Oh it is so nice to hear that also other persons have changed to Gasohol and nothing happens…
It is quite strange that people are so scare of trying Gasohol and this must be the result of all the rumors and myths that have surfaced causing confusion among the consumers, maybe a result of a very poorly managed introduction of Gasohol in Thailand and the lack of marketing. Even the people selling the stuff don’t know anything and they are a main source of the rumors.
Pls keep in mind that “the good old 95 Gasoline” used MTBE or ETBE to get the high octane. These are both ethers derived from methanol or ethanol. MTBE can be used as high as 15%..
So what is the big difference? Pure alcohol or some complex alcohol based ether in your tank????
Mr. Reynolds is an American expert and consult in the areas of the petroleum industry that occur downstream of the refinery, particularly oxygenated fuels and logistics. He has 25 years behind him in the business. The Hawaiian state used him as an expert when they made Gasohol mandatory in 2006. He kept several seminars for different target groups about the effect of Gasohol for the Hawaians. He has also published several papers. Below I partly quote him.
Metal corrosion. Car manufacturers have experience of alcohol as fuel for decades and the problems are solved already then, but due to the widespread use of Gasohol now, some of he old questions resurfaces. Anyhow car manufacturers have no concern about corrosion provided that the Gasohol contains effective corrosion inhibitors at the proper treatment level. Ethanol in Gasohol should contain corrosion inhibitors according to guidelines set by the authorities. (This I still have to check with PTT that Thailand use the same standards as USA) Due to these controls and the addition of corrosion inhibitors, you should not encounter ethanol-related metal corrosion problems .
Plastic and rubber deterioration. Elastomer (plastic and rubberlike components) compatibility is more difficult to generalize. First of all the gasoline component in Gasohol already contains a number of ingredients that can have an effect on elastomer swelling and deterioration. For instance, aromatics, such as benzene, toluene, and xylene (all gasoline components), have been shown to have detrimental effects on some fuel system elastomers. Gasolines sold today have a higher level of aromatics than those sold prior to the 1980s. The addition of alcohols or ethers to gasoline can also cause swelling in fuel system elastomers. Swelling can be severe with methanol, but relatively insignificant with other alcohols. Ten percent volume ethanol contributes less swelling than the amount of additional aromatics needed to obtain the same increase in octane number. I
n other words “The good old 95 gasoline” is more harmful to rubber than Gasohol. While all auto manufacturers warrant the use of 10 percent ethanol blends, their upgrading of fuel systems occurred at different times. In general, 1980 and later model years should not experience problems with 10 percent ethanol blends. Fuel systems in the 1975 to 1980 model years were upgraded, but not to the same extent as later models. Pre-1975 models may have fuel system components that are sensitive to high aromatic gasolines, alcohols and ethers. Specific documentation of the effect fuel components have on older fuel system parts is often lacking.
However, if these systems have handled the aggressive gasoline components in the unleaded gasolines made since the 1980s, they should encounter no problems handling ethanol.
Engine Performance Since gasoline ethanol blends must meet the same requirements as other gasolines, consumers should notice no difference in vehicle performance if their car is in a proper state of tune.
Fuel Economy The energy content of ethanol is less than that of the gasoline to which it is added. This mean that the energy value in Gasohol is 3.1 % less 100% Gasoline. Since all power from the engine cannot be transferred to the wheels the 3.1% impact decreases and the Gasohol impact is usually less than 3%. These are, of course, generalities based on averages. Some vehicles have actually shown fuel economy improvements while others have shown slightly greater fuel economy penalties.
So how long time more will we see these “revered old gits and biker legends” (no name mentioned) postponing their executions, driving around Thailand like “chicken chasers” looking for that last Gasoline 95 Outpost.
HIKO
