If there is a technical reason, I think it's job is to replace
tetraethyl lead in order to slow down the burn and reduce or eliminate
predetonation or "pinging". But I don't know if you need nearly as much
as 10% to do that job.

Pete Stanaitis
------------------

Buerste wrote:
snip
I wonder why there is ethanal in gasoline to begin with?

spaco fired this volley in
:

If there is a technical reason, I think it's job is to replace
tetraethyl lead in order to slow down the burn and reduce or eliminate
predetonation or "pinging". But I don't know if you need nearly as
much
as 10% to do that job.


The stated reason is to add an "oxygenated fuel" in an effort to lower
"emissions"; but whatever goes in must come out, so it's only going to
have the effect of lowering _certain_ emissions in favor of increasing
others. Primarily it is NOx and CO they're going after with ETOH.

We have one fuel station near us that sells "non-ethanol gasoline" as a
specialty (not racing fuel, but not sold as regular highway gasoline,
either).

My old '96 LeSabre gets 28mpg on "straight" summer-mix regular. It gets
22.5 with 10% ETOH. Thats just short of a 20% reduction in fuel economy
- or almost a 25% increase in fuel consumption and total emissions.

Less ozone-attacking and greenhouse gasses are produced, if you believe
the government test figures -- but I think they base that on the expected
small reduction in economy of only 5-6%. Maybe re-chipping the LeSabre
would help.

LLoyd