 08 Nissan Versa SL Hatchback with CVT. Normal highway without applying any hypermiling techniques is 35mpg.

How many mpg do you think I will gain? I know someone is dying to tell me ethanol has 90% the energy of gas so a gallon of E10 has 98% the energy of real gas, etc. I'm looking for some real world advice, not btu calculations!

Thanks!!!! :Banane44:

 

The change in your mileage under otherwise identical conditions should be close to proportionate to the difference in energy content per gallon, which is about 3%. So, 35mpg/.97=36.1, theoretically. You'll probably actually get some other number, due to uncontrolled variables.

 

I did something similar in my 98 GMC K1500. last year I drove down to Daytona for Bike Week, and got 16 MPG on E10. I made the same trip this year, making sure I only purchased ethanol free, and averaged 18 MPG. That's a 2 MPG difference on a V-8 4wd pickup truck with one ton of weight in it. My Escape Hybrid gets about 6 MPG better on E0 than E10. I'm guessing the Versa will be 3-5 MPG difference on the highway.

 

Everybody go to pure-gas.org for the growing number of addresses, details, & great zoomable map to the minority of 5300 stations(11 in every 350) that sell 100% pure gasoline in the U.S. & Canada. With accurate 'before & after' line-graph records, our 3 cars' mpg increased 8+%, 7-8% & 5%. All engines were smoother, quieter, & needed less downshifting to ascend hills.

For-ethanol designed engines(with much higher compression ratios than gasoline engines) get their best efficiency using 100% ethanol(duh). Gasoline engines get their best efficiency using 100% gasoline(more duh).

 

Wouldnt it be 35*.97 which = 33.95?

 

This topic makes me want to ask if Premium grade (91-93) has less ethanol than does Regular 87 E10. Anyone know what the industry does? Numerous posts on the subject still leave me wondering if switching to Prem will negate the need to search out the ethanol-free stations (of which there is none in my area).

Thanks

 

Here is MA all grades at all stations are E10 year round as far as I can tell. Might be a state regulation?

 

Is there any reason to think that E10 occasionally isn't E10 ?
Any motivation to sell E15 as E10-?
Who actually does the mixing-
If it is done at the refinery-they won't cheap-no motivation,and someone would rat them out.
I'm just wondering why I read some many complaints-here and other places -about BIG drops-10%-in FE one they switch to E10
Charlie

 

good question
I stopped at the station that has pure gas on the one pump

the other pump was the mixer
10%, 15%,20%,25%,30%,50%, 85%

course now- I figure just how accurate is this pump

going to run my Escape down to empty- put in 5 gal of the 20%- figure I'll know more on the E20 than the E10

 

shadescape
Thanks for the reply.
So the mixing is done at the station there in Kansas-corn country?? where E85 is available.
In south Louisiana I've never seem E85 offered-
Despite there being LOTS of FlexFuel pickups/SUVs
In fact our Republican GOV just discovered a SCAM his minions in the legislature and his flunky in the dept of rip offs had set up.
They decided that all the big 1/2 tons-GM pickups Suburbans and such that were Flex fuel capable were ELIGIBLE for a $3000- yes $3000 Tax credit!! Because they were ALTERNATIVE FUEL VEHICLES!!! The law was supposed to be encouraging NG and electricity fueled vehicles- but Jindal's flunky in the dept of whatever decided that 15 mpg Suburbans were deserving of our tax dollars also!!
The legislatures didn't bother to tell their Republican boss Jindal-they immediately filed for back credits(for their cronies) and bought new Yukons and Escalades with the $3000 discount!!
And it was RETROACTIVE 3 years back-so every legislature who bought a Flex Fuel filed also!!
Jindal never tumbled to it-a local newspaper made it front page news.
Jindal talks a good Rep game (fiscally conservative) but he is all hat no cattle in respect to doing anything good for LA(other than edu reform-doing ok on that mainly because he is a union buster so it appeals to him)

He also is practically peeing in his pants over being "stabbed in the back for Justice Roberts" ha ha-

 

phoebeisis
owner said the pumps were accurate in the mix- computer controlled- he didn't know how long he'd be able to sell pure gas-
lots of pressure

I asked if he'd give me a deal on 10 cases of Trop Artic 5W20 Synthetic blend
level 4 pricing so I have 10 on order

btw- most every station here has E85

 

I stand corrected- some stations here don't have E85- some do
the 6 stations with E85 had a sticker on each pump "minimum ethonal is 81%"
these station were all selling it at $3.05.9 a gallon-

and at one- a fella was putting in E85 in a non flex vehicle-

kind of wonder if many are doing such

 

I do that, but I mix a gallon of E85 with 10 gallons of E10 or thereabouts.. many cars will light up the check engine light if the fuel injectors cannot deliver enough E85 to richen up the mixture. There are no corrosion issues in modern cars (20 years or younger).

 

you are so sure about that corrosion issue-

have you put E85 in your good working lawn mower
I did- it runs- stalls out when it hits grass and a load-
I think it's funny- a 3.5hp engine which has proven to be real good at cutting grass- just about doesn't have enough power to cut 5" grass

and trying to restart it- in 105 degrees- you should be here

I should put it in my nice John Deer Tractor- I'm thinking not
I'd rather put E85 in a John Deer Rider where the dealer will back the warranty

will you fill up your empty tank with E85- I'm a bit leary

I'd like someone to tell me he has a new non Flex Vehicle and will put in E85 and run it for like 18 hours or more hours- then- he will admit to the manufacturer what he did

as someone who has always said- show me- show me

 

I would not use it in anything with an unsealed gas system.. lawnmowers, outboards, generators.. anything with a carburator. Ethanol sucks moisture out of the air and will contaminate your gasoline, causing deposits and perhaps rust.

I have used it in those applications when you can close off the fuel valve and make sure the fuel cap is airtight.. otherwise no. Contaminated fuel runs rough and the engine is hard to start, its an easy problem to diagnose.

 

It will also screw up the fuel-air ratio, not only in (almost) "anything with a carburetor," but also in fuel-injected cars too old to have functioning closed-loop mixture controls. Admittedly, those are rare nowadays. (Mostly 70s European cars ... )

 

bull!

you have no idea- as in some of your other posts
we ran pro with race gas- but we couldn't run pure race gas in Denver-
can you grasp that

wonder if you know anything about ideal air/fuel

let me guess- you were never an engine tuner

 

what has sealed or not sealed got anything to do with E85 running better or worse than pure-

you really think my lawnmower has contaminited fuel- you of course have test equipment