Study says ethanol not worth the energy

[Hung Tau Racer]

to my knowledge the ethanol based fuel E85 is 105 octane which means more boost more power but lower gas mileage. The E85 gas is also much cheaper to buy than say 100 octane race gas. So it might not be worth it for the companies that make it but until they stop making it it is almost like a cheap race gas. If of course you have the right fuel sytem to handel ethanol based fuels.

[Kracka]

New studies are also showing that oil is not actually a fossil fuel.

E85 is actually more expensive to run even though the price per gallons is cheaper since it is far less efficient.

[Shane@DBPerformance]

If you have a standalone, you might be be able to run it lean enough and with a bunch of added timing to get a lot of the gas mileage back. It wouldn't work so well with a stock ECU and a non-lambda O2 sensor though.

[Kracka]

If you have a standalone, you might be be able to run it lean enough and with a bunch of added timing to get a lot of the gas mileage back. It wouldn't work so well with a stock ECU and a non-lambda O2 sensor though.

Just as a sidenote for everyone, all my E85-based posts are talking about as if it were to be run in a FFV vehicle.

[Jakey]

Ok ladies, take a look at this: http://www.cleanairchoice.org/outdoor/PDF/USDA%20Energy%20Balance.PDF


...and other good stuff: http://www.cleanairchoice.org/outdoor/index.asp

[slowbubblecar]

I clicked on it but it is 6 pages so I didn't look at it.

[Jakey]

I clicked on it but it is 6 pages so I didn't look at it.


That's what the abstract is for at the beginning of the paper. ;)

[Jakey]

GM is surely pushing ethanol, check out their homepage.
http://www.gm.com/

[Kracka]

GM is doing everything they can to NOT lose money. Selling their current cars is obviously not the key.

[1ViciousGSX]

There's always another motive behind anything big business does. I've been in dealerships and around major car manufacturers for over 20 years. They don't do anything they aren't made to do by the EPA or the gooberment.

Remember when airbags, door support cross-bars, 3rd brake lamps, etc were added to cars? The car manufacturers were putting out all these commercials about how they were trying to save lives, make cars safer, etc. But behind the scenes, they were raising holy hell that the gooberment was forcing them to put more parts on cars that cost more money to make that took away some of their profit margin.

Ethanol has some good points, but for every good thing it does, there is a negative side.