[Rhodes22-list] E85

[Brad Haslett]

Hank,

You are correct.  E85 is 85% ethanol and has to be handled in a separate
pump and clearly labeled as such (and the reason it has to have 15% gasoline
is to keep people from making martinis with the stuff).  I'm not sure if the
regs on labeling up to 15% ethanol is state or federal but I do know from
the Bonanza board that lots of stations are selling the stuff without it
being labeled.  Ethanol fuel is horrible in the marine environment and hard
on outboards.  Ethanol cannot be pipelined, it must be trucked because of
its corrosive nature so it is "splash" blended at the refinery as the truck
is loaded.  There are some efforts being made in the airplane community to
buy fuel before the "splash".  Maybe the same thing can be done in the
marine community.  Somehow I don't think Slim has a need for 8000 gallons of
scooter fuel.  On the other hand, if he had 8000 gallons of pure ethanol,
hummmmmmmm.

Brad

On Thu, Apr 17, 2008 at 7:03 AM, Hank <hnw555 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Slim,
>
> Most of our gas hear in Maryland has 10% ethanol in it.  E85 is 85%
> ethanol
> (Brad, correct me if I am wrong).  Even the 10% though is marked at the
> pump.  However, they do it by stating that the gas MAY include up to 10%
> ethanol.  You don't actually know if it does or not.  Why don't you as the
> station manager where you normally buy gas.  He should know what he is
> selling.
>
> Hank
>
>
> On 4/17/08, Steven Alm <stevenalm at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > I've got some good news and some bad news.  The good news is that we
> > finally
> > got some spring-like weather up here in Minneapolis and I got the
> scooter
> > out for a nice long ride.  The bad news is that I was talking to another
> > biker dude who told me he goes down to Iowa and loads up on gas for his
> > bike
> > because Iowa doesn't use any ethanol.  He told me virtually all gas
> > stations
> > in Minnesota have it.  I thought they had to put a sticker on the pumps
> > saying it's E85.  WTF?
> >
> > I know we've discussed this before but IIRC engines have to be reworked
> to
> > run on ethanol because it's hard on hoses, gives lower gas-mileage and
> so
> > on, and so-called "flex fuel vehicles" have undergone this modification.
> > But I'm sure the vast majority of Minnesotans have not made these
> > modifications to their cars so I'm wondering if we're all ruining our
> cars
> > or was this biker dude just blowing smoke.  I've googled around a bit
> and
> > can't find evidence one way or the other if all or how many Minnesota
> gas
> > stations have it now.  Or if it's required that pumps display a sticker.
> >
> > I'm not at all on the corn-produced ethanol bandwagon and don't see it
> as
> > a
> > viable option--unless of course you're a corn farmer of which there are
> a
> > lot in this neck of the woods.  But there's probably no place that grows
> > more corn than Iowa.  So what do the Iowegians know that we Minnesotans
> > don't know about ethanol?  More importantly, am I wrecking my scooter's
> > engine?  My out board?  My V-8 without even knowing that I'm running
> E85?
> > Aside--they're all running well but I haven't checked gas mileage
> lately.
> >
> > Slim
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> >
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