FUEL ADDITIVES:

[KennyKenCan]

Here, where I live in New York, the gas companies blend their gasolines with Ethenol during the winter months.<br /><br />This blend gives unbelievably bad gas mileage.<br /><br />They use to use MTBE as an additive, that gave reasonable gas mileage, but that has been outlawed, due to ground water contamination.<br /><br />Gasoline during the summer is not blended with anything, as far as I know.<br /><br />I use to get 16 - 17 MPG, but now it's around 9 - 10 MPG in my SUV.<br /><br />My question is...<br /><br />What kind of fuel additives do they add in your area, and how does it impact your fuel economy?

 

[NOSLEEP]

Re: FUEL ADDITIVES:

Here's some Canadian info.<br /><br /> http://www.bakerhughes.com/bakerpetrolite/additives/Lubricity_Additives.htm <br /><br />When it gets cold here fuel economy goes right<br />out the window.

 

[JoeW]

Re: FUEL ADDITIVES:

KKC,<br />I may be wrong, but I believe CA was the last holdout on the additive issue. We too, now have ethenol in our gasoline. I've been wondering why my gas milage has been so lousy this winter. Perhaps that's the reason. <br />Joe

 

[Pikey2574]

Re: FUEL ADDITIVES:

Not sure about fuel additives where I am at in East Texas but recently I have noticed really bad Gas Mileage in my Ford Ranger 4 cylinder. What use to be 24-25 on the highway has dropped to 19. At one point in time I could drive just about 400 highway miles on a full tank of gas and it has since severely dropped. I just really noticed to problem a couple of weekends ago so Fuel Additives might be the reason but I don’t know why they would use fuel additives in east Texas.. Only extreme weather and such is in the summer months. Ok enough of my rambling just thought I would throw that out there for some reason<br /><br />Later <br /><br />Kevin

 

[bomar76]

Re: FUEL ADDITIVES:

They could cut gasoline with water 90% and it wouldn't effect my fuel mileage.<br />I burn diesel.<br />Winter blend diesel does lower my mileage about 1.5 MPG though.

 

[KM2]

Re: FUEL ADDITIVES:

In Minnesota the gas is blended with Ethanol year round. My mileage has suffered a little this winter and I'm not sure why. I am considering the time I let the vehicle idle to warm up, and the mileage is still down 2 mpg. ?????????<br />Kevin

 

[JB]

Re: FUEL ADDITIVES:

KKC:<br /><br />I don't think ethanol is causing your major drop in mileage. <br /><br />I travel over most of the country west of the Mississippi and south of the Mason-Dixon. I have used straight gasoline, with MTBE and with ethanol. My mileage only drops measurably with cold weather, short trips and towing. Even cold weather only drops it from 22-23 to 21-22. <br /><br />The cold weather could be a contributor to your problem, but I suspect that your ECU or cooling system is at fault.<br /><br />Good luck.

 

[KennyKenCan]

Re: FUEL ADDITIVES:

JB,<br /><br />Thanks for that tid-bid of info, but there is absolutly nothing wrong with my truck, as I put in some gas out of my boat last week, and the MPG's shot right back to normal.<br /><br />Put regular pump gas back in it over the weekend, and the MPG's fell right off.<br /><br />ECU works perfectly, and the coolant is brand new, this past fall, definitly not the problem.<br /><br />Everyone I know around here has been complaining about a drastic drop in MPG's.<br /><br />My brothers 2002 Dodge P/U with 5.9L went from 14.5 MPG on MTBE, to 6 MPG since the introduction of ethenol, and eveything is working correctly there too.<br /><br />The formula for gasoline varies from area to area, with more populated areas getting a higher concentration of ethenol than rural areas.<br /><br />Maybe that's why there is such a fluxuation in MPG's from each area of the good ole U.S.A.