Recently, South Dakota Sen. John Thune joined with Sens. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) in calling for President Joe Biden to allow for the year-round sale of E15 ethanol, which they say will help ease the price of fuel. Currently, E15 fuel cannot be sold in conventional markets between June 1 and September 15.
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Not just no, but hell no.
You might save a few pennies at the pump, but at what cost - decreased mileage, increased engine wear and who knows what else, and that's just in vehicle engines.
Every single one of my small engines has a sticker on the tank saying do not use E15 in it. While I can get by using E10, I can notice the difference between that and straight gas. I can only imagine how shitty the performance would be if I tried burning E15 in them.
Then there's this fertilizer shortage that they're talking about. How are you going to grow fuel corn without fertilizer?
Hey Wirecutter;
ReplyDeleteThe Corn mafia has their hooks in this, they don't care they just see a chance for more money. I wish they would get rid of ethenol in gas period, none of my vehicles can run on E85 and I did notice how much happier my 99 F150 was when I used straight up gas in her.
Same with my 2006 Element. Anyone who has taken basic chemistry understands that ethanol is less energy-dense than octane. I found a local gas station that has ethanol-free Regular, and I get better mileage than on E-10 mid-grade.
DeleteEthanol in gas has been plain stupidity from the beginning. Corn growing states trying to create a higher demand for their crop. Just plain assenine. What I expect out of govt beaurocrats.
ReplyDeleteIf I didn’t know better, I might start believing something funny is going on here that might unintentionally contribute to food shortages. Better take off my tinfoil hat. Eod1sg Ret
ReplyDeleteMany moons ago (now 74) I hauled gas for Amoco when gasohol first came out. We loaded ethanol at one point then loaded gas to make a 10% blend. To test if it was the proper blend a sample was drawn & poured in a tall large test tube. A few drops of water was added & the mixture immediately seperated. To this day I have never used that shit.
ReplyDeleteThune is a McConnell clone. It isn't just the cost of fertilizer but also the cost of herbicides and pesticides and the price of diesel going into the tractor. Only the MORON class would suggest such idiocy.
ReplyDeleteWe should be doing the opposite of that, and closing the fuel ethanol distilleries, and redirecting their feedstock corn as animal feed, so that the present animal feeds may be directed to food for people, where that is needed.
ReplyDeleteJohn in Indy
If you would like to produce 1 gallon of ethanol you would need to burn 1.5 gallons of ethanol in the reaction. It is an endothermic reaction. It is only useful in making whiskey. https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2001/08/ethanol-corn-faulted-energy-waster-scientist-says#.XiBunIRw9gk.email
ReplyDeleteEven less energy per gallon.
ReplyDeleteAll taxpayer subsidized.
Thank you, no.
I have an '03 Sequoia. It gets 1.8 more MPG on non-ethanol which offsets the .30 more per gal of ethanol free gas. The recent Xiden induced pricing has upset that a bit but the fact is that non-ethanol is not as detrimental to my vehicle.
ReplyDeleteEthanol is about the corn lobby... not energy or the environment.
I remember back in the day when your car would keep running after you shut it off. Pretty sure that's when unleaded came on the scene. I miss the 101 octane days.
ReplyDeleteLet's add in the looming food shortage, and this idea becomes world class stupid.
ReplyDeleteIt's ridicules to use corn for that as there are many other crops that can be used much more efficiently. As far as using ethanol in gas it eats away at any plastic parts that weren't designed for it. There's a good video on youtube called "King Corn" which is very educational. Much of the corn that is grown is industrial corn and is not fit for human consumption. It's not even profitable to grow and the government must subsidize it. Check it out.
ReplyDeleteIt's called talking points to "Show my big donators" (Big Ag) I'm keeping Tax Dollars flowing to them.
ReplyDeleteFollow the money. Money (Big donators) is 1st place; Reality (soon hungry Americans, 70's gas lines and what brand of cat food tastes best?) is 2nd place.
Has less to do with the ever-higher cost of fertilizer as they are going to get "supportive legislation" AND be allowed to raise prices to the consumers during "This Russian Crisis".
When the Super Banks say don't horde gasoline and food HURRY and put some away for your family. But do store it safely as burnt-out homes and bug ruined sacks of rice isn't a thank you Dad plan.
Oh, and plant potatoes, good nutrition, pretty easy to grow and store and best of all Thomas Jefferson one of our Best Presidents was a Gardener. His Monticello gardens grew many different potatoes.
Got a flex fuel car, never have I put the 85 in it.
ReplyDeletePeople: "food and fuel prices too high!"
ReplyDeleteGovetnment: "Let's burn food!"
friend of mine has a ford truck flex fuel he said when he runs E85 the mileage drops by 1/3 .
ReplyDeleteEvery one of these politicians pushing this crap is either already in the employ of the Ag money, or sees himself as President and doesn't want to piss off Iowa. Take away Iowa's first place primary and all this crap goes away.
ReplyDeleteHawkpilot
Ethanol production needs to end and convert that corn crop back into livestock fodder. This shit will gum up any small carb and don't even think about using it in a fuel-injected engine....those poor gummy injectors!
ReplyDeleteNo. Rushing the cost of rebuilding an engine sooner is not a cost savings.
ReplyDeletePoliticians can't think beyond the ballot box. Morons. Besides there is no fertilizer from Russia to grow crops.
ReplyDeletecannot find corn free gas here near youngstown, ohio
ReplyDelete