Murphys_Law

iTrader: (3)

i run 25-27, welcome to the 2AZ world

afterlifespecialist

I run about 27, but have almost gotten 30 before. I'm real easy on the gas though for the most part, and shift at 2500. Ethanol plays a big part in gas mileage, and as mentioned before, it's not for the better. Do some research on ethanol and you'll see what I mean.

elwaylite

iTrader: (1)

Ethanol was a 2.5 mpg difference for me. Last station here started using it a couple of months ago. Week in and week out I was 27 to 27.5.

afterlifespecialist

Yeah that's about right 2.5mpg loss, which in my opinion is pretty significant considering you're not changing your driving style, just the crap the govt. makes you buy. Here we have no choice but to buy ethanol gas, and can't even find non-ethanol gas anymore.

TrevorS

iTrader: (1)

Darn, that's really depressing guys ! I've yet to hear of Ethanol mixed fuels around here, but the way you're talking, it sounds like it may just be a question of time. I wonder how the car EPA numbers cope with that?

I just now Googled that 10% Ethyl Alcohol fuel ("gasohol") is currently marketed in DE, so maybe I should starting checking the pump labels more closely. Thing is, if a 10% alcohol solution results in about a 10% drop in MPG, what's the friggin' point? Comes across as an amateur attempt at slight of hand ! Am I misinterpreting something?

elwaylite

iTrader: (1)

Ethanol is better on the environment, plus the government sunk so much money into it they cant turn back now, right? So, we pay the same, for less efficiency, to help the environment, and farmers pocketbooks. Corn ethanol is really a joke, and other future methods will be better. Corn based ethanol is barely better than fossil fuels, causes higher corn prices, which effect a lot of things, and gives us worse mileage (hurts out pocketbooks).

The Brazilian sugar cane ethanol is much better, and it produces like 8 units of energy vs 1 unit for fossil fuel energy (1:8, and corn ethanol is 1:1.3).

Many times, a station gets a discount for running ethanol gas, so it is only a matter of time before it's everywhere. Also, they are wanting to go to 15% next, so our mileage will get even worse.

IMO, corn ethanol is the worst way to do it, but the subsidies are huge, and it aint gonna change. What I have a problem with is, to produce 40 gallons of straight ethanol, from corn, takes enough corn to feed one family for one year.

TrevorS

iTrader: (1)

Well, maybe I'm on even more drugs than usual, but I could have sworn the advantage of "gasohol" was supposed to be that it reduced our dependence on foreign oil (read Iran, etc.). However, if the 10% ethyl alcohol doesn't contribute to the distance traveled, then it saves us nothing relative to the straight gasoline required to travel the same distance -- i.e. there has been no gasoline savings, only an increase in consumer cost per traveled mile. I don't recall this being a polution reduction question, but rather a natural resource conservation question -- I'm getting a little perturbed !

So what is this, another mechanism for subsidizing corn farmers from not having to sell on the open market (and not feeding off-shore families) in order to screw the domestic consumer of honest gasoline for use in their automobile? I've read the emphasis on domestic Gasohol is seriously hurting overseas corn exports (Russia et al). If corn alcohol doesn't stretch our oil reserves, then it seems to me we've been sold a bill of goods yet again (and it didn't start with the Obama administration and the Democrats). I'm really confused right now !

elwaylite

iTrader: (1)

I got mad about it 2 years ago , so I guess Im over it. The future is in other Bio fuels from grass and cane, and the electric cars will be something to watch. Funny thing about electric cars is, how do you charge it? Um natural gas and coal...

TrevorS

iTrader: (1)

Yeah, situation is normal I guess -- as in sucks ! Seems there's a lot of interest in wind sourced power and a re-awakened interest in nuclear. Trouble with windpower seems to be there are absolutely horrible delays associated with getting the required gov't permits. Whereas, getting a permit to drill another oil well seems pretty straightforward -- just talk to the Texas Republicans!

My little state has been interested in wind power ("Bluewater") for about two years, but pretty much all I've seen so far has been political roadblocks. It helps when gov't (especially the previous governor) is largely in big corp's coal lined pocket. As for my personal cost of energy, I've run out of ways to reduce consumption, about one step removed from opening the main breaker -- and yet the rates increase every time big corp says it's not making enough money !

Yeah, no question about it, what we need from the November elections is more tax breaks for industry -- they clearly aren't making enough money! (Just like Exxon had severe need for it's tax windfalls during the eight year Bush administration -- talk about record profit.)