E15. Is it common?

[thinwater]

I've seen it at a few gas stations (Virginia and Maryland). Unlike cars, dinghy engines don't have oxygen sensors to adjust the mixture, so higher blends will never be acceptable. How much trouble e15 might cause is probably speculation, but is also probably non-zero.



Is this just in the news, or is E15 a real thing? I can find little concrete about its extent on the web.

[a64pilot]

It’s supposedly coming.
But then it’s supposedly been coming for at least a decade. It seems there is more push to go to E0 now than E15.
The push to E15 was strong 10 yrs or so when fuel prices were high, but now it seems only the ETH producer lobby wants it.

[osprey877]

The eth producers all voted Republican so expect Trump to approve E15 soon. He has already removed summer restrictions (which were imposed to reduce the additional smog caused by ethanol) on the sale of E10.

[john61ct]

What really sticks in my craw is selling it as a green policy.

[AJ_n_Audrey]

We still have "pure" gasoline available in Southport, NC, but you have to go to a special gas station, and it's about a dollar more. Ethanol in gas for marine use is a very stupid idea. In fact, the whole ethanol thing is a stupid idea driven by the unwillingness of the government to fix the farm policy back to the way it was pre-1974 so it doesn't drive farmers to over-produce corn.

[thinwater]

I was not questioning the politics, just if perhaps it was becoming regionally common.


The other concern is pure engineering. How much ethanol can small outboards tolerate without misfiring due to enleanment? I know they won't run on e85.

[Mplight]

I use only premium in my small engines, but if there is a race track nearby, you maybe able to buy (super high) octane racing fuel, no ethanol and small engine performance will be significantly better.
Of course it may cost north of 10.00/gal��

[anacapaisland42]

Be sure not to use any gas containing ethanol in a 2 stroke engine.
Bill

[Djarraluda]

In Aus, we have had E10 for some years. It is lower in octane than pure(?) petrol, but adequate for most engines if the mixture has an octane rating to suit the compression in your engine.
Problems happen because ethanol is hygroscopic, it absorbs moisture so the fuel stored on board will deteriorate quicker than petrol.
Big issue is that the ethanol deteriorates fibre washers and some grades of plastics, so it leaves a very sticky residue after it Leakes out of the gasket joints in the system.
E10 is not too bad, but higher grades MAY result in leaks and other hazards.
Some folk believe it is sustainable, but then they do not look at the whole of the costs, just that it does not involve drilling and polluting the planet. The full arguments are rarely considered.
Roger

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by thinwater

I was not questioning the politics, just if perhaps it was becoming regionally common.


The other concern is pure engineering. How much ethanol can small outboards tolerate without misfiring due to enleanment? I know they won't run on e85.

It’s more of a question of jetting than anything else, properly jetted they would likely run on E85 quite well. Modern ignition systems are quite powerful.
The model T engine for example although designed to run on gasoline, could run on ethanol in a pinch.

Many racing fuels are oxygenated fuels, meaning your engine will run lean, and therefore hot if you don’t rejet for them. I used to run Sunoco 110 in my little Suzuki race bike road racing, and of course jetted for that. I put some in my CBR-1100XX, and it ran poorly, and not, cause it was too lean.
It’s a leaded fuel by the way, and it’s not really gasoline, but I’m unsure as to what it is, other than race fuel.

[Volkeno]

I know BoatUS has not been in favor of E15 or higher. Some motorcycle groups are starting to realize there are no motorcycles that are safe with anything above E10, especially older motorcycles.
My outboards are from 1997 and 1958 and my motorcycles are from 2003 and 2012. Luckily my primary boat has a diesel and they haven't seriously thought about inflicting ethanol there.
I expect the following rise in corn prices will cause more riots in Mexico as more crops are switched to ethanol production.

[tomlisasail]

I have a '96 Evinrude 70 HP and have used E10 since I bought it new and have 1150 hours on it and it still runs great (2 stroke). I do run it at 2000 to 2200 rpm. The few times I put non ethanol 90 oct it did perform better, however I would still use ethanol mostly. The big issue is not to let the ethanol sit for over a couple of months, then you will have water form in the gas.