How Much Has The Use of E-10 Fuel Affected Your MPH ?

[tuna1]

My Lifetime MPH (here in Mass.) has dropped from 64.5 to 58.2 over the years of use E-10 Gasoline 87 octane use.,Its manditory use here due to the regulated Clean Air Act.Also noted is power down in both modes(reagular engine operation and lean burn).What have you found and the results?

[Willie Williford]

I assume you mean lifetime MPG and not MPH?


Willie

[tuna1]

DUH! Yes,MPG not MPH.Fingers got it all wrong,sorry.We were on MBTE at the start,but now only ethanol up to 10% per gallon.

[kapps]

While I have no numbers, I would assume E10 would reduce mileage. Ethanol has less power potential than pure gas. It's similar to running very high octane gas (ethanol itself is around 110 octane). With all else equal on an engine that is tuned for 87 octane, 110 octane would produce less power than 87 octane.

[tuna1]

I don't feel octane is the problem!It's really the lower BTU's in the fuel from the Ethanol.I can maintain a 65MPG average on the highway@2100-2200 rpm-5th gear,and leanburn into the 90-100 MPG there with no problems.The engine operation on the purge cycle is that of a very strong power curve,it's a different engine in purge cycle-plenty of power,i let off the gas pedal to maintain the same speeds.But around town the power/ mpg suffers.Upon looking at the tailpipe i see black soot/carbon(signs of poor/incomplete combustion) and inside it black also.The primary O2 sensor has set no codes,but have not found a scan tool that will show realtime PID(golbal parameter identification data)amps that the wideban primary O2 sensors uses for control.Any ideas on a scan tool? Check your tailpipes for color/carbon and have you noted alot stronger running engine in purge cycle .

What i trying to say is the fuel trim data curve is off now with E-10 Fuel.

[trunkout]

my mileage has steadily increased
all i use is e-10

[ibangpots]

Ethanol has 75% of the heat of combustion of normal gasoline. So that means that e10 has 97.5% of the energy of normal gas. So it shouldn't make that much of a difference. Ethanol also increases the octane rating (equivalent to about 100) but I don't know if they are using regular 87 gas plus the ethanol or something like 85 octane and then adding the ethanol to get E10 with octane rating of 87.

[Insightful Trekker]

Nothing wrong with running e10 in an Insight.

But the "laws" of physics can't be changed. -2.5% +- is still a loss.

Something that should be easy to make-up with driving technique