The “Water Cooler” is a feature on Claycord.com where we ask you a question or provide a topic, and you talk about it.
The “Water Cooler” will be up Monday-Friday at noon.
Today’s question:
Many people are saying they’re seeing a drop in their gas mileage due to the rise in the amount of ethanol in gasoline.
QUESTION: When you fill up, and drive your vehicle, have you noticed you get less miles per gallon of gas, or has your gas mileage stayed about the same?
Talk about it.
Less
Yes, there are some shenanigans going on.
Average 48- 50mpg in Prius……..but now down to 44mpg.
PS: Prius gets Better mpg in Spring / Summer.
Something isn’t right.
Cold weather affects battery efficiency. EVs can lose up to 40% of their range. Not sure if California is cold enough to have that effect.
You use your heater, defroster, seat warmers, and lights more often in the winter vs. the spring. All of that saps battery life and forces the hybrids to idle more at stops. I’ve had hybrid camrys since ’08 and it happens every year.
My mileage is lower overall vs. when I first bought the car. Probably through normal wear and tear on the engine.
My car takes premium, but I put regular in to save some money, but it also results in less mpg so I’m probably not saving much. Need to do some math.
@Fred—Using a lower octane in a car that requires premium can cause detonation, resulting in a pinging or knocking sound. Eventually, it can damage the pistons, valves, and spark plugs. Also, if your car is still under warranty, using regular gas may void the warranty. If your car requires premium, go ahead and spend the extra couple of bucks for premium, it may save you much more in engine repairs.
@dawg Not a problem in newer computerized cars as they knock sensors and adjust timing etc if sensed.
I drive a Toyota Tundra. I do see a drop in mpg. Maybe it has to do with the many flags that I have in the back🤔
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Ethanol has less thermal energy (BTU) than an equivalent volume of gasoline.
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Of course fuel mileage and horsepower are down across the board.
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It’s pathetic that we’d rather burn our food supply (corn) than produce foodstuff.
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The US energy policy should be “all of the above”: oil, wind, solar, hydro, nuclear, bio, etc. All of it.
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… but the Biden Administration increased dependence on foreign oil rather than domestic (North America) production. Biden is a hypocrite… one one hand touting the fight for womens’ rights while the other hand sends billions to middle east countries who oppress women.
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Hypocrisy is stock in trade for the Democratic party these days. And that is not going to change anytime soon.
I don’t watch my gas mileage that closely (I just fill the tank when it gets low), but I haven’t really noticed any change in any of my vehicles.
I assume you drive a coop
That took me a second, but then I laughed.
I have a basic Prius. I get well over 50 MPG, sometimes ever just over 60 MPG. I don’t need to drive every day so that helps too.
Armchair experts
California gas is horrible. When I take a trip to Nevada, and fill up with that State’s real gas, the mileage as well as over all performance of my car is much better.
Hmmmm. Now that I think about it, I only got about 42 mpg on my last trip. I usually get 48+. I drive a 2016 Prius C and I keep my cruise control on 76 mph on 505 and 5 between Vacaville and Arbuckle.
With the government and the oil industry anything is possible. I don’t trust either of them. It’s a transition thing don’t you know?
Yes – less MPG, it’s inherent with Ethanol …but not publicized like much of the current administrations political tactics … also that Ethanol eats at seals and gaskets in engines.. leads to leaks and engine fires
I own a used version of the same car, one bought in 2006 and a used one bought in 2018. I fell on hard times and had to sell the 2006 one in 2011. I used to get 32MPG with that car, consistently, and I’d reset my “Trip” about once a month. The same car now only gets about 27MPG.
I mean, I’m sure there are different factors, including a different driver for the first 60k, but it’s a certified pre-owned car. It’s been curious to me since I got the used one why the MPG is so different.
Actually, my mileage has improved. I replaced the exhaust pipes, headers, and mufflers last year, which improved the mileage and horsepower significantly.
CA has a mandate to blend gasoline at 10% Ethanol. I don’t think it’s been approved yet to go to 15% E yet? Boaters (and many others) hate E, as it caused all kinds of problems
Up to about 10-years ago (?), the CARB allowed E content to be as low as 5.7%E if they could meet the other emission specs, but now it is mandated by law to use 10% E.
Ethanol does have a much lower BTU value than gasoline, and will lower fuel mileage.
E85 makes a killer race fuel, as the lower BTU content requires much more fuel, which has a decent cooling effect on induction/combustion chamber temps, and it is high Octane. Cost less than 100 octane raising fuel, also…
Last fill-up (top off) I checked and it was still 10% Ethanol. It shouldn’t be approved for 15% because it would damage too many car engines including mine. Legislators need to be more realistic about things but I don’t have much confidence in that happening.
Here in our free state we have Real Gas, which contains no ethanol but costs more money. Usually 91-93 octane. People use it in their boats, mowers and small engine equipment. There is E85 but I don’t know anyone who uses it. Rumor has it that they have increased the ethanol content of regular gas and it is lowering mpg. I still get much better mileage than when I was in California.
Cars not designed for this extra ethanol may suffer a lot of problems. Seems like yet another fraud designed to get people into electric cars.
Info from Hagerty.
https://www.hagerty.com/media/news/e15-ethanol-is-coming-like-it-or-not/
I’ve got a 20 year old car that requires premium and a diesel 4×4 truck. I haven’t seen a change in mileage in either of them. The car only gets 19-20mpg with mostly freeway driving and the truck gets just over 13mpg doing the same. The truck doesn’t get driven much with current diesel prices.
I haven’t noticed as I mainly just tool around town and to BART, but my wife is filling up a lot more often.
I drive a Toyota Sienna van. When we bought it, the in car display read that it would go 397 miles on a tank of gas. Each year since, it slowly decreased after each fill up to where now it reads that we get 280 miles on a tank of gas. I know this can’t have anything to do with the octane rating of the gas. But I did notice that after we changed the battery last year, it went back up over 300 miles to a tank. Quickly it has gone back down to 280 miles on a tank.
I imagine this is the computer slowly calculating the age of the engine etc to performance.
Ethanol slowly eats any petroleum based parts in your fuel system.
It also decreases your air fuel ratio which is not favorable to gas mileage.
Welcome to California.
One thing to consider is that as a car gets older, the gas mileage will drop.
In town driving, I’ve noticed a loss of 3 miles per gallon.
I’m keeping an eye out for issues with ethanol in the fuel.
Thanks to the Sacramento Marxists, another unnecessary expense has arisen.
Yes!
Been getting less gas mileage but I didn’t know why! I thought the car was just aging a bit or some other reason. But now I know what the reason is after reading this Claycord article!
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Remember when CA regulatory “experts” required MTBE to be added to gasoline for allegedly cleaner combustion?
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Then it was removed because the MTBD additive was polluting lakes, streams, and groundwater?
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Yes folks, these were “experts”.
Vote the Democrats out!!!
Remove them root and branch!!!!!
AD
The illegitimate bat-$hit crazy Biden Administration Quietly Raised Amount of Ethanol Required in Summer Blend Gasoline from Ten Percent to Fifteen, Three Predictable Problems Will Surface Soon –
This is a horror story for America.
https://tinyurl.com/ytpunec7
Elections have consequences. Don’t believe the Democrat, leftist lies.
Hate to brake it to ya’ll but US domestic oil production is at an all time high.
Show your proof, or admit you’re a liar, Woody.
Even though he’s a demented idiot doing as ordered by his puppeteers,
BIDEN IS RESPONSIBLE FOR RISING FUEL PRICES –
https://tinyurl.com/yckn2eab
Woody – don’t pretend to be something you’re not.
It’s written y’all, not ya’ll.
Someday read about apostrophes and contractions.
On top of all the new regulations and restrictions oil companies are also under pressure from stock holders to leave their production levels where they are to keep prices and profits high.
So the government is screwing the oil industry and the oil industry is screwing us.
Therefore the government is screwing us. And since Biden and the ho are in the White House and the democrats have a hold on congress and the democrats have a supermajority in the California legislature, the democrats are screwing us.
Before Dementia –
During my twelve & a half years as a member of this body, I have never believed that additional gun control or federal regulation of guns would reduce crime.
Senator Biden, 1985
2022:
https://tinyurl.com/yc557y7p