On Thursday, July 20, 2017 at 3:47:40 PM UTC-4, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On 7/20/2017 3:06 PM, trader_4 wrote:

Why is it hogwash? They seem to be saying the same thing you are,
that the energy content means that what you see as MPG will
vary because of it. If you have gas with higher energy content,
then you'll see 25 mpg. If it's lower energy content, you'll
see 23 MPG. How much the energy content varies, when it's
labeled as the same product, eg reg unleaded, IDK. It would
obviously vary depending on the amount of ethanol added.



Seems to be some confusion. Sure, the pure gas will give you more
distance per gallon. The computer readout though will say the same for
pure gas, gas with ethanol, or a bottle of bourbon.

The readout on the computer still says 25 even though you only get 23.
Sort of like saying if you had pure gas this is what you;d have gotten
but you got something else.

I don't see how the computer readout will still say 25 even though
you get 23. Like DPB said, the car computer is simply computing
miles traveled by volume of fuel injected. With the lower energy
content gas it will have to use more gas to go the same distance
and the number calculated will show it. Instead of 25 mpg, you'll
get 23. Take it to the limits. Suppose you had gas that had very
little energy content and a gallon could only propel the car 1 mile.
What would it show? 1 MPG or 25 mpg?