E10 - Very Bad Idea

[ctrcbob]

I posted this basic message on another message board, so I will post again. I have an 02 Continental and an 07 MKZ. Fuel milage in both cars is down 10% on E10. People here in Florida are now mandated to use E10, since May 2008. Many other States also use the E10 fuel.

 

(OK, we will only talk about my MKZ) Using the electronic fuel indicator, my MKZ gets 5% less mpg compared to before the E10. Back when we were using Gasoline, the fuel indicator was always very close to the actual mpg calculated by me using math. but now I noticed that although the indicator showed my mpg was 5% less, I seemed to be putting in much more than normal, so............. I started to do the math again. Guess what? My actual mpg by me doing the math in every day driving around the country is 5% lower than the electronic indicator. I have lost 10% mpg (5% gas to E10 + 5% indicator on E10 vs math on E10 = 10%) since the switch to E10. I don't know why the indicator reads higher than actual calculations by me when only using the E10. Don't know if the car's computer calculates by fuel flow through some kind of device, which was calibrated by the manufacturer for gasoline usage, and the car still thinks it is burning 100% gasoline.

 

All in all, as I said before, my actual milage in around town driving is down 10% using E10. On my recent trip up North, using the electronic indicator (not me doing the math), my milage was down 10% using E10 compared to the 100% gasoline I got up North. If I had error between the indicated reading and doing the math, it would be more than 10% less.

 

E10 in every day use is a very bad idea. Once in a while, to keep injectors clean, ok, but not every tankfull like we must here in Florida.

 

Just for information, on my recent trip to Western New York, (all only using the dashboard mpg indicator, not doing the math) going North, getting fuel in Florida, GA, SC, VA and PA, my milage was down around 24 to 25 mpg. Was only in Western NY for one week. Filled up at a Hess Station that had full Gasoline, not E10. My around town milage was better, but because I had nothing to compare it to, I did not think much of it. The morning I left, I went back to the very same station and filled up again. Driving through the hills of the NY Southerntier and Pennsylvania, all going 72 to 78 mph, all expressway except for one 80 mile streach of US 17 between Winchester VA and Falmouth VA, I got past Richmond VA, all on that one fill-up at Hess in Rochester NY, 29 mpg. Yes, 29 mpg on Gasoline! Once I got to Richmond, all I could find was E10, so every time from there to Florida, with E10, I was back to 24-25.

 

In years past, I used to like E10, but I was not buying it every day like I must now. Now I hate it. If you live in a State or area where you have a choice, get 100% gasoline, not E10.

[popsracing]

I posted this basic message on another message board, so I will post again. I have an 02 Continental and an 07 MKZ. Fuel milage in both cars is down 10% on E10. People here in Florida are now mandated to use E10, since May 2008. Many other States also use the E10 fuel.

 

(OK, we will only talk about my MKZ) Using the electronic fuel indicator, my MKZ gets 5% less mpg compared to before the E10. Back when we were using Gasoline, the fuel indicator was always very close to the actual mpg calculated by me using math. but now I noticed that although the indicator showed my mpg was 5% less, I seemed to be putting in much more than normal, so............. I started to do the math again. Guess what? My actual mpg by me doing the math in every day driving around the country is 5% lower than the electronic indicator. I have lost 10% mpg (5% gas to E10 + 5% indicator on E10 vs math on E10 = 10%) since the switch to E10. I don't know why the indicator reads higher than actual calculations by me when only using the E10. Don't know if the car's computer calculates by fuel flow through some kind of device, which was calibrated by the manufacturer for gasoline usage, and the car still thinks it is burning 100% gasoline.

 

All in all, as I said before, my actual milage in around town driving is down 10% using E10. On my recent trip up North, using the electronic indicator (not me doing the math), my milage was down 10% using E10 compared to the 100% gasoline I got up North. If I had error between the indicated reading and doing the math, it would be more than 10% less.

 

E10 in every day use is a very bad idea. Once in a while, to keep injectors clean, ok, but not every tankfull like we must here in Florida.

 

Just for information, on my recent trip to Western New York, (all only using the dashboard mpg indicator, not doing the math) going North, getting fuel in Florida, GA, SC, VA and PA, my milage was down around 24 to 25 mpg. Was only in Western NY for one week. Filled up at a Hess Station that had full Gasoline, not E10. My around town milage was better, but because I had nothing to compare it to, I did not think much of it. The morning I left, I went back to the very same station and filled up again. Driving through the hills of the NY Southerntier and Pennsylvania, all going 72 to 78 mph, all expressway except for one 80 mile streach of US 17 between Winchester VA and Falmouth VA, I got past Richmond VA, all on that one fill-up at Hess in Rochester NY, 29 mpg. Yes, 29 mpg on Gasoline! Once I got to Richmond, all I could find was E10, so every time from there to Florida, with E10, I was back to 24-25.

 

In years past, I used to like E10, but I was not buying it every day like I must now. Now I hate it. If you live in a State or area where you have a choice, get 100% gasoline, not E10.

This is very true. Operating a dyno and tuning with the SCT software we have also seen power loss unless compensated in the tune. E10 based petro likes to be a .5 point or more richer to make equivalent power.

[ctrcbob]

Have not purchased gas again since I posted the above, but when I do, I will do the math to double check that tank full vice the reading I get in the dash unit.

 

As I said before, when I was using 100% gasoline, the dash unit always read very close to when I did the math. Now, not only is the dash unit reading less than when I was using 100% gasoline, but when doing the math, the math is less than the dash reading. Loosing in two different ways.

 

Will see what happens on the next fill-up with the math vs the dash reading.