Ethonol E10 Petrol, Holden Calais VY 2003

[darkphat]

The petrol prices these days are really unfair for people who drive the good old trusty V6's, i was wondering if its alright to use Ethonol Mix petrol, such as E10 from mobil. I do own a Holden Calais VY 2003 model, and i need some feedback from your experience with E10.

Some information i've read from Mobil website.

What is Ethanol?
Ethanol is a non-fossil fuel that is produced from a variety of agricultural crops such as sugar cane and grains.

Will Mobil E10 Unleaded reduce my fuel economy?
While ethanol contains less energy than normal petrol, any changes in the fuel economy of your vehicle by using Mobil E10 Unleaded should be small. There are many variables that can affect fuel economy including the season, weather, road condition, tyre pressure, the use of air conditioners, and whether or not the vehicle is properly tuned.

Will using Mobil E10 Unleaded affect the performance of my vehicle?
Ethanol is a high-quality, high-octane fuel component. The octane in Mobil E10 Unleaded is typically above 93 RON whereas regular unleaded petrol is 91 to 92 RON.

The increased octane of Mobil E10 Unleaded may allow some engines to operate more efficiently. Mobil E10 Unleaded also contains a corrosion inhibitor to protect the fuel system and a detergent additive to keep inlet valves and fuel injectors clean.

How much ethanol will be present in Mobil E10 Unleaded?
Mobil E10 Unleaded will contain up to 10% ethanol blended with unleaded petrol. The Australian government has limited the amount of ethanol in petrol to 10%, or ‘E10’.

Mobil E10 Unleaded fully complies with Australian Fuels Quality Standards and supports Mobil’s proud history of supplying high-quality fuels that you can trust.


Is Mobil E10 Unleaded suitable for my car?
Most cars built after 1986 are compatible with fuel blended with up to 10% ethanol whereas many pre-1986 vehicles are not. We recommend that you follow your vehicle manufacturer’s advice. The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) website www.autoindustries.com.au/ethanol2 contains a comprehensive list of vehicles capable of operating on ethanol blends up to a maximum of 10% ethanol. If you are unsure about your particular model, you should consult your vehicle’s handbook or manufacturer.

The FCAI website includes a list of manufacturer contacts. If you own a pre-1986 vehicle and you currently use an antivalve seat recession additive with your petrol, we recommend that you continue to do so with Mobil E10 Unleaded.

"from caltex BIOFUEL"

Holden biofuel suitability

Apollo (1/87-7/89), Nova (2/89-7/94), Barina (1985-1994), Drover (1985-1987), Scurry (1985-1986), Astra (1984-1989)
E10 Suitable = No

Astra SRi 2.2L (11/2006 onwards); Astra 2.2L Twin Top Convertible (11/2006 onwards)
E10 Suitable = No

All models post 1986 except above
E10 Suitable = Yes

 

[wortus]

From about the middle of next year if you live in NSW you'll only be able to get E10 or premium. I haven't tried E10 in my VY V6 yet but I used to use it a lot in my old VN S1 V6 and I didn't notice any difference in it's performance, the motor was stock standard. I never kept a close eye on it's fuel consumption so I can't comment on whether or not it used more fuel. I'll probably be using E10 when it's all I can get as I don't think the extra cost of premium is worth it. I have used it in my VY to test consumption figures and it's about the same on 95 premium.

 

[KRUPTD]

In my opinion E10 is no good,just from experience.Also E10 you will not get as many km's as you would with normal unleaded or premium.The V8 supercars proved this last year at Bathurst.They all used E10 and majority of teams had to have another pit stop to refuel to finish the race or had to reduce the higher rpm by 200rpm to 500rpm to prevent running out of fuel.

Fromt what i have heard unleaded in Australia will seize production in 2011.E10 and premium will be the ownly soul petrol fuel for sale.Hi here they have E85 which is far better than E10 but i think that is being used in South Australia.

 

[KRUPTD]

Also in Europe or might be Greenland.The main fault of fuel pump failures is due to Ethanol in the fuel which in these countries use E10...At work have experienced many fuel pump faults cause be ethanol and also further problems with fuel rails rusting and fuel regs blocking up and injectors blocking up.

Main problem with ethanol its cleans the inside walls of the fuel system,this debre doesnt breakdown so it will get caught up in the injectors of reg,causing dramas.

Some people will say ethanol is good i have been using it for a long time and havent had any dramas and others will say the opposite.

But when it comes down to it,ethanol is just like bio desiel.Cheap and nasty.But its up to you...

 

[colgf]

I use it in my VY Super charged V6 . No problems so far but I can imagine their will be in 5 years. You cant do much about it mate , it will be all thats available soon. Give premium the flick , its a rip off & has no real advantages other than stops "pinging" under heavy loads. If you drive normally E10 is fine in the short term.

 

[wortus]

These motors unless modified shouldn't really ping like an old motor with points and a dizzy as they have knock sensors that should stop that, incidently straight ethanol itself has a higher R.O.N. (octane) rating that 91 unleaded petrol.
I think the V8 supercars use E85 which is 85% ethanol a lot more than 10%.
At the current price difference between unleaded and premium I'll probably be using E10 when unleaded stops being available and keeping a check on how much it uses.

V8 Supercar and E865 article link; http://www.v8supercars.com.au/content/hero_news/june08/little_mythbusts_ethanol/

I think most modern cars could use a more than 10% ethanol but that means changing the fuel injectors, fuel pumps etc basically any rubber or plastic parts in the fuel system need to be suitable and if the % is high maybe increase the fuel flow as the engine needs more. I'm sure the problems with crud built up on the fuel lines etc coming off and blocking things and corrosion isn't impossible to engineer out.

 

[Calaber]

I use the E10 in my Ecotech and haven't experienced any problems. I haven't bothered checking comparitive fuel consumption between pure unleaded and E10 but have read that it is less economical to use the E10 by a small margin.

Holden and other manufacturers say that provided the ethanol content doesn't exceed 10%, standard fuel systems will tolerate it but higher concentrations of ethanol will require specific parts such as seals and fuel lines to be installed to combat any corrosive effect the ethanol has.

As far as performance goes, well, I can't really pick the difference but I don't bother trying to find out, either.

 

[TMM]

The general consensus is that by the time E10 eats enough of your fuel lines to be a problem, the car is long past it's warranty anyway. Therefore there's no issue with car manufacturers recommending it.

That said, i'm not touching ethanol with a 10ft barge pole, because i intend to keep my car for a long time.

 

[stick3]

The general consensus is that by the time E10 eats enough of your fuel lines to be a problem, the car is long past it's warranty anyway. Therefore there's no issue with car manufacturers recommending it.

That said, i'm not touching ethanol with a 10ft barge pole, because i intend to keep my car for a long time.

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channel 7 news last week had a story about it ...the owner (did not read or care what kind of fuel it used) on his car a late model vw so he/she used e10 in stead of premium 13k damage to the engine .... the mechanic show the damage piston and said he would not put it in any car new or old

 

[Calaber]

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channel 7 news last week had a story about it ...the owner (did not read or care what kind of fuel it used) on his car a late model vw so he/she used e10 in stead of premium 13k damage to the engine .... the mechanic show the damage piston and said he would not put it in any car new or old

He would have been using base grade E10, in a car meant to run 98 octane - that's what late model VW's are meant to use. Holing a piston is usually caused by severe pre-ignition or using a fuel that is too low in octane rating for that engine. It would be like running an old leaded engine on unleaded, without converting it beforehand. They don't like it and object loudly - until they decide to stop.