[sandcastcb750]

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I read the USA Today site and they claim Minnesota wants it and the US to sell only 20% alcohol gasoline.

If 15% eats the rubber parts, what will 20% do?????

I am sure their argument is that we should get rid of the old vehicles.

 

[sandcastcb750]

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I forgot the link...

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/environment/2008-03-04-e20-ethanol-fuel_N.htm

 

[Biker John]

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I read somewhere that the government was going to scrap the idea of using alcohol for fuels.
The article stated it uses more fuel to produce it than it saved.

 

[Foosman(5)]

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Do ya'll think the alcohol will help keep our fuel tanks cleaner like a fuel additive?

 

[sandcastcb750]

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No, I think the alcohol will asorb the water and rust the tank and carburetor parts. That is the best thing that will happen.

Terrible milage also.

 

[Ghost Rider 2]

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Here in central Illinois all gas has alcohol. All the pumps say( May contain up to 10% alcohol). Mileage is not as good as it used to be. I had to replace the carbs on my 1100 about a year and a half ago. Not sure I will blame the alcohol but I don't think it helped anything. One thing I think that should be considered is the use ofcarbcleaners along with the akly fuel. I think that is what caused my problem. I still use a little sea foam but not very often. Also I onlyuse bout 1/2 dose. I think alcohol is here to stay. Almost every station here has E85 pumps. Don't ever get that in aGoldwing or I think you would be rebuilding parts for a long time.

 

[Longboater]

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Any one know if Florida is running alcohol in the gas. No signage indicates alcohol.

I have an 07 and I think the book states a max of 10%.

Longboater,

 

[road_rascal]

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They've been talking about it for awhile now. I'm against it, and have been emailing and writing letters to my reps to get them to change their mind about 20% ethanol. My cages already get horrible mileage with 10%, I can't imagine what 20% would do. Not only that, there has been a few articles in the local paper showing that ethanol plants are using a tremendous amount of water and draining the local aquifers.

 

[Longboater]

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Interesting that you mention the water usage aspect of ethanol production. In Manatee County just north of me there is an ethanol plant acquiring permits, one of which is the use of 400,000 gallons of water per day. This would put the new plant at the 8th largest user of water in the Tampa area. We are currently under water rationing. This is so typical of the Floridian Mentality. No economic thought process all the way through this growing mess, other than greed.

Just my opinion now, don't wish to start anything.:waving:

Longboater,

 

[buddy0253]

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i hate to tell you this but its already here. its being used in a lot of states already. it is called E85. not sure what the effects it will have on the bikes but only certain cars will run on this stuff. be carefull what you put in your tank, it supposed to be labled very distinctly. if you try to run an oldr car with it it screws up the timing, and other sensors. it should not effect the rubber on most vehicles because back in the 80's when they first started using alcohol they started making the fuel parts compatible with the alcohol. :alco:

 

[Ghost Rider 2]

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Alcohol mixed fuel and E85 are 2 different fuels. Standard fuel mix is normally 5 to 10 % of alcohol to 90 to 95& gas. E85 is 85% alcohol and only 15% gas. I think a lot of E85 will be sold in the future. It takes a special fuel injection unit to run it. And right now the big 3 GM, Ford, And Chrysler have cars on the market to run the E85. I know a couple of guys that are playing with older style carburetors to make them run with the new E85. Here in central Illinois all the regular and premium gas has up to 10% alcohol. If you have never ran it. At first you may have to change your fuel filter a couple of times. If you have seals in the carb that are in bad shape they will probibly start leaking some. I only get 38 to 41 mpg with my GL1100. I hear others that always get uper 40's. I went on a trip last fall with my 1500. The best milage I had ever got around this area was 42. I was several states away and ran a couple of tanks of regular no alcohol gas threw it. On the last tank I got 46 mpg. So yes the alcohol does effect milage.

 

[DougW]

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More alcohol requires higher compression to get the most out of it. Too much compression and the lower octane gasoline will detonate. Any vehicle that is going to use both fuels economically needs to have variable compression. The only way I know of to do that currently is by putting on a turbo and adjusting the boost.

I think right now all the talk about moving to alcohol is costing us at the gas pumps. Refinery capacity is running as high as they can but who is willing to spend the billions of dollars and years of investment to build a new refinery when it appears it won't be needed in the future. In the meantime we have the law of supply and demand driving the prices through the roof.

 

[DaveO430]

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DougW wrote:

In the meantime we have the law of supply and demand driving the prices through the roof.

There was an article in the paper last week about how the law of supply and demand doesn't apply to fuel prices anymore. It's the futures traders bidding up the oil prices.
Actually the supply is good right now and demand is down so prices should be going down.
Also the use of corn to make fuel is using up the supply and making the price of other products made from corn like animal feed skyrocket so the price of meat and dairy products are going up.
All this to appease the tree huggers while we all suffer for it.

 

[bspiers]

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20% to 35 % less miles per gallon as well with te corn fule mix.

 

[DougW]

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Davogd430 wrote:

DougW wrote:

In the meantime we have the law of supply and demand driving the prices through the roof.

There was an article in the paper last week about how the law of supply and demand doesn't apply to fuel prices anymore. It's the futures traders bidding up the oil prices.
Actually the supply is good right now and demand is down so prices should be going down.
Also the use of corn to make fuel is using up the supply and making the price of other products made from corn like animal feed skyrocket so the price of meat and dairy products are going up.
All this to appease the tree huggers while we all suffer for it.

I also saw a piece on TV where the alcohol plant sells the corn after they get done with it for animal feed on the cheap to get rid of it. The protien is still there, the alcohol only uses the sugars, so there is still reasonable feed value to it according to that show.



It is all just so confusing, so many sides to the story and we will never know the whole truth no matter what it is