My car has the red circle “don’t” sign printed on the gas filler. I was at a gas station the other day that had very cheap 88 octane “Eco” gas. I had never seen it before, and certainly haven;t seen gas below $3 in several years.
I thought about throwing some in the tank, but realized saving a few dollars on gas was not worth potentially damaging my car or aspects of the vehicle that I might not be aware of.
I presume Eco gas has methanol added to it, but why is it a problem for my car and is 88 just as bad as 85 for my vehicle/why?
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Your car’s manufacturer recommends a specific fuel type for your car based on its engine design. The recommended fuel type is usually based on the engine’s compression ratio, which is the ratio of the volume of the combustion chamber when the piston is at the bottom of its stroke to the volume of the combustion chamber when the piston is at the top of its stroke.
Using a fuel with a lower octane rating than recommended can cause engine knocking, which is a condition where the air/fuel mixture in the engine ignites prematurely. This can cause damage to the engine over time.
Does it say no eco 85, or no E85?
E85 is 85% ethanol, which is why you cant use it unless the engine was specifically designed for such.
Get your owner’s manual out and read it.
E85 is only 15% gasoline. It’s 85% ethanol. The E doesn’t stand for eco, it’s for ethanol . You can’t use it unless your car is designed for it.
E85 is cheaper for a long variety of economic and political reasons. The ethanol is made from corn and its use has been highly promoted by the politically powerful farm lobby.
I have driven an E85 vehicle on a long trip, and compared costs. E85 delivers about 15% lower gas mileage than “regular” gasoline. So the lower cost per gallon is wiped out by lower mileage.
Other gasolines contain some ethanol, unless they are specified ethanol free. The numbers on them are called octane ratings. It’s called octane for obscure historical reasons. The number is a measure of a fuel’s ability to resist knock.
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