i get better fuel economy from NON ethanol fuel, so as a consequence never use ethanol blended fuels.
I've done a test on my car driving around town (ignoring the 'computer' fuel consumption figure).
1) completely fill the tank with regular unleaded (keep clicking until you actually see/hear the fuel at the top.... really full).
2) record your exact odometer reading, then drive it until almost empty like normal. it doesnt matter where you drive, as long as its normal commuting that would happen on a weekly basis.
3) when you're back at the pump, you fill it with ethanol blend (again, fill the tank right up to the top), and keep receipt to take note exactly how much fuel youve pumped to fill it up again to where it was.
4) also record your exact odometer reading at this point.
At this stage, you've got 3 important things.... a) exact km done, b) exact fuel used over those km, and c) normal daily driving (using the car like you normally would). Using these figures, you can work out exactly how fuel efficient the regular unleaded was.
And now that you've filled the car with ethanol, you only have to take note one more time upon refill, and then you'll have a km and fuel amount for ethanol as well.
Do the same with your chosen 98 fuel, and you'll know for sure like I do.
And the results?
Ethanol blended is the most expensive fuel to use when you consider its price per km..
98 Unleaded is next most expensive, and will provide the best performance out of all 3 (obviously), but isnt the most economical because of the extra you have to pay for it.
And the winner cost per km wise? Plain old regular unleaded... by a long shot!
If you want performance at any price, 98 Unleaded is the best. You'll also fill up less often. My track car runs on a strict diet of BP Ultimate. Used to be Shell until a few crappy tanks of fuel turned me off completely.
If you want best bang for your hard earned buck, Regular Unleaded is the best.
If the environment and sustainability is your aim, ethanol is king.
But Ethanol is the worst if you are trying to save $. You get the least amount of performance, you have to fill up more often, and considering they only give you 4c a litre off the normal stuff, its not worth the money.... not even close.
Fact) Ethanol has a lower energy value than normal fuel. That's why a discount needs to be offered by the fuel chains to make people buy it. It's less efficient.
But 4c off a litre when fuel is around $1.50 a litre equates to a 2.6% "discount".
Even when fuel was $1.20 a litre, that's only 3.3% off. Not enough.
But when I did my test above driving the car the same way I normally do, the difference in fuel economy between ethanol blend and regular unleaded was just under 6%.
In otherwords, if ethanol is to be truely believed as the most economical fuel to buy.... it needs to carry a discount of at least 9c a litre over regular.
But dont take my crappy little science test as fact... check out this story from 5 years ago.
False economy: E10 fuel isn't cheaper or greener - National - BrisbaneTimes
They compared the 3 different fuels over a much longer time frame and came up with same result.... E10 aint worth it when they sell it for the price they are selling it when compared with Regular Unleaded.
I got no problems with Ethanol blended fuels in normal daily driven cars. But not at the current pricing structure.... you're just making the fuel companies richer for nothing.
When performance is number 1 goal, 98 juice is still what I go for.... and will occasionally pop it into the daily driver as a 'treat'
.
But regular is the way to go folks. Any other option just makes the fuel companies bottom line healthier.
