[Wingnut1945]

Who among you learned riders out there know about the particulars of E-15 gas?

I have heard and read that E-15 will greatly harm the normal fuel systems of cars and motorcycles, especially older models, whereas E-10 has been used for years without harmful effect. Politics being what it is with corn growers and refiners, E-15 gas may be coming to a station near us and ultimately be the only gas available. Not being a chemical/mechanical engineer, what do you really smart guys know about this subject? Is the fear-mongering true or not?

I certainly don't want to be forced to use E-15 and damage my wonderful '16 Wing or my old beat up Toyota minivan. That would limit or end my riding days and force me to walk! That would be a total bummer!

What say you?

 

[spork]

I say that full-blown E15 is a long way off (but Goldwings do last a long time), but if it happens, many people will avoid it like the plague and it will not sell well. I think that they will introduce it as an "option", meaning only certain gas stations, while they wait for car mfgs to catch up with redesigning their vehicles to accommodate the gas. It is kind of being piloted right now, with E85 vehicles (domestic only, to my knowledge), but the cost is not good enough to get people to buy the E85 (flexfuel) vehicles.

Cliff Notes For the Lazy:

- Right now not enough cars are built to handle the fuel, and it has no cost savings for the consumer, which means it is going nowhere unless it is legislated in.

 

[jsrinhsv]

Copied from info online. If you have a warranty on your vehicle... ask your dealer ..

if your vehicle is not approved for E15 don't use it. Running E15 gasoline in a vehicle that is not approved for it will cause engine problems. Ethanol is known to corrode rubber and some metals and can cause additional moisture in the fuel tank for vehicles that sit for a while. Independent research by AAA's auto engineers also finds that using E15 in new and older vehicles will cause damage to the fuel system & speed up engine wear.

The AAA says the sale and use of E15 should be stopped until there is more extensive testing, better pump labels to safeguard consumers and more consumer education about potential hazards.

 

[ksiesel]

For those not aware, I have been coming across more and more E15 pumps in Ohio, Indiana, MN and other places. For the most part, if you see a fuel station that is advertising 88 octane that’s a few cents cheaper then they have 87 octane, then the 88 will be 15% Ethanol.

BTW, I believe that both Ford and GM have tested and allow (not recommend) up to E15 in ALL of their 2013+ gasoline products in the US. Consult your owners manual to be sure though.

E15 is claimed to have about 2% less energy density than E10. Two major considerations that you have to give to this fuel are that it will require more fuel volume per unit of air (in other words, your emission control system has to have enough margin to add fuel to the fuel trims) and that it is a bit more corrosive than E10 so you start to question some of the rubber materials in the fuel system and if they will tolerate the extra ethanol.

In terms of storage, it’s more ethanol so it’s going to absorb more water and not be as friendly for storage as E10 or even better E0.