ethanol/methanol in gas? how does it affect the S10?

[20valves]

It helps that you can ride year round, without storing the bike with ethanol in it, no matter what the source. Big temperature swings and long storage periods create a real mess with ethanol.

Alcohol will absorb water from the atmosphere. As long as the fuel system components can resist the corrosion, shouldn't be a problem. Valero advertizes 100% gasoline at a station by me, as does the Conoco across the street from it. I use that whenever I can but I've burned plenty of E10 with no problems. I noticed that some of the Colorado stations stated their premium grade was alcohol free.

 

[snakebitten]

Does it matter once it is fuel or is that just the amount of energy per pound/kilo of raw material?

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Yea, went and studied it a bit. (since it was my big mouth that brought it up)
Ethanol is ethanol. So our S10 doesn't know if it has corn or sugarcane floating around in the tank.

But as you referenced, the actual production of ethanol from the 2 plants is substantially different.

Seems that starting with corn, it's difficult to prove you didn't spend more energy making ethanol than the actual energy the ethanol yields. Far more of a tree-hugger ideal.

Sugarcane, on the other hand, almost wants to become ethanol. Yields about 9 times the energy in ethanol as it took to create the ethanol.

Because of that, the US puts tarriffs on Brazillian ethanol (sugarcane) to protect the US producers (corn).

Like I said, I just wish I had access to E0 fuel. At least to use in my lawnmowers, boats, and other machines that go unused at times.

 

[markjenn]

Like I said, I just wish I had access to E0 fuel. At least to use in my lawnmowers, boats, and other machines that go unused at times.

Just to let you know there are two sides to every story, there are some who think E10 is more stable for storage than pure gasoline, especially if you have a sealed fuel system that is not vented to atmosphere. The ethanol will keep any moisture in the fuel in suspension where it gets burned rather than collecting at the bottom of the tank where it can cause corrosion. There is a whole industry right now built up around ethanol paranoia - I'm not saying that some of it isn't justified, just realize there are a lot of folks grinding their axe or selling something.

From my own personal experience, I've owned three old carb'ed Hondas (a 1971, 1979, and a 1990) and a carb'ed DRZ for the past ten years or so, all fueled most of the time with E10, and all sit for a week to perhaps five or six at a stretch. Over winter, I usually use some Stabil, but otherwise, no special precautions and I've had no carb issues. Likewise, I have a 17-yo Honda lawnmower and a couple-year old Honda generator, both fueled with E10, which sit for fairly long periods. No problems. YMMV.

I do have access about ten miles away to pure gasoline and I prefer and use it when I can. But I don't worry much about E10 and I don't worry one iota about E10 in my S10.

- Mark