Non-Ethanol Fuel

[1tenor]

Anyone running their tow vehicle on non-ethanol fuel? Do you get more power using it? My tow vehicle is somewhat underpowered and I need all the extra HP I can get.

[travelin texans]

Anyone running their tow vehicle on non-ethanol fuel? Do you get more power using it? My tow vehicle is somewhat underpowered and I need all the extra HP I can get.

You'll probably get better mileage, but don't think it will improve hp/performance as it's the same octane rating. Might try mid grade or premium, but doubt you'll notice enough difference to offset the price.
Don't know what you're towing or with what, but the only sure fix is less rv or more truck.
Personally for towing any 8k+ rv I'd chose a diesel, they are work horses, quiet, get as good mpg as a gasser, will out tow any gasser & come as well equipped as any vehicle built.

[Badbart56]

What Danny said! Diesel is the way to go. The diesel engines are designed to tow with less effort that the gassers. They rely on low RPM torque rather than just horsepower. Dealers would sell more of them if they could arrange a test drive with a 12K load behind it.

But in answer to your question, minimal difference in mileage or power. I don't know that you would realize either when towing.

[mtofell]

Most non-ethanol fuel I've seen is 92 octane so it may help a bit over 87 (depending on your truck). I did notice improved MPGs and maybe.... maybe a bit more power but nothing too noticeable. I certainly wouldn't do it as a planned way to increase power.

[linux3]

Last week while in TN I bought 87 octane 100% gas. $2.44.9 a gal BTW.
I usually get around 11 ~ 11.5 MPG with the 10% corn stuff. I was getting 13.5 MPG. I was amazed!
Twice I filled up with the good stuff and results were consistent.

I THINK the truck felt peppier but that could have just been my joy at the MPG

[SummitPond]

87 octane no ethanol gas at a Shell station in Mitchell, SD about a month ago at $2.849/gal. I believe it was only about a nickel more expensive than the ethanol blend. Got about 1/2 mpg better over the ethanol blend. Not sure if I would have gone with the pure gas if it was a larger cost differential, but at that small difference I wanted to see what "improvement" would result. As stated above, normally it's not worth it.

[travelin texans]

Most non-ethanol fuel I've seen is 92 octane so it may help a bit over 87 (depending on your truck). I did notice improved MPGs and maybe.... maybe a bit more power but nothing too noticeable. I certainly wouldn't do it as a planned way to increase power.

The 92 octane will be the premium/super regardless if it's the ethanol blend or 100% good stuff.
The ethanol blend is 10% ethanol which will equate to approximately a 10% lose in fuel mileage. The E85 is even cheaper per gallon, but will result in even a bigger lose in mpg.
Also the ethanol blended fuel is very hard on small engines that tend to sit idle for long periods of time. If you've ever seen honey that has crystallized from sitting around, that's ethanol in your lawn mower over the winter. Always be sure to add a fuel stabilizer to your small engine fuel tanks & to the jugs used to refill those tanks. Or better yet buy the 100% good stuff for those engines.
I spent 30+ years in the oil/gas field & the only conclusion I can come up with for the use of ethanol in our fuel is to create a market for corn.
Not trying to get political, just my .02 cents.