Ethanol in gas is a dumb idea forced upon us by our feckless government:
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gas quality decline?
- Thread starter johnnyvw
- Start date
I run 100% ethanol free in all my small engine stuff.
My personal experience with ethanol vs. no-ethanol is a bit more mixed.
Yes, I can get ethanol-free (just over the border in WV, read into that whatever you want).
BUT the improved energy is only noticeable as improved mpg *below* highway speeds, in the 40-50mph zone. This is fine, awesome even, if I'm spending the entire day driving WV hills.
Once I'm on I-81 or I-66, any 65mph highway, not noticeable.
Yes, I can get ethanol-free (just over the border in WV, read into that whatever you want).
BUT the improved energy is only noticeable as improved mpg *below* highway speeds, in the 40-50mph zone. This is fine, awesome even, if I'm spending the entire day driving WV hills.
Once I'm on I-81 or I-66, any 65mph highway, not noticeable.
Other than the gas itself, other things that significantly impact mpg:
-Tire/pavement interface. Too low/too high tire pressure (this happens as ambient temperature changes), pavement temperature, pavement texture, newness of tires, wetness of pavement, loose gravel on road, etc all impact efficiency.
-AC will impact MPG at lower speeds (since it is a fixed power draw and represents a larger % of total power use at lower speeds). At highway speeds, the AC impact is pretty small, since more of the power is going to moving the car.
-Things that affect drag such as windows being up/down, stuff in the cargo rack, prevailing winds, loose/flapping body panels, etc. I get better mileage coming back from the beach vs going to the beach. I get a tailwind on the way home from the ocean breeze - get pretty awesome mileage with a 20mph tail wind (go 80mph with 60mph drag - of course the reverse is pretty bad). Aero drag is important at highway speeds, not really at lower speeds. Different areas have different seasonal winds that could impact what you are seeing in your commute.
-Engine temperature - if you are doing lots of short trips, the mpg will be worse because the engine doesn't have time to get to operating temperature.
-Tire/pavement interface. Too low/too high tire pressure (this happens as ambient temperature changes), pavement temperature, pavement texture, newness of tires, wetness of pavement, loose gravel on road, etc all impact efficiency.
-AC will impact MPG at lower speeds (since it is a fixed power draw and represents a larger % of total power use at lower speeds). At highway speeds, the AC impact is pretty small, since more of the power is going to moving the car.
-Things that affect drag such as windows being up/down, stuff in the cargo rack, prevailing winds, loose/flapping body panels, etc. I get better mileage coming back from the beach vs going to the beach. I get a tailwind on the way home from the ocean breeze - get pretty awesome mileage with a 20mph tail wind (go 80mph with 60mph drag - of course the reverse is pretty bad). Aero drag is important at highway speeds, not really at lower speeds. Different areas have different seasonal winds that could impact what you are seeing in your commute.
-Engine temperature - if you are doing lots of short trips, the mpg will be worse because the engine doesn't have time to get to operating temperature.
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It should also be noted that it's up to any given refinery as to how much of what it blends.
www.enggcyclopedia.com
Imagine if we measured height like we measure "octane numbers".
Lets cast Peter Dinklage at 4'5" as heptane for a scale reference number of 0.
Lets cast Ryan Gosling at 6'0" as 2,2,4 tetramethyl pentane for a scale reference number of 100.
Therefore, for an approximately 5'10" blend at the pump:
Penn Jillette at 6'6" can play 2-2-3-3 tetramethyl butane for a scale reference number of 130 (except, just like TMB he's a bit double-bonded in the middle and will lose height/octane at high heat or high engine speeds)
Straight chain octane has an octane number of -19 so we need someone in the 4'2" range.
But, hey, lookitthat! Into our approximately 5'10" people-mix we can blend some isopentane for better cold starting. So let's get a nordic skier like Jessie Diggins into the mix.
Octane Number - EnggCyclopedia
Octane number of a fuel is the measure of its antiknock quality when used for spark ignition, as compared to the Iso-octane (2,2,4-trimethylpentane).
www.enggcyclopedia.com
Imagine if we measured height like we measure "octane numbers".
Lets cast Peter Dinklage at 4'5" as heptane for a scale reference number of 0.
Lets cast Ryan Gosling at 6'0" as 2,2,4 tetramethyl pentane for a scale reference number of 100.
Therefore, for an approximately 5'10" blend at the pump:
Penn Jillette at 6'6" can play 2-2-3-3 tetramethyl butane for a scale reference number of 130 (except, just like TMB he's a bit double-bonded in the middle and will lose height/octane at high heat or high engine speeds)
Straight chain octane has an octane number of -19 so we need someone in the 4'2" range.
But, hey, lookitthat! Into our approximately 5'10" people-mix we can blend some isopentane for better cold starting. So let's get a nordic skier like Jessie Diggins into the mix.
This leads back to my observation that only 5% of corn actually ends up on a dinner table... Yes, we're subsidizing farmers...
You can get a APR Stage 1 Tune for 93 AKI and then you'll be stuck using 93 AKI
the old Tiguan literally used the same engine as the GTI, so it was a premium fuel engine. And made sure of it with an APR Stage 1 93 AKI tune.
The Budack closes the intake valve sooner in the intake stroke, which lowers the compression ratio, so it can safely use 87 AKI, and be like the rest of the competition.
The problem I have with it is that we're *not* using it to lower effective prices, we're just creating independent links for supply chain failure. Crop failure (flooding)? Gas prices go up. Katrina destroys Gulf oil refining? Gas prices go up.
Remember when oxygenated fuels first came in and everyone was putting enormous quantities of MTBE into their pump offerings? Remember the soil toxicity of those fuels? Yay ethanol for making MTBE redundant.
Compression ratio is fixed mechanically by piston and combustion chamber volume. It can't change. However, it can change the combustion pressure which is what I think you're alluding to.
A turbo or supercharger also changes the compression pressure
Yes, for sure.
Ahh yes, so this is referring to the dynamic compression ratio, which can change based on valve opening timing. Static compression ratio is purely volumetric.
Ethynyl can be really good in some racing engines. It's mostly when it sits around in the tank and works for more than a couple weeks that it literally gums up the works in there.. Really bad for small engine stuff like cycles and lawn mowers. In a car that's used frequently rarely any issues...
Unless it's been sitting in a (random assortment of) vendor tank(s) long enough to partially separate from the gasoline, pick up water, pick up other normally-gaseous crap...
And just to further confuse things, I noticed just now while looking at the vid that there is actually a legit mechanical static compression ratio modifier... And it's extremely uncomplicated...
VC-Turbo – the world's first production-ready variable compression ratio engine
INFINITI's VC-Turbo engine is the world's first production-ready variable compression ratio engine – and it makes its production debut on the new QX50. This unique variable compression technology represents a breakthrough in combustion engine design – the QX50's 2.0-liter VC-Turbo continually...
usa.infinitinews.com
Gee his engineering explanations are much better than his music!
We are still stuck with a pin moving a cam lobe and valve springs. What we need are computer controlled valves that go up and down due to electro-magnetic forces, that and finely controlled superchaging.
Lotus has built one of those. I suspect too expensive/finicky for general production. No valve springs or cams.
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