Non Ethanol gas to be scarce in Southeast La...this sucks for us boaters/fishermen

[Refineryop]

If we are willing to pay a good bit more for keeping it in production, then Chalmette Refining may decide to keep it. Valero is in a prime position to take up the slack it if wishes.

It's probably not about them just deciding to blend ethanol in all their gas. It most likely has to do with RIN credits, and if so there's not much the public can do about it.

 

[Skiney]

I've yet to have a problem with 10-15% ethanol blends in my boat. I use blue StaBil for ethanol and run my carbs dry if I know it will be a month before I go back in the water.

Ditto....Gas is gas lol

 

[Suburbazine]

Why?

Even if your vehicle will run it, you get less power and lower fuel economy.

Maybe we should just offer E0 and E85.

Only if your engine is designed to take advantage of it.

I can make roughly +30rwhp on E85 over 93 octane. And any notion of efficiency goes out the window on my truck lol. (4600rpm stall + LS1, 5300lbs)

 

[whitsend]

I can make roughly +30rwhp on E85 over 93 octane. And any notion of efficiency goes out the window on my truck lol. (4600rpm stall + LS1, 5300lbs)

Gottcha. That makes sense.
I was thinking of stock vehicles.

The few people I know with FlexFuel vehicles that tried E85 didn't like the results.

 

[340six]

I looked into gas plenty, It all starts out as base gas and gets stuff added to it. That is what makes it what it is. It is a gas Gumbo.
Have a sister in law that worked at Marathon
And a friend who works at Chevron making additives.
Chevron gets it gas and has the stuff added to it.
Sadly one day with the new Federal regs anyone with a race car, nice old street car, or boat, will at some point need to one day buy after market gas made just for it.
This has been talked to death on many cars forums I am member of.
Yes I read this whole thread. best we can do at this point is add stuff to the gas we get.
And for storage of gas for long term storage in a tight container.
I have personally used unlead gas 5 years old that was stored in a barrel with very little room {just what was needed to expand and contract} with common Stabil
And long term storage in mowers, cars ect that do not get used get 110 with lead.
I have been to a few Car Museum and have been told they use race gas in the cars they have there as it helps with carbs drying out ect
So far it has worked for me.
Yes you can make power with E-85 but have to redo the whole system to make it work.
No way am I doing that, after setting up the way i have.
I could get by with just a mix of unlead 93 and 110 but little I use of it straight 110 with lead works.
Suburbazine glad the E 85 works for you.
I for now will stick with 110 lead with the 12.3-1 compression, 538/549 lift cam, high stall and 4;30's
I think as the government makes us get the 10% added in everything, we will end up like other places that have off HP pumps at stations.
I have sen pictures of this set up even in Cali, as there are lots who need off road fuel for boats cars.
Sadly after Gustav left us without power i had to run some 110 in the old briggs generator last day or 2 to extend the regular fuel I had
A shot of 340six

I could get by with a 50/50 mix of 93 unlead and 110 with the Aluminum heads but not worth the gamble
As far as the color My mother died of Breast Cancer and have always supported Susan G. Komen.
And had Cancer my self. It is a Mopar color used 6 months and is tuff on a the right car so used it.

 

[SVTFreak]

Just a note. Leaded gas will mess up o2 sensors in late model applications. It will run it but o2 sensors will get sluggish. And with tech going towards wideband 02's, it will affect how it runs after some use.


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[Suburbazine]

Suburbazine glad the E 85 works for you.
I for now will stick with 110 lead with the 12.3-1 compression, 538/549 lift cam, high stall and 4;30's

Sounds like fun to drive! I'm not at the point where I must run 100+ octane yet, only 11:1CR and a 218/222 .600 lift cam.

Just a note. Leaded gas will mess up o2 sensors in late model applications. It will run it but o2 sensors will get sluggish. And with tech going towards wideband 02's, it will affect how it runs after some use.

That's the other reason why I'm not running the purple juice.

 

[buttanic]

Gasoline is refined as pure gasoline, ethanol is generally added at the tank truck loading facility. Most refiners won't allow in in their pipelines, too corrosive. Gas sold as 87 octane refers to the pure gas component not the ethanol blend, the ethanol adds a point or two of octane rating.

 

[340six]

Just a note. Leaded gas will mess up o2 sensors in late model applications. It will run it but o2 sensors will get sluggish. And with tech going towards wideband 02's, it will affect how it runs after some use.


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Sorry should have said so mt stuff is old and does not run cats or need 02 censers.
Maybe one day I will have injection and need O2 in the exhaust
I now that to gain the same octane it is even most costly in non lead gas. The price on fuel is crazy. No matter what ya buy.

 

[BOSS351]

Buttanic, that is not correct....You are right about the ethanol bringing the octanes up around 2 octane numbers. The NEET, or non-ethanol portion does not make 87 alone as stated. Motor octane is usually around 80-81 and Research octane is around 87-88 or so before the ethanol is added. The average before the ethanol addition is around 85 or so.

 

[JadeRaven]

Perhaps if we cut off the boaters from their non-ethanol gas, we'll have some more pressure on the state to ban ethanol in gasoline.....

Wishful thinking... but I can dream.

 

[MTregre]

regardless of what it does or doesn't do to a motor, we shouldn't be burning our food.

 

[stancel]

The Redfish on Pontchartrain must be trying to cash in while they can. They started charging $0.20 extra if you use your debit card at the pump. It used to be $0.03 extra. All the prices across the octane levels are also the same, which makes me think they are all 87 octane now. No more Plus or Super. Either way, I switched over to the station on the corner of Old Spanish and 3rd Street where cash and debit are the same, $3.59 as of yesterday.

I hope more people do the same and quit paying the Egyptians who run Redfish a ridiculous fee for using a card at the pump.

 

[BOSS351]

Sent an e-mail to Landrieu, Vitter, and Cassidy voicing my opposition to any more ethanol addition and possible elimination of ethanol blended fuels....Got this response this morning from Vitters office:

Dear Mr. R,



Thank you for contacting me in support of legislation to eliminate the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). I appreciate hearing from you on this important issue.



As you know, RFS requires that fuels sold in the United States contain a minimum amount of biofuels blended with regular gasoline and diesel. These amounts increase every year until they reach a total of 36 billion gallons in 2022. Because of this mandate, manufacturers could soon be forced to supply E15 fuels, which contain 50 percent more ethanol and would create many problems for millions of cars and boats with engines not designed for that fuel mixture. Due to infrastructure constraints, low consumer demand, and the prevalence of engines not designed to use more than 10 percent ethanol, a "blend wall" is in the process of being hit, which is the limit at which ethanol can be readily added to the gasoline supply in order to comply with the RFS. It is one of the primary challenges the mandate poses.



The RFS is unrealistic in its expectations, and I absolutely agree with you that we have to repeal the RFS. In the meantime, I have introduced legislation to change the fundamentally flawed RFS mandate that distorts markets and harms the consumer. Rest assured that I will keep your thoughts in mind as the Senate considers legislation on the RFS.



Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts on this important issue. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future about other issues important to you and your family.


At least I got a response of some kind.

 

[buttanic]

Buttanic, that is not correct....You are right about the ethanol bringing the octanes up around 2 octane numbers. The NEET, or non-ethanol portion does not make 87 alone as stated. Motor octane is usually around 80-81 and Research octane is around 87-88 or so before the ethanol is added. The average before the ethanol addition is around 85 or so.

I stand corrected, this is from my son in law who is an engineer at Marathon corporate HQ.

"At the Garyville refinery, we get a 3.4 number boost in octane when you add ethanol. So we blend gas to an 83.6 octane before ethanol, and get 87 octane when ethanol is blended in. The increase in octane when ethanol is added is different refinery to refinery.

If we were not blending ethanol, make the gas neat, then we would target an 86.6 to 87.4 octane to pass specification tests required by the EPA."

 

[BOSS351]

A lot of it has to do what components are available at the time of blending...and those can vary from refinery to refinery on any given day and the recipes would have to be changed slightly. We all shoot for the 87 spec so as to not give away any octane (money in other words..) and 86.6 is still considered "on spec" as defined by ASTM, and that is who the EPA uses for the octane reference. By the sound of it Marathon makes non ethanol gasoline too. That being said maybe they will supply SE La when Chalmette stops producing this week!!! I wish we could do away with it entirely. We can thank Kalifornia for making this happen after the MTBE groundwater incident..I loved that stuff!! (smelled good too!).

 

[Suburbazine]

regardless of what it does or doesn't do to a motor, we shouldn't be burning our food.

We aren't burning our food. I dunno what it is, but people hear "CORN" and think of edible stuff. You ought to read #2.

http://www.wired.com/2011/06/five-ethanol-myths-busted-2/

 

[dixiejarhead]

I fill the boat up at Hooked Up in Madisonville. I asked them if it was ethanol free and they stated yes. Also the small gas station with all the old signs in Madisonville sells regular gas as well IIRC.

 

[BOSS351]

Here is the thread on La. Sportsman on this issue..the last entry with the pump in the pic is not a good sign...

http://www.louisianasportsman.com/l...nt=view&action=full_report&id=181667#comments

 

[JadeRaven]

Sent an e-mail to Landrieu, Vitter, and Cassidy voicing my opposition to any more ethanol addition and possible elimination of ethanol blended fuels....Got this response this morning from Vitters office:

Dear Mr. R,



Thank you for contacting me in support of legislation to eliminate the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). I appreciate hearing from you on this important issue.



As you know, RFS requires that fuels sold in the United States contain a minimum amount of biofuels blended with regular gasoline and diesel. These amounts increase every year until they reach a total of 36 billion gallons in 2022. Because of this mandate, manufacturers could soon be forced to supply E15 fuels, which contain 50 percent more ethanol and would create many problems for millions of cars and boats with engines not designed for that fuel mixture. Due to infrastructure constraints, low consumer demand, and the prevalence of engines not designed to use more than 10 percent ethanol, a "blend wall" is in the process of being hit, which is the limit at which ethanol can be readily added to the gasoline supply in order to comply with the RFS. It is one of the primary challenges the mandate poses.



The RFS is unrealistic in its expectations, and I absolutely agree with you that we have to repeal the RFS. In the meantime, I have introduced legislation to change the fundamentally flawed RFS mandate that distorts markets and harms the consumer. Rest assured that I will keep your thoughts in mind as the Senate considers legislation on the RFS.



Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts on this important issue. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future about other issues important to you and your family.


At least I got a response of some kind.

Fantastic. Vitter surprises me all the time and it seems more and more like I agree with him 100% on the issues.