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Premium gas VS No ethanol

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October 03, 2023, 10:14 PM
walker77
Premium gas VS No ethanol
I like to keep a little fuel on hand for emergencies. I have 6, 5 Gallon Jerry cans I usually rotate out every fall buy filling my truck up with it.

I've been buying no ethenol gas and mixing it with stabil. I've had good results for a couple years now.

My question is, would using premium gas get me the same results? Ive heard in the past that premium doesn't have ethanol. Is this true?

The reason I ask is because premium is a little cheaper.
October 03, 2023, 10:14 PM
RogueJSK
No, just because it's premium gas doesn't mean it's ethanol-free.

"Premium" just means it's higher octane, generally 91 vs. standard 87. Octane and ethanol content are two independent things.

If the 91 octane premium gas is cheaper than the 87 octane ethanol-free gas, then that premium gas definitely contains ethanol.

You can find ethanol-free premium gas out there, but it's going to be more expensive than either normal premium gas or standard 87 octane ethanol-free gas.
October 03, 2023, 10:24 PM
old rugged cross
Ethanol is bad. If you stabilize it. Something like startron I think you would be fine. Even a regular unleaded to be honest. If storing you are going to need to use and additive even if buying EO.
There have been test that even EO isn't always ethanol free. To summarize. You will need to treat any of it. Not sure paying for EO is worth it.
If using for a two stroke engine or a boat motor I am all for buying EO. Not for storage for regular use. Use a quality additive and you should be good with regular, imho



"Practice like you want to play in the game"
October 03, 2023, 10:41 PM
snwghst
Plenty of 87-89 octane real gas’s out there (depending on area)

Lots of places will dupe people to spend the extra for premium and real gas for nothing more than pure profit (often 93 has the lowest ethanhol blend anyway)


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Live today as if it may be your last and learn today as if you will live forever
October 03, 2023, 10:43 PM
jimb888
Stick with what you've been doing. Premium will phase separate and go bad before non-ethanol. The higher octane rating of premium doesn't slow that down. https://petroclear.com/resources/dont-be-phased.php https://petroclear.com/resources/dont-be-phased.php
October 03, 2023, 10:58 PM
TMats
Quite a lot of Tier 1 gas stations have ethanol-free premium gas, although the lower grades aren’t. There will be a decal on the pump if the premium grade is ethanol-free. If you don’t see clear indication of no ethanol, assume it’s in there.


_______________________________________________________
despite them
October 03, 2023, 11:57 PM
Jelly
quote:
Originally posted by walker77:

My question is, would using premium gas get me the same results? Ive heard in the past that premium doesn't have ethanol. Is this true?
Not true. You can test for yourself with this. REV X E85 Super Tester Reusable Ethanol Testing Kit.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/prod..._title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
October 04, 2023, 12:36 AM
jimmy123x
Cheaper yet is to just dump it in your vehicle every 4 weeks and refill the cans with fresh gas, no stabilizer needed, ethanol fuel will still be ok in that time period etc.

Premium gas with ethanol DOES take longer to break down.
October 04, 2023, 05:19 AM
Gibb
Untreated non-ethanol gas will sit better than treated ethanol gas. Treated ethanol-free will last the longest (up to 2 years if stored properly).

I am lucky to have an ethanol-free pump just down the road. It's around $1 more per gallon, but that is all I will run in my gas cans and small engines.




I shall respect you until you open your mouth, from that point on, you must earn it yourself.
October 04, 2023, 05:51 AM
egregore
Octane rating is just a measure of resistance to detonation, not of (imprecise but descriptive term) going "stale" over time. Also, premium gas can still have ethanol. It will say so on the pump. Non-ethanol should "keep" better in storage, but if kept in airtight containers indoors, either will last a year.

Recently (i.e., yesterday), I had occasion to repair a car that had sat abandoned and out in the weather for over a year with a quarter tank. Surprisingly, it fired right up and ran fine.
October 04, 2023, 06:19 AM
walker77
quote:
Originally posted by jimmy123x:
Cheaper yet is to just dump it in your vehicle every 4 weeks and refill the cans with fresh gas, no stabilizer needed, ethanol fuel will still be ok in that time period etc.


I'm too lazy for all that.
October 04, 2023, 06:32 AM
kyoung
I run no alcohol 87 gas in my mowers, toy hauler fuel station all implements some with stabil...the big thing is to make sure your fuel is coming out of a dedicated hose at the gasstation. the ones where they have 4 fuels being dispensed out of one hose means that you are getting 6/10 of a gallon of what ever was just sold. Makes a real big difference if your buying a gallon for your chainsaw..........not so much for a car fillup.


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October 04, 2023, 09:02 AM
ensigmatic
quote:
Originally posted by old rugged cross:
Ethanol is bad.
It is.
quote:
Originally posted by old rugged cross:
If you stabilize it. Something like startron I think you would be fine.
Things change, but, last I knew nothing would prevent ethanol-polluted gasoline from phase-separating.



"America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within the system,,,, but too early to shoot the bastards." -- Claire Wolfe
"If we let things terrify us, life will not be worth living." -- Seneca the Younger, Roman Stoic philosopher
October 04, 2023, 09:26 AM
trapper189
Don’t let water in and ethanol won’t phase separate.