Hi All:

I have made the following upgrades in the Engine Management System:

Jet Products Hi-Flow Mass Air Flow Sensor (MAF / MAP)

Jet Products V-Force Plus Performance Module - provides mild progamming and LCD read-out of many engine performance parameters including battery charging and gas mileage efficiency. Per Jet dyno figures, Sensor and Performance Module 5+ HP and 3+ FPT

Jet Products Re-flash of OEM Engine Control Unit (ECU / PCM). Per Jet dyno figures using 89 octane minimum 12+ HP and 14+ FPT with unknown additional HP and FPT enhancement by optimizing the other intake and exhaust modifications noted in other sections of the forum.

I will be doing a dyno run this Friday using 93 octane 100% gas (no power robbing mileage reducing ethanol garbage) and will post results in the dyno section. I will then try and do any tuning tweaks available based on those initial results.

 

Cool, we're looking forward to the information.

About the ethanol, are you sure about that? I think many states (like Ohio) do not require any labeling on the pump if the ethanol is 10% or less.

 

Hi Jim:

Yeah, I am sure about that, at least in this area. Everyone here goes out of their way to label pumps with 100% gas which attracts all the boater and carburated vehicle / yard tool traffic. I have carburated motorcycles which definitely like the 100% much better. Check pout this website for 100%ers across the country: www.pure-gas.org

And here are some reasons for why ETHANOL SUX:


Advantages of 100% Gas:

1. Bettermileage and power (3 % to 10% more). Since pure ethanol only has 67% as muchenergy in a gallon as pure gas, a 10 % ethanol fuel has only 97 % the energy ofpure gas, so you do get at least 3% better gas mileage. With $4 gasoline,this amounts to 12 cents per gallon, so you do get some of the added cost backalong with the improved mileage and power. Bottom line: cars just do not run aswell on ethanol gas – ask any knowledgeable mechanic.

• Non-hygroscopic or not nearly as much so (does not attract water vapor as readily to rust out your gas tanks and pollute your fuel).
• Non-corrosive or not nearly as much so (alcohol is very corrosive) which affects rubber grommets, bushings and metals.
• No “green goo” gumming up your carburetors, ESPECIALLY on motorcycles, lawn equipment and boat motors (if you have them you know what I mean).
• Not subsidized by the government (taxpayers) to the tune of $6 billion per annum (even ethanol producers say they no longer need the subsidy, but who turns down free taxpayer money?!!?). The subsidy has finally had a natural death due to the long overdue cessation of government subsidies (as of 1/1/12) to the ethanol industry and farmers as well. Oops, I guess we also subsidize the oil companies after all don’t we, like they too really need a taxpayer handout.
• Not produced from a major food source (corn) causing everything (a BUNCH of stuff) made with corn to cost more. The only folks happy about this are the corn farmers enjoying the high corn crop prices. And now with all the widespread droughts destroying a major portion of the present corn crops this summer, the prices of every corn related product will soar even more. A major dumb idea…
• It turns out that it takes as much, maybe more, crude based fuel to make gallon of ethanol as you get out of it. When you take into account the fuel used to plant the corn, cultivate and harvest it, the petroleum based ingredients in the fertilizer, the energy to take it to the distiller and the energy to do the distillation, etc. it takes as much or more fossil fuel energy to make the dammed ethanol as you get out of the ethanol and the gasoline it replaces.
• Do not have to use fuel additives like Seafoam and Startron as often to stop the abovementioned ravages of ethanol.
• Horror of horrors, the government and petro-fuel industries are preparing to foist even more ethanol down your throats – 15% !!!! All the alphabet agencies for motorcycles (AMA and manufacturers) and aircraft (AOPA and manufacturers) are lobbying against this for the above reasons.
• And another thing nobody wants to talk about is the ever growing aquatic dead zone in the Mississippi River delta area that is at least in part caused by the increased fertilizer and insecticide run off due to all the additional corn being planted.

Disadvantages of100% Gas:

If you do need these good additives to clean your fuel ofparticulates and water, they are good regardless of what type of fuel used inany gas motor application. I have used them both religiously in my cars andespecially motorcycles and I highly recommend them:

Startron: http://mystarbrite.com/startron (available at Wal-Mart MARINE dept. [notin Auto] and many motorcycle shops auto supply stores and marinas)

Stabil ETHANOL Gas Treatment (I prefer the original Startronbut this New version of Stabil should be OK. Available at Wal-Mart and aboutanywhere else)

Seafoam: http://www.seafoamsales.com (available at most discount and auto supply stores)



MORE STUFF ONETHANOL FROM HEMMINGS:



Like it or not, ethanol in gas is here tostay. Although it does reduce pollution in our atmosphere, it can causeproblems for many collector cars, boats, and older outdoor power equipmentbecause of some of the side effects related to its use.

When people talk about ethanol in today’spump gas, they’re referring to E10, which is a formulation that contains 90percent gasoline and 10 percent ethanol. Car manufacturers are now buildingengines that can run on 51 to 83 percent ethanol, which is often called E85 orflex fuel.

Ethanol is refined from grain alcohol; mostspecifically, corn, here in the United States; but it can also be made fromswitch grass, manure, willow trees, and even sugar cane in some countries.

The use of ethanol will only increase.Federal law mandates that the U.S. use 36 billion gallons of alternative fuelper year by 2022. By comparison, the United States used only 11 billion gallonsin 2010, and the requirement in the law is that we ramp up to 15 billiongallons per year in 2015. The only way we would get there is to buy more gas –which is unlikely to happen, given the cost of a gallon these days – orincrease the ethanol content in each gallon. Unless your car’s owner’s manualstates specifically that it is an E85 or Flex Fuel vehicle (if you don’t knowfor sure, check the eighthdigit of your VIN), you cannot use E85 fuels.

Pros of ethanol-supplemented fuel:

· Ethanolis clean-burning and is a higher-octane fuel than conventional gas.

· Ethanolis produced from renewable sources.

· Ethanol-poweredvehicles produce lower carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide emissions, and lowerlevels of hydrocarbon and nitrogen oxide emissions.

· Ethanolproduction keeps American farmers in business and creates new farming andethanol-processing jobs.

· Becauseethanol is produced domestically, it reduces U.S. dependence on foreign oil andincreases the nation’s energy independence.

· Ethanolneeds fewer fossil (coal) and petroleum (gas) fuels to produce more BTU ofenergy than gasoline (although it does require much more water).

Cons of ethanol-supplemented fuel:

· Ethanolcreates 34 percent less energy than unadulterated gasoline per gallon. Thisequals a loss in fuel economy of up to 3 miles per gallon for E10 fuels. Interms of heat, ethanol produces 76,330 BTU per gallon, whereas diesel fuelproduces 128,450 BTU per gallon, gasoline 116,090 BTU per gallon and LP gas84,950 BTU per gallon. The fuel economy gets even worse with E85, a loss of 7to 8 miles per gallon with its higher ethanol content. Consumer Reports,testing in 2006, verified a loss in fuel economy of up to 30 percent in a ChevyTahoe designed to run on flex fuel when it was tested with both unleaded gasand E85. Poor fuel economy can also be attributed to improper fuel systemcalibration based on computer feedback from oxygen sensors because of thetemperatures needed to burn ethanol.

· Virtuallyany grain considered feedstock can be used to make ethanol, but some grains arebetter for producing ethanol than others. Corn happens to be one of the worstgrains for making ethanol but we produce so much more of it than any othergrain that it was the ingredient of choice for U.S. ethanol producers. In SouthAmerica, ethanol is produced from sugar cane, which is easier to refine andgives a higher yield per acre than corn (1,200 gallons per acre vs. 300 gallonsper acre of corn). The U.S. government did impose a 55 cents per gallon tariffto prevent the import of sugar cane-based ethanol into the United States,though that tariff has recently expired).

· Ethanolis hygroscopic, which means it absorbs water more easily than gasoline. Thatleads to water condensation inside fuel tanks, carburetor fuel bowls and fuellines where air spaces are present. Water content in fuel will also swell upthe paper filter media inside fuel filters not specifically designed for flexfuels and can thus restrict fuel flow at the filter.

· Ethanolalso erodes fiberglass tanks, rubber hoses and plastic fuel lines. Itcontributes to rust in fuel systems by creating condensation in the unfilledportion of gas tanks. It will also dissolve varnish and rust in steel fuelcomponents. These dissolved ingredients sit in the bottom of gas tanks untilthey are removed or they will enter the fuel system if the fuel level in thetank gets too low.

So what is a classic car owner to do?Especially when their car is sitting unused in the garage more than it is onthe road? It has been stated that you can counteract the poor fuel mileage bydriving at a consistent speed of between 40 and 60 MPH but that doesn’t reallyapply to boats or classic cars that are parked or do not have cruise control inmost cases.

Several recommendations of things you cando that should help come from OE marine manufacturers who have been battlingthese ethanol-related fuel problems:

· Replaceany plastic or rubber fuel lines with ethanol-resistant hose or nylon tubing.

· Installa water separator filter in the fuel line leading to the carburetor. Watercollects in the filter and can be removed periodically.

· Replaceany fiberglass tanks with steel or aluminum.

· Ensurethat any O-rings in the fuel system are also ethanol-compatible.

· Keepyour tank as full as possible to prevent air space where condensation can form.

· Usespecific ethanol-compatible fuel storage additives. These are normally blue incolor. Regular fuel stabilizers will not work unless they are labeled ethanolfuel-compatible.

· Shoparound for a marina or service station that does not pump E10 or E85. None ofthese stations will be affiliated with a major gasoline producer, but there arestill some out there, especially in areas around lakes and rivers where boatingis popular. You can find a “pure gas” map of many of these stations online atthe Historic Vehicle Association website

· Ventyour fuel system during storage for extended periods; the moisture your fuelsystem might absorb from the outside will be less than the moisture created inthe air space inside.

· Use afogging solution in your carburetor during storage to prevent condensation fromcollecting in fuel bowls.

· Use ofisopropyl alcohol-based dry gas will help to absorb system moisture. Regulardry gas is ethanol-based and will only make the problem worse. Isopropyl-basedadditives actually combine with the water molecules and removing moisturethrough the combustion chamber.

· Use ofa flex fuel-compatible fuel filter where possible will prevent degradation ofthe paper media in your filter by water in the fuel system.

SEMA has also made ethanol in gasoline oneof its legislative priorities, opposing the pending rollout of E15 fuel. Formore information on that effort, visit SEMASAN.com.

Happy Motoring,
Regards, Jim

 

That is a cool website. The gas station right down the street from me carries ethanol free gas. I knew this ahead of time but unfortunately its only 89 octane which doesn't fare well with turbos. Unfortunate the only 93 ethanol free gas is 22min from my house.

 

Interesting. I've known about some of that stuff, but I've also seen people who think it's ethanol-free when the pump has no label.

 

I was under the impression it was Federal Law to label not only that it "Contains from 1% to 10% Ethanol" but that it is assumed to be ethanol laced unless otherwise noted. Especially with the smaller orifice filler neck - remember the larger "regular / high test necks?

Luckily for me, the 93 octane "good stuff" is just across the Perdido River (On whichI live in AL) in Beulah, FL about 10-12 minytes away. But 91 octane is almost as common as 89 in the area. Some Shell stations carry ALL 3 GRADES!!!

 

For some reason I thought the pump labeling was state-by-state, but can't remember WHY I thought that...

Yeah, I'm old enough to remember the larger fill-neck & larger nozzles for leaded fuel. I don't think it was for anti-knock index, it was for leaded vs. unleaded.