is it safe to put 10% ethonal blend in my VY Calais?

Hi there,

I was using it in my VS commodore and my AU Falcon and it was fine plus I could swaer I was getting more miles out of both of them.

Now I have a VY SII Commodore and I have run it on it again and no problems so far but forgot to look at the miles.

 

Yes it is!

The following link gives the official Holden position on E10 (10% ethanol).

http://www.holden.com.au/www-holden...wnertips.jsp?link=maintenance&heading=ethanol

Some claim better fuel economy from E10, but theory says about 3.5% worse off due the lower calorific value of ethanol versus ULP.

One positive is that E10 will keep your fuel system cleaner I believe.

 

I have run my VYII SS on ethanol fuel every now and again. Didn't notice any performance gain/loss and the car seems to be still running fine (120,000km). Normal "pump" ethanol from any of the big chains should be fine. I wouldn't go adding extra myself though.

Reaper

 

ethanol will damage some types of rubber and metal components in the fuel system. however modern cars are built to handle it and you won't have a problem with your VY. a VB commodore would be a different story - i wouldn't use ethanol in one of those.

E10 won't make any real difference to engine operation. it won't save the environment, make more power or cut emissions. it just keeps a few farmers off the dole and stops them hassling John Howard (which is why he loves it).

 

i use it all the time.. it gives me more k's and also Better performance.
I HAVEN'T HAD ANY PROBLEMS SO FAR..:dance:
A BIT $$$ THOUGH..

 

Well Holden has certified on there website that it is safe to use no more then 10% ETHANOL after 1986 model Commodores, but they state no more then 10%, so I would still prefer non-ethanol fuel.

 

got the same responce from service department, i'm sticking with ultra unleaded as i get more bang for my $$$

 

Our family mechanic has seen some horror stories and wont touch the stuff with a 10 foot pole, me not knowing otherwise, will stick to his opinion and wont use it.

The blend fuels that have ethanol in them absorb water (as ethanol absorbs water), what this does is dries out your seals and anything rubber in your engine. Over time what happens when rubber dries? it becomes brittle and breaks and cracks and you have all sorts of issues.

The people who jump on and rant about ethanol are the ones who turn their cars over regularly, as a result they dont see the long term downsides to using ethanol. I think he said the average age of cars that come in are about 3-4 years of ethanol use before you start seeing some serious **** go wrong.

Or course that is all just based on his words and experiences, i do know that ethanol does absorb water though, so the stories seem believable.

Id say use it at your own risk, for the extra 2c a litre or whatever it is i dont see it as worthwhile

 

ethanol holds water in solution. the water will pass nicely through the fuel system without any problems. modern cars deemed suitable for ethanol (e.g. commodores) have rubber seals etc. designed to operate satisfactorily with ethanol.

 

But the issue is jules, what the factory calls 'satisfactorily' isn't always what people perceive to be satisfactory.
Holden may say it's fine to use in the cars, but at your 100,000km service you'll be replacing every piece of rubber in your engine. For them that's a fair lifespan, but i know a lot of people wouldn't accept it

 

that's a fair point maxy.

but i'd say there aren't that many rubber components really, and most would be replaced in that time for other reasons anyway. it's a bit of non-issue in my view.

the real question is - why would you use ethanol, rather than why wouldn't you? there isn't a clear reason to use it.

 

I agree.
I bank one of the largest fuel distributors for a major fuel company in Australia. The owner has come across even corroded holding tanks from this E10 fuel.
I wouldn't use it in my car for extended periods.

 

You mean 98 ron unleaded that runs 3% ethanol in their fuel as a cleaning agent.