UK to adopt E10

[JockoT]

According to today's news, the UK government is consulting on the introduction of E10 as the "Standard Fuel" for UK use as of 2021.
When that comes to pass it will drive older cars off the road and make EVs even more desirable.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51731757

[Draigflag]

I read that earlier too. Is it a good thing or a bad thing? I hear bad press about ethanol, but is it all urban myth and rumour? If it reduces performance, won't people be accelerating harder and using more to counteract it? I know little on this topic, now where's my Peugeot e208 brochure gone...

[LDB]

Everyone I know dislikes the stuff. MPG goes down measurably compared to pure gasoline. I'd like to see it gone.

[trollbait]

The US has been using ethanol in gasoline off and on since the 1970's. Unless there was an appreciable cost increase for the material, I would think the rubber in old cars is safe with E10. A more likely concern is that ethanol is a decent fuel system cleaner, and the stripping of old gunk in the tank will clog things.

Some people see a difference between in fuel economy between E0 and E10, some don't. The actual energy difference is about 3%, which is also about the difference between summer and winter blends here. Then ethanol is higher octane, so ignition timing of the car can advance. It comes down to the specifics of the car and driver.

The only set drawback of ethanol is to not use it in fiberglass tanks, as it dissolves the resin, and deposits it in the engine. You also need to take better care of power equipment in terms of regular maintenance.

[JockoT]

We have been using E5 here in the UK for some time now. You cannot buy anything else. Because we have the climate we do (the only way you can tell summer from winter is to look at a calendar) UK fuel is the same all the year-round.

[trollbait]

With going from E5 to E10, I don't think many will notice a difference.

[Airstreamer67]

The biggest difference for me is the gasoline I store for several months to use in lawn mowers. The E10 gas seems to go bad faster and damage the little carburetors on small equipment. As a result, I either have to use some StaBil fuel treatment or buy straight undiluted gas. This seems to avoid the problems.

In my cars, I don't have gas sitting around for months before usage, so the E10 works OK. I do think the mileage is lower on E10, but since it's the cheapest available around here, it works out to be the best buy for me and my cars.

[trollbait]

Originally Posted by Airstreamer67

The biggest difference for me is the gasoline I store for several months to use in lawn mowers. The E10 gas seems to go bad faster and damage the little carburetors on small equipment. As a result, I either have to use some StaBil fuel treatment or buy straight undiluted gas. This seems to avoid the problems.

The solution I used was to dump the lawnmower gas into the car tank at the end of the season. Even the stuff mixed with oil. The half gallon or so I could have left got diluted with at least ten gallons in the car tank.

As for the equipment itself, I drained the tanks, and then ran them dry. Start of next season, I'd add some 91% rubbing alcohol or acetone to the first tank to clear out any water or gunk that might be in the carb bowl.

All my equipment is over 10 years old, with a well likely needed in that statement. Couldn't tell if any wear on the fuel system is from the ethanol or just age.

[Draigflag]

Any ideas how ethanol affect premium fuel then? I only use premium as both my cars use performance engines, but even the 98 stuff I use has E5 stickers on it now. Have noticed the GTi popping and banging alot more on gear changes, and the exhaust seems noisier too. Perhaps just a coincidence or "placebo" or maybe it's just me, either way I'm loving the extra character.

[trollbait]

Ethanol's effective octane is over 100. In E10, it raises the petrol octane around 2.