EPA acknowledges that ethanol damages engines | GTAMotorcycle.com

EPA acknowledges that ethanol damages engines

Real shame that out of all the oil producers Shell's environmental reputation is pretty tarnished. Would like a few more options in this area for ethanol free fuel.
 
i believe its when you mix ethanol and gas that's when you get tarnishing. E-100 which is pure ethanol does not. Its only the blend that causes problems.
 
That pure-gas.org list is garbage. It didn't have a single Toronto gas station before I added the 3 Shells closest to me.

Esso 91 is not necessarily ethanol-free.
 
I have doubts the Ultramar 91 is Ethanol free. I put it in the FZ6 once and it ran like a turd. Put it in the sled once (had no alternative) and it didn't run the same.
Always have used Shell 91 in the MX bike unless I'm using race gas... However, knowing that costco 91 is Ethanol free is great since it's cheapest with the membership.
 
I believe some Loblaw branded stores are non-ethanol, they aren't labelled. I could not find a law for Ontario, but I did find this, which is not great for those touring in US

Warning: Gas pump labeling when ethanol is added is NOT required in the following states:


California, District of Columbia - DC, Indiana - In, Kansas - KS, Kentucky - KY, ​
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Maryland - MD, Michigan - MI, Minnesota - MN, Missouri - MO, Nevada - NV, ​
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* New Hampshire - NH (see details) - New Jersey - NJ, Ohio - OH.​
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I use Shell 91 gas 99% on my last two bikes. I think I have only put non Shell in twice in my current bike and each time it was only like $5 worth of gas to get me back out of the middle of no where. When my fuel light comes on and I am not close to any Shell stations that I know of I just open my Map App and search for Shell.
 
There's an ESSO nearby where I live (Don Mills and Sheppard) that has 93 octane gas; anyone know if 93 octane gas ethanol free by default?
 
It's actually quite easy to test gas for ethanol.
All you need is a clear water bottle. Put in some water and mark the fill up line. Then add some gas and shake. After a while the water and gas will separate again if the water line has moved up there is ethanol in the gas as ethanol absorbs water and gas does not.
Hope that helps.
 
My bike calls for regular gas, so I'm generally stuck with E10 unless I want to pay way more per litre.

Per the ariticle, the AMA and EPA believe using E10 is fine, but E15 is a problem:
"E15 is a gasoline formulation that contains up to 15 percent ethanol by volume.

None of the estimated 22 million motorcycles and ATVs currently in operation can use fuels with blends higher than 10 percent ethanol. Doing so could void the manufacturer's warranty, in addition to causing damage to the vehicle.

The AMA applauded the EPA's decision in its proposed rule to roll back the requirement for wider distribution and use of E15 under its Renewable Fuel Standard"


 
Ethanol makes the engine burn cleaner. There are advantages & disadvantages
 
I have never heard of that claim before ... source pls? (not including the Ethanol lobby group)
 
mxs said:
I have never heard of that claim before ... source pls? (not including the Ethanol lobby group)
Click to expand...

If you're referring to me, yes, it was put in fuel for better emissions. Thought everybody knew that
 
Ethanol is actually a pretty good fuel IF the engine is optimized to run on it ... but properly optimizing the engine to run on ethanol means it will not be able to run on pump gasoline. It acts like 112 - 114 octane race fuel in the engine, aside from wanting much higher fuel flow rate. Part of the optimization involves raising the compression ratio - to beyond what pump gasoline will tolerate.

"Flex fuel" engines have to run on both ... means they can't have the higher compression needed to optimize ethanol.

E10 is normally not a problem for newer engines unless you are putting it in storage or there is moisture/condensation in the fuel tank (which can happen if the vehicle is in storage).
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