I've noticed a reduction in fuel economy lately in my Fit, and up until today - my wife and I thought it was because she has been sitting in the car loop at school.

Well, I made my first long trip - where I usually average over 40MPG, and I'm now getting around 34MPG.

I'm not sure when the change occurred in Florida - but every pump that I filled-up at, regardless of brand - had a "may contain up to 10% Ethanol" sticker on it. I think Ethanol may be my reduced mileage culprit.

That's a big mileage hit - has anyone else seen the same?

 

I think gas anywhere is like that. Ethanol has a higher octane rating too for those that think it helps improve fuel economy.

 

In South Dakota only one of our three fuel choises has ethanol. We currently have the following options;
1. 87 no ethanol
2. 89 w/10% ethanol
3. 91-93 no ethanol (the octane of premium varies depending on brand)

 

we dont have that in texas. atleast i have not seen any pumps like that but i have seen where its just ethonal only.

 

when i was in league city, TX i saw that the shell which is my fuel of choice. Had 10% ethanol. So i was kinda dissapointed

 

Did a little reading - and have found out that Florida will be selling all gas as "E-10" - or 10% Ethanol Blend by 2010.

The trip I made went through Central Florida - which is the first area that is really pushing the E-10 blend already.

I seriously have made several highway trips, getting around 42MPG - in the past - and I wasn't hypermiling - just driving like I always do. I remember folks on this board couldn't (didn't) believe it....

Now I wonder if they were used to running on E-10 fuel, and just didn't have the "good stuff" available in their area - much like we won't here in Florida very soon.

I'd really like to see a Sticky thread made about E-10 vs. non-blended fuel numbers....

 

10% Ethanol is pretty much standard here in Canada --- makes me mad too.... Hard to get good MPG's

 

all the gas stations near me have had the 10% ethanol warnings for about a year.

 

In Missouri suddenly these stickers showed up everywhere. When I asked the attendant "since when!" he informed me that up to 10% they didn't have to tell you and it had always been this way. I was pissed. I want to be told and make my own choice. Some people drive ancient vehicles which might sustain actual damage (linings, hoses whatever). We need to know.

 

True, but it doesn't help mileage. It takes more ethanol than gasoline per unit of air to burn stoichiometric.

Read

 

I never said it helps mileage, but some folks on here think putting higher octane in their tank gives them better mileage.

 

The reason you get less mileage with ethanol as opposed to regular gasoline has to do with how much BTUs, or British Thermal Unit, it contains.
Ethanol has less BTUs than gasoline, so it takes more ethanol to produce the same amount of energy as gasoline. And, while the sticker on the pump says "may contain up to 10% ethanol", the gas your pumpin may contain more. There's a loop hole in the legislation. Oil companies can dilute their fuel with up to 10%, but the private industries selling fuel can dilute it even more if they choose. In fact we had a local BG products distributor test the % of ethanol at several stations in Gainesville FL, and he found some stations were well above 10% and the highest being 20%.

So, yes... ethanol hurts MPG. I don't support Ethanol use at all!

 

SOMEONE rep this guy

O, one good thing about ethanol is that it does burn cooler than gasoline. I read that on an article about the Corvette C6.R running E85.

 

I don't know about those stickers, but I don't for one second believe the one I saw on a Sam's Club gas pump. I've been averaging 40-ish MPG for months, and on a tankful of that crap I was UNDER 35 MPG. Never again.

In short, yes I believe the quality and content of the stuff coming out of the pump can make that much difference.

 

Same in Nebraska and Iowa.

 

We've had 10% here in NY for a few years, totally killed mileage. I just took my first long highway trip and was only able to get a hair under 32mpg.

 

If the gas station sold E10 without telling you, call your county prosecutor because that was fraud.

All cars since 1984 or so are capable of burning E10.

But, I most strongly recommend that you use E85 in your FIT.

Even though Honda is way behind the times on E85 in not making any flex-fuel vehicles, any FIT will burn a 50-50 gas / E85 mixture just fine. This will result in about an E 40 net mixture. (see www.permaculture.com). Honda makes an E100 FIT for the Brazilian market - too bad we can't get them here.

Mileage is 15% lower with E85, but America is 100% better off because your money stays in the USA, and out of the pockets of Big OilPEC - Exxon-Mobil, Caesar Chavez, Vladimir Putin, and the Arab terrorists.

E85 costs about 15% less than gas, so almost all of the mileage loss is offset.

I'd rather pay more for E85 than sponsor and subsidize Big OilPEC.

 

You forgot to mention how the spike in demand for corn and other ethanol raw materials drove the price of food up by 20% over the past two years. Ethanol is a scam and the federal mandates need to end.

 

Someone give this guy a hand! He figured it out. If we buy Ethanol from the states we don't give our money to Oil companies! Instead we'll be shelling out $$$ for new fuel pumps/lines/injectors from JAPAN! Hell, acura and honda dealers have been replacing fuel pumps left and right because of high ethanol content in pump gas (in our area). So E40 is going to make this process more detrimental to the fuel system in our cars. I don't know about you guys but E85 is a JOKE. And if me buying gas makes me unamerican, than so be it.

 

My lifetime avg in my Fit is 37.6 MPG.

A typical week I have been getting 38-39 MPG.

Lately I've been getting 10% Ethanol gas and I've been getting numbers like 34, 35, 36. This crap is a ripoff!

On a recent trip I drove (350+ miles all highway to my destination) and I got 43 MPG.

Before returning I had to fill up at a station that had ethanol. I drove the same return trip on the same route and speed. My gas mileage? -- 37.6 MPG!

This sh!t is kills your mileage. I'll try to avoid it in the future.