Worth the trip for non-ethanol gas?

[bamamarc-77]

Hi Everyone,
The nearest non-ethanol gas station is 25 miles away. Would it be worth the trip to drive the extra 50 miles per fill-up? Would probably break about even on the extra mileage driven vs mpg dimension. Is the extra 100-150 miles per month in mileage mitigated by potential improved longer term health of the engine from using non-ethanol gas in my 2003 insight cvt with 80,000 miles?
Thanks

[Eli]

Longer engine health? What? There is nothing wrong with ethanol as a fuel. It's only real downside is its lower energy density and affinity for water. Ethanol burns cleaner than gasoline.

The energy difference between 100% gasoline and 10% ethanol is 3.3%. This is easily lost in day to day variables. I was not able to detect a MPG difference running 100% gasoline in two cars over several months/tanks.

As with anything, YMMV. Give it a try and see if it's worth it for you. There are a lot of variables, so it's tough to say for sure.

[Lafter]

It makes a big difference in my motorcycle. I average 42mpg with ethanol gas and 54mpg without.

My bike is also much more responsive .. if I had to guess I would say its an extra 10hp or more .. but this is just a guess.

I've never ran non ethanol in my car.

[Eli]

I assume your motorcycle's engine has a carburetor? That would be why.

Actively managed engines(ie: fuel injected) can better cope.

[RedJellyBean]

My old buddy with an Echo said that non-ethanolated "straight gas" was good for a solid 5-6mpg in his car. He was a hypermiler too; he got between 50-60mpg from that car, but he didn't let people intimidate him as he trundled along the freeway at 45mph (or less)

No idea here what straight gas is good for in the Insight. If I were to guess, I'd say it's also good for 5-6mpg - but that's only a guess, and that's also only if you've reached the razor edge of what you can pull from the ethanol-contaminated fuel.

[diamondlarry]

I would say that to make the trip specifically for the gas only, it wouldn't be worth it. Now, if you were already there for something else, by all means give it a try. My car is a tea-toddler and has never had the booze mix (since I've owned it anyway) so I'm not sure how much advantage straight gas is worth. Right Lane Cruiser on here (northern MN) runs E-10 and gets mileage that makes mine look bad. The driver definitely has a lot to do with the numbers.

RJB, I've seen that Echo and the roads he drives on. He gets some very impressive numbers.

[Lafter]

Originally Posted by Eli

I assume your motorcycle's engine has a carburetor? That would be why.

Actively managed engines(ie: fuel injected) can better cope.

Good call .. it is a carbureted motor.

[racer26]

Originally Posted by diamondlarry

I would say that to make the trip specifically for the gas only, it wouldn't be worth it. Now, if you were already there for something else, by all means give it a try. My car is a tea-toddler and has never had the booze mix (since I've owned it anyway) so I'm not sure how much advantage straight gas is worth. Right Lane Cruiser on here (northern MN) runs E-10 and gets mileage that makes mine look bad. The driver definitely has a lot to do with the numbers.

RJB, I've seen that Echo and the roads he drives on. He gets some very impressive numbers.

I believe the word you're looking for is teetotaler.

Teetotalism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[diamondlarry]

Originally Posted by racer26

I believe the word you're looking for is teetotaler.

Teetotalism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Oops! Auto-correct+past my bedtime=AWKWARD! Good catch.