RE: Biofuel timebomb
Discussion
All crops are grown for fuel - be it for humans, animals (for further "refinement") or for vehicles.
Surely this is just reassessing the focus of our resources to produce more of what we need - the ratio of vehicles to people is increasing so the ratio of fuel : food required is also increasing.
And whilst it's easy to blame the EU for all this, bear in mind that North and South America have been using ethanol mixtures for years.
For me, the longer it's possible to run internal-combustion-engined vehicles, the better - this is just one of the ways to do so.
Surely this is just reassessing the focus of our resources to produce more of what we need - the ratio of vehicles to people is increasing so the ratio of fuel : food required is also increasing.
And whilst it's easy to blame the EU for all this, bear in mind that North and South America have been using ethanol mixtures for years.
For me, the longer it's possible to run internal-combustion-engined vehicles, the better - this is just one of the ways to do so.
The article is plain wrong in respect to MX5's. they won't suffer from perished seals etc. and will cope absolutely fine with E10.
Hell there's guys in the states running E85 with no changes to the fuel system other than larger injectors to cope with the massively reduced calorific content of the fuel.
EDIT: In fact it's a pretty sensationalist article in general and rather disappointing to have come from PistonHeads
Hell there's guys in the states running E85 with no changes to the fuel system other than larger injectors to cope with the massively reduced calorific content of the fuel.
EDIT: In fact it's a pretty sensationalist article in general and rather disappointing to have come from PistonHeads
Edited by Richyvrlimited on Tuesday 20th December 10:17
"Old" cars? a 2006 car is hardly old.
This is just stupid. It means my 03 bike (not that old) and 99 car (that is a shed, so what ever) will be F**ked. This is not good at all. I just hope Shell (my garage of choice, as it is on the way to work) dose not go ahead with this.
This is just stupid. It means my 03 bike (not that old) and 99 car (that is a shed, so what ever) will be F**ked. This is not good at all. I just hope Shell (my garage of choice, as it is on the way to work) dose not go ahead with this.
Edited by PaulMoor on Tuesday 20th December 10:30
I can't help but be reminded of my favourite book from my childhood. A book that had a massive impact on me and one that I read again and again and again.
Wheelie in the Stars by Nicholas Fisk 1976
"Life as cargostrippers on Terramere 3 was boring and ugly. Even so, it seemed crazy for Noll and Niven to dream about driving their beautiful smuggled in motorbike, Wheelie. Machines that ran on petrol were banned but Noll and Niven would not give up."
Wheelie in the Stars by Nicholas Fisk 1976
"Life as cargostrippers on Terramere 3 was boring and ugly. Even so, it seemed crazy for Noll and Niven to dream about driving their beautiful smuggled in motorbike, Wheelie. Machines that ran on petrol were banned but Noll and Niven would not give up."
There are additives Millers have 3 different ones depending on what you want to do, I havce just bought some for my Rover SD1 Vitesse just in case.
http://www.millersoils.net/1_Millers_frame_CLASSIC...
http://www.millersoils.net/1_Millers_frame_CLASSIC...
T16OLE said:
JudgeMental said:
Oh dear lotusedit: looking at that, Rover engined Elises shouldn't be run on E5 - which is what we've already been getting for some time.
Edited by otolith on Tuesday 20th December 11:01
Oh, surprisingly Ferrari does not seem to be on the list. That'll be mine stuffed then!
Pain in the @ss. I normally fill mine up on bog standard unleaded. Looks like I will have to pay through the teeth for the super dooper V.Power type stuff
I also quite frequently fill up at Sainsbury's but, having read the article I might stop that!
Can we just leave the EU please? I have yet to see any real benefits since we joined, apart from it's a bit quicker to get into France on the way to Le mans.
Pain in the @ss. I normally fill mine up on bog standard unleaded. Looks like I will have to pay through the teeth for the super dooper V.Power type stuff
I also quite frequently fill up at Sainsbury's but, having read the article I might stop that!
Can we just leave the EU please? I have yet to see any real benefits since we joined, apart from it's a bit quicker to get into France on the way to Le mans.
Richyvrlimited said:
The article is plain wrong in respect to MX5's. they won't suffer from perished seals etc. and will cope absolutely fine with E10.
Hell there's guys in the states running E85 with no changes to the fuel system other than larger injectors to cope with the massively reduced calorific content of the fuel.
That's a bold statement.Hell there's guys in the states running E85 with no changes to the fuel system other than larger injectors to cope with the massively reduced calorific content of the fuel.
Gasket/seal manufacturers are unable to categorically state that ANY of their rubber/nitrile materials are truly biofuel-resistant. Lots of previously fuel-grade products now carry the codicil "not for biofuels".
The ethanol component is made from a variety of sources, not only new crops but also waste materials. Aside from the fossil petrol component and the variable-origin biofuel component, there is the 'additive pack' - the unique bit that makes fuel 'super', 'ultimate', 'excellent' etc. - and chemical stabilisers. Overall, this makes biofuel resistance something of a challenge.
As well as being corrosive, ethanol is hygroscopic. Water absorption is familiar to diesel/gasoil/marine/kerosene users but gasoline was virtually hydrophobic. Not anymore. The specific gravity of ethanol is about the same as gasoline but when ethanol starts to absorb water, the [heavier] ethanol-loaded water falls to the tank bottom (aka phase separation). That's water in your petrol, which will lead to tank corrosion.
The higher the % of bioethanol, the more water it will grab from humidity/condensation. A little bit of water dissolved in your petrol won't do any harm - 10 gallons of fuel can hold about a quarter of a pint of water in suspension. But the moment the water content gets too high, that quarter pint drops to the tank bottom. A bit of rust may be the least of your concerns. A shot of ethanol-water picked up from tank bottom is a super-lean fuel - it can detonate the engine. And, for the bikers, ethanol-water in a 2-stroke motor starves the engine of lubrication.
Keep fuel in your tank for as short a time as possible. Tip into into a big V8.
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