I was pumping some gas today trying to focus on the dollars display, but it was flashing by so fast I could have gotten dizzy had I looked longer. Thank God the Gooberment said we have had no inflation this year.

Anyhow,my question. I was wondering about the fact they put in around 10% Ethanol in the gas is there any need for "Dry Gas here in the cold climates. If I remember right, Dry Gas was mostly alcohol.

Inquiring mind here and all.

I would think it would be superfluous.

No, there's no need. The fuel-antifreeze component in Heet and similar products is alcohol.

Great Advice,....

great,....

right,....

GTC

I belive its 15% gas 85% ethanol

thats e-85

Thanks all. That is what I was wondering as I stood in a blizzard freezing my fingers because I forgot my gloves... sheeeesh Even in the cold my brain functioned enough to wonder and you guys convinced me of what i thought made sense.


Crossfire: Old buddy,buddy, Mi Amigo, I mean, I like you better than most of the guys in here, I never pick on you.
Sooooo What do you think about adopting me and having me come out to hot ole Sierra Vista and stay in your backroom????? I'll stay up nights and look for Aliens

Well the signs say there is "at LEAST 10% ethanol" Ya sure got to wonder what that really means as to how much is actually in the gas.

Drygas is a brand name, like Heet, except it comes in blue bottles instead of red.

I wonder if we are paying any less for the gas since we aren't getting 100%??

Well, ethanol does asorb moisture--allegedly lots of it. So for those living in high humidity environs, Heet may not be a bad idea.

It can also play he!! with rubber and gaskets........just ask oops--he's got bad gas karma.....



Casey

You are paying more because of the subsidies, both state and federal to keep the ethanol industry afloat!! AND you are getting LESS mpg by around 20% due to the ethanol!! AND the EPA just authorized the states to move to 15% ethanol, which voids the warranty for your engine - go look at your manual.
Government - we need more of it

Casey, I think you missed a step.

? What did I miss?!.....



Casey

there are still numerous places where no ethanol is added to the gasoline. i am on the bod of a co-op that has 4 stations. we did sell ethanol/gas mix for several years, but no longer. our supplier offers gas w/o ethanol, and that is what we have been purchasing for at least 1.7 years. both our regular and higher blends are gas only. however, when it becomes more profitable to offer ethanol, we'll get it. mine is an agriculture community, and our patrons, for the most part, don't care for ethanol blends.

we are forced to use a mixed blend here in phoenix that i really dislike.
I had 35gallons of it in a fj40 a few years ago in the summer when it was 115in the shade. would run the cruiser to keep the battery charged, but not using in cause of no a/c.
one day it wouldn't start, pulled the gas line and was looking at the black stuff coming out. The fuel had separated which it will do with the heat. In addition it ate the rubber out of a mechanical fuel pump.
Translated, you have no choice locally other than to buy it, but you had better burn it up.

Drygas, Heet, and similar are primarily alcohol. E10 has about 12.8 ounces of alcohol (ethanol) per gallon already.

Ethanol alcohol is grain alcohol, or same chemical makeup as alcoholic beverages. Ethanol gasoline is hygroscopic, IOTW, it will absorb moisture. The slightest moisture in ethanol will cause 'phase separation', where the hydrocarbons (gas) separate from the ethanol (alcohol). Separation occurs because ethanol is completely soluble in water, but only partially soluble in hydrocarbons. The result from phase separation is a much lower octane value, and much lower volatility.

In a nutshell, ethanol, or grain alcohol mixed with gasoline sucks. It is especially damaging to rubber components, specifically fuel pump diaphrams and gaskets found in two-stroke engines i.e. chain saws, weed eaters, and older outboard motors.

The cure? Buy mid-grade or premium fuel that contains no ethanol for your two-strokes. With the EPA's ban on MTBE, ethanol laced fuel will remain its 'as distilled' volatility and octane rating for 30 days, at best. If you must store it, use a quality fuel stabilizer like Sta-Bil's Marine Formula (blue in color), Startron, or PRI-G. These will store fuel well for 12 months and in some cases beyond 12 months. They also prevent phase separation in ethanol fuels.
Stabil red works well for up to 12 months, but is not effective on preventing phase separation on ethanol fuel. I don't even bother with this product anymore.

Methanol, or wood alcohol, is the form that you may have been familiar with in the original gas dryers like 'Heet' and 'Drygas'. Methanol is poisonous, and was adequate as a fuel line antifreeze. It does NOT however actually absorb water.

Isopropyl alcohol is found in the newer gas dryers like 'Iso-Heet' (the red plastic bottle), and is a much more effective gas line anti-freeze. It can absorb water, but not in large quantities. If you've frozen up, or want to prevent it, this is the stuff to buy. Gas line freezing doesn't occur too often with today's fuel-injected engines, especially those with high rates of return fuel to the tank.

Ethanol has been approved by most automotive manufacturers as an allowable oxygenate fuel; its usually mixed with chit gas and used to boost octane ratings. It does suffer from the phase separation and should be treated, although I have never had any issues with plain-jane Sta-Bil, period. I do know you roll the dice without it in the mowers, saws, etc..

The Methanol additives were often posted around many shops as also having serious phase separation issues. Saw many a baby food jar with methanol and gas mixed together; looked like sludge in fuel.

Iso is the best for "drying" and for lack of separation; also saw the "baby food jar" advertising for it as well, usually in favor of it.

One of the reasons we no longer have gas-powered vehicles.. Both ours are diesel.. And the bikes use 91+ premium which, at least in this state is nice, does NOT contain any of that ethanol crap..

Not sure I'll ever buy a gasser again..

You can still buy straight gasoline here in East Texas. Some stations advertise "up to 10% ethanol". Almost any place that sells gas next to the area big lakes has to sell straight gasoline or they couldn't stay in business. I've mentioned it before but Mercury Marine issued a statement earlier this year that if ethanol % went up to 15% in standard gasoline they wouldn't offer a warranty on that engine that used it.

A 20% drop in mileage ain't gonna happen with E10. In fact, it is hard to measure much of an effect, but it would be closer to 5% in my vehicles.

I would not use the stuff in anything except new cars that are built to take it, and it has caused me no problems there. No way it goes into anything else though.

In the cornbelt states, this stuff is massively subsidized and so far as I can tell, its benefits are entirely political.

I've used it for years in our vehicles and have had no problems. When I travel and use non-alchohol gas, I see no difference in mileage. As to its being subsidized, I imagine that it is were made from cottom or tobacco, it would be just fine.

I haven't noticed any obvious problems using ethanol (10%), and I agree that whatever mileage differences there are are negligible. Nowhere near double digits, percentwise. On principle, I don't like the idea of subsidies. Whether the 10 cent extra we have to pay for non-alcohol regular around here is a tax in the form of penalty or a bribe, I don't like it. Let the market set the price. I found it refreshing to fill up in Oklahoma, and not have to pay extra to avoid alcohol.

I have to agree with Brent on this one:

In the cornbelt states, this stuff is massively subsidized and so far as I can tell, its benefits are entirely political.

My small engines will get regular, as long as it is available.

Paul

Don't know what you are trying to say about cotton and tobacco
but in my view this subsidy is wrong. The government mandated it & they have propped it up to the tune of $6.6 billion over two decades inorder to keep it viable. The corn growers and ethanol industry have lobbying efforts out to keep the product viable.
If ethanol was truly a better product, there would be a line at the pump! Unfortunately it is a bone to the enviro-wackos who now have turned against ethanol for the huge amount of water it takes to make the product.

Even some clear thinking farmers have said: lets use corn for food and crude oil for fuel.

CORRECTION: In an earlier post I should have said E85 results in a 20% loss in mileage over E10. My mistake.

Lots of mis info in this thread. Recognize there is E10,E15,E85, indicating the inclusion rate of ethanol.Ethanol has less btu per gallon than gasoline. So less energy and a corresponding reduction in fuel economy. It is compensated by lower per gallon cost for ethanol blended gasoline. Sometimes as much as 80 cents per gallon. So you must look at cost per mile, not miles per gallon.In cases where ethanol blend is mandated,the subsidy reduces the cost of blend for the consumer. The subsidy is not unlike all the subsidies that exist through out our economy.I would rather subsidize ethanol production than subsidize OPEC.

In Iowa it is a "bone" to corn farmers - a devoutly red group for the most part. And another bone to the folks that are hoping to make super quick and easy money in building EtOH plants, many of which went TU when oil prices crashed back to near-earth orbits.

I don't know where you live, but here locally two stations across the street from another one will sell 100% gas and the other with 10% blend and they will be the same exact price.

And where are you Nathan?

The reduced price for E10 is common in the cornbelt where EtOH is a big commodity business and where Big Oil is not so big.

Obviously depends on the state. I, too, have been in states where the price is the same. In Iowa the difference is about 10 cents per gallon.

Paul

I believe the ethanol costs more than the gasoline does

I wonder how much moisture it has already absorbed, before being put into your tank?

Most of that isn't correct. All anhydrous alcohols are hygroscopic, and all alcohols are miscible (as opposed to "dissolve") in water meaning the two can be mixed in any proportion. There is no difference in effectiveness between ethanol, methanol, or isopropanol as a gas line antifreeze.

Ethanol usually isn't used as a gas line antifreeze because it's regulated by the ATF, and would have to be denatured prior to leaving the manufacturing plant. Put another way, ethanol is booze and subject to government taxes and regulation unless it is rendered unfit or poisonous for human consumption. That step adds processing costs over methanol and isopropanol.