Ethenol based fuel

neil101 · 15-07-2007, 10:49 AM

Hi all,

Has anyone tried shell's new E10 unleaded?
What are your thoughts on performance and economy?
it's rated at the lowest octane of 94 so doesn't sound too bad and from a mechanical point of view it won't do any harm to the engine.

Neil

savagE · 15-07-2007, 10:57 AM

Having an XE that takes leaded fuel. Apparently this stuff can totally destroy the old Crossflow...

Yellow_Festiva · 15-07-2007, 11:22 AM

It's not for every car. I filled up with it in QLD last year to "give it a go". Went inside to pay, and picked up their little info leaflet on the counter about E10.

On the back was a list of cars that either could use E10 or could not, can't remember. But my car was not meant to have E10 pumped through its veins :(....

Shame they don't put this info next to the pump......

Car still went fine, but thinned it out with PULP as soon as i could.

manny_papa · 15-07-2007, 11:41 AM

I use it in the work car, it takes E10
I find because i hit rev cut in 1st/2nd i got around 400 a tank (holden combo :( )
But with e10 the same sort of driving i hit 500 easily

Now for performance, i wouldnt have a clue mate, the holden combo doesnt know the word performance.

Also i think it smells a bit, when filling up i smell this gassy sort of smell, might be just my imagination though.

AlbertM · 15-07-2007, 11:47 AM

My Father has a '87 XF and it uses 30% more fuel using E10 than regular ULP.

On the flip side I have 2 '94 ED's for work cars and they are 15% better off using E10. With the AUII, it makes no difference.

robbo_yobbo · 15-07-2007, 02:03 PM

if you run 94 octain on an engine designed to run a higher octain fuel it can ping and wreck the motor. you might need to retard your timing a little if you have an agressive high octain tune at the moment to prevent early ignition

ltd · 15-07-2007, 03:26 PM

I ran it in a mercedes and got 300 klm out of the tank, on regular unleaded it gets about 420klm per tank.

AU2PWR · 15-07-2007, 04:17 PM

Ford
Focus (2002 - 2004), F-series (1986-1992), Ka (All), Maverick (All), Mondeo (All), Transit (1996 - 2004)

Ford

Capri (All), Courier 2.0L & 2.6L (All), Econovan (pre-2002), Festiva (All), Laser 1.3L, 1.5L & 1.6L (All), Raider (All), Telstar (All)

Ford

All models post 1986 except above

VEHICLE MODEL SUITABILITY FOR E5 OR E10 USE

The following table lists vehicle models suitability to run on E5 or E10 ethanol blended petrol. Before use of E5 or E10 in motor vehicles not listed below or if you are unsure, you should consult your handbook or manufacturer to check if the fuel is suitable.

Yellow_Festiva · 15-07-2007, 04:49 PM

Yep thats the info I was talking about.

I think it has to do with petrol lines however?

There was an article I read about the old model Crapadore needing a "conversion / modification" when exported to countries where E10 or higher blend petrols were being used.

Macca23 · 15-07-2007, 09:19 PM

the bf i have has a little sticker next to the filler says it takes E10, yet too try it thow. ran it in the gq patrol. but after bout 2mnths of use, i had fuel pressure problems. so went back to regular unleaded and all was good. if it was the casue or not, duno but i dont like it after that experince.

GORDZ · 15-07-2007, 10:55 PM

i had it in the 97 lancer and didn't have a problem with it... something was crook under the hood and would always get 440 out of a tank no matter how i drove it, but i noticed slightly better performance out of the E10

dannyxm · 15-07-2007, 11:02 PM

I have recently bought a 1994 Ford LTD and have filled up on E10.
I see no difference in performance, though curious as to how much milage i shall get....

10% ethanol is a somewhat conservative mix, some countries OS are using far more than that as you all may well know

But as already stated, i guess its not for all cars.

JC · 16-07-2007, 12:57 AM

I use Caltex's E10 whenever I can. Don't know about any difference in performance or economy (the number of red lights you get stuck at can affect economy more than what fuel you use), but today it was 6c per litre cheaper than ULP. I will continue to use it.

XCSEDAN · 16-07-2007, 01:43 AM

i wont touch it, my dads warned me well off it.
he reckons it will turn my fuel lines to crap, and the fuel pump will pack up as ethanol is a corosive. (he mentioned a lot of other stuff it wrecks but i cant remember), some cars are built to handle it, but even then he reckons it should be avoided....
im sticking with him (beleive me his been in the automotive scene since he was 16 he knows what his talking about) and only running on PULP.

Full Spectrum · 16-07-2007, 01:47 AM

My brothers partner used e10 all the time in his BA when he was in hospital, And the economy went south fast and the car ran house.. Took 4 tanks of BP Ultimate to regain it's economy and now it's running much better..
So that's a modern car what would late 80's early 90's cars run like

.

JC · 16-07-2007, 01:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XCSEDAN

i wont touch it, my dads warned me well off it.
he reckons it will turn my fuel lines to crap, and the fuel pump will pack up as ethanol is a corosive. (he mentioned a lot of other stuff it wrecks but i cant remember), some cars are built to handle it, but even then he reckons it should be avoided....
im sticking with him (beleive me his been in the automotive scene since he was 16 he knows what his talking about) and only running on PULP.

And people used to think the world was flat! Ethanol is an octane booster. Yes, it can be harsh on fuel lines and rubber parts, but not at 10% concentration levels. Even at 20% plus, it is safe. Concentrations of 30% plus need specialised parts in the fuel delivery system to cope, but in South America, many cars run on very high concentrations of (if not pure) ethanol, with no issues at all.

As for length of time meaning knowledge; well, wouldn't we all like to think so.

XCSEDAN · 16-07-2007, 02:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JC

And people used to think the world was flat! Ethanol is an octane booster. Yes, it can be harsh on fuel lines and rubber parts, but not at 10% concentration levels. Even at 20% plus, it is safe. Concentrations of 30% plus need specialised parts in the fuel delivery system to cope, but in South America, many cars run on very high concentrations of (if not pure) ethanol, with no issues at all.

As for length of time meaning knowledge; well, wouldn't we all like to think so.

mate i'm just saying what my dad told me, and he seems to be right 99% of the time..... so im sticking with what he says, i dont fancy pulling my engine apart....

JC · 16-07-2007, 02:17 AM

I'm a dad. Dad's are right, all of the time, until another dad is right instead, and then dad's are still right!

I have done some research into this, and of newer cars, E10 is certainly safe, and is a good option as it gives a higher octane (94 or so) fuel for less $$$ than standard ULP (91 ). What the petrol companies won't admit to is that they have been using ethanol to boost octane rating of fuel for a long time, as it is cheaper than the alternative methods, and is renewable (just plant more sugar cane).

Check out this site for actual information on ethanol (well, as actual as a government study can be):
http://www.environment.gov.au/atmosp...nol/index.html

2 interesting facts (my comments in blue):
Economics: Poor – Ethanol costs approx 60cpl to produce, petrol 35cpl (but no excise on ethanol, plenty of excise on petrol)
Energy content less, Ethanol blends of 10% produce 3% less power. ie , E10 rated at 94 RON produces similar power to ULP rated at 91 RON.