no ethanol in prem. fuel ?
July 5, 2012 4:58 AM 
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SubscribeProbably false. Ethanol is an easy way to raise octane and environmental mandates for oxygenates mean premium gas must have it.
False. It says it right on the pump. The few stations that still carry ethanol-free premium advertise it and charge you out the nose for it.
Here in NB, Canada our gas prices are all regulate therefore we don't pay more for ethanol-free gas. The ones that do include ethanol will advertise it on the pumps. Most that still do say something like may contain up to 10-15% ethanol.
I stay away from that stuff and fill-up at Shell. Ethanol free and Nitrogen enriched on all 3 grades.
Where I live, false. I'm in Western NY and most of our gas comes from Canada, not that it matters. It all has 10% ethanol as is required by law since 1995.
Oh, one more thing about premium gas. The most important thing to remember is this. If your vehicle knocks and pings without it you need it. Otherwise you're just wasting your money and it can make the vehicle hard to start in cold weather. Regular gas ignites easier, and the colder it gets the more true it is. The wise thing to do is run the lowest octane gas that won't make your vehicle knock and ping. (technically called pre-ignition or detonation which means the fuel ignites too early during compression) Those are the basic facts. The rest is just gossip. For some reason after many years of well-written articles on the subject some people hang onto the notion that premium gas contains more energy per volume than regular. It does not! Premium gas has everything to do with preventing pre-ignition and nothing to do with performance! When will the whole population accept this fact? The world may never know!
In my state (wi) regular and mid grade is mandated to sell at least 10% ethanol. Premium is not required so most stations do not have premium with ethanol. I always avoid the ethanol. Its terrible for fuel systems.
This probably depends on what state and even Air Quality Management District you're in. In California all gas has ethanol in it, but a friend of mine lives in Montana and there isn't any ethanol gas in the whole state because of some transportation and tank issues experienced there. When I travel to other states I actively seek out filling stations that sell pure gasoline as I get significantly better mileage on pure gasoline than I do on the ethanol blended fuels.
laplantebd, if there is a 10% mandate for regular and mid grade then your Premium is going to have ethanol as well since your mid grade is a blend of Premium and regular, mixed in the pump. If the regular is 10% and the Premium was 100% gasoline then the blend would be around 5% ethanol depending on the Octane Rating of the Premium, mid grade, and low test.
how about ohio usa?
I don't know about Ohio but you should be able to go to Ohio's AQMD, Energy Department, or EPA site and figure out what your state's requirements are. In most if not all states the ethanol content is supposed to be clearly posted on the pump. CA isn't totally compliant with this since the state's requirement is for all pumps to be dispensing E10 gasohol and sometimes the only mention is that the gas is blended with ethanol or when it is approved to be higher than 10% ethanol ie E15, E85, etc. due to those contents violating some manufacturer's warranties, especially those of motorcycles and boat engines.
Also, as a previous poster noted, ethanol has a high octane rating, making it appealing to manufacturers and retailers for use in Premium grade gasoline since it is a cheap octane booster in the sense that it is already used as an oxygenator and approved as an additive by the AQMD, after the outlawing of MTBE this is an important factor, so it is a no brainer octane rating booster. The downside to this is that ethanol lacks the BTU or energy content of gasoline so drivers suffer a mileage loss by using gasohol, regardless of octane rating, and the alcohol is a great attractant for water and therefore increases the rate of corrosion in fuel system components as well as the degradation of many different fuel lines as the rubber in non ethanol compliant lines is disolved by the polar solvent qualities of the alcohol.
In Alberta, I use Shell. The Bronze 87 and Silver 89 grades have 5% and 10% ethanol respectively. The Gold 91 has no ethanol.
That being said, the Gold is not distributed from a unique hose so the first litre or 2 will be usually be 87 or 89.
I use 91 all the time unless travelling in the mountains in which case I look for Chevron 94 grade.
The stations here in Chicagoland say "atleast" 10% ethanol on them but I run Shell V-power 93 in my CR-Z and I get VERY good mileage, last tank was 44 mpg and my route is 25% city and 75% highway.
it is dictated by law in Oklahoma which blends have E10 and which don't. We have 100% gas stations but they will carry an E10 blend for midgrade and label the other two 100% gas. you can definitely tell the difference too.
I'm reading misconceptions about ethanol here. Yes, it cheaply boosts octane, it attracts and absorbs water, it dissolves old-fashion synthetic rubber, the same butyl-types used in synthetic rubber tires, and it contains less energy than pure gas. Ethanol has about 60% as much energy as pure gas, but at a 10% mix it drops mileage only slightly. That is true, but it also has great benefits. Modern vehicles were designed for it so it does not damage your fuel system unless you have an old vehicle with non-neoprene gaskets, seals and lines. Ethanol doesn't damage neoprene. When I was a young man people routinely added "dry gas" (mostly alcohol) to their gas to avoid winter driving problems caused by water forming in the tank, hence the name. Most claimed to increase mileage. This was false unless you had a dirty fuel system to begin with. Now there's no need for it. When you take all factors into account 10% ethanol makes sense for almost all of us, except those with certain old cars, motorcycles, and boats with plain rubber fuel system parts. The rest of you are worrying about nothing. Is ethanol a good replacement for gasoline? Hell no, but it's an excellent additive for almost everyone. Not only does ethanol take water out of your system it also dissolves dirt and deposits, so your engine stays cleaner all the time, especially fuel injectors. Fuel injection loves 10% ethanol, so there you go. Way more benefit than downside.
I get better mpgs in my car on 10%E than 100%. just saying
