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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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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