Quote:
Originally Posted by dannonebr
Well put! I figure it's really a marketing thing and collecting the government subsidies to build and sell ethanol. Most farmers who grow corn that I know don't put ethanol in their farm gasoline tanks.
MY MAIN QUESTION IS - Since E10 will be disappearing and higher blends of ethanol will be soon replacing it, has anyone had EXPERIENCE with using higher mixes of ethanol like E15 or E20+ in their STOCK late model Z34s 'without' costly modifications to stock ECUs and injectors? I want a vehicle I can still drive on a road trip for 1000 or 2000 miles without having to worry about the effects, drive-ability issues of higher blend ethanol gas, or having to add snake oils to off set the issues. Don't get me wrong, I do indeed LIKE my 370Z! If the late model 370Zs have significant problems with E15, E20, etc., then it's time to trade before potential buyers figure out these cars have problems with the new government mandated ethanol gas being shoved down our throats. I've owned many vehicles over the last couple of decades, it really sucks being stuck in the boonies because of over blended ethanol or old ethanol a gas station still had in it's tank. Some vehicles are really sensitive to the fuel they use.
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I... seriously wouldn't lose much sleep over this.
There's been many, many changes over the decades -- switching from leaded to unleaded fuels, switching from carburetor-run motors to fuel injected engines, from distributors to COP's, etc. etc. etc.
The latest iteration is from port injection to DI.
There's usually
some issues whenever there's a switch in fuel composition, allowable emissions, technology, etc. and it is usually anywhere from a minor to moderate PITA depending on what car you have and what specific issue is the problem.
Some new DI engines have problems with valve deposits, for example.
In short, yes, there may be some minor problems that will crop up here and there, but the probability of them being vast in scope, catastrophic in result, and also entirely the consumer's problem to deal with is very, very unlikely.
So... yes, based on the last few decades of automotive history (note: Don't go past 1980... 1970's cars rolled off the assembly line ready to break...), the odds are good that you will not have to junk your Z34 or Z35 or Z36 because of government mandated fuel changes.
Who knows? Your future Z50 may not run on fossil fuels at all, but I wouldn't worry too much about that for the time being...
As far as specific EPA mandates... this is usually varied state by state (Nebraska has very few... even fewer than Florida), calculated over millions of vehicles (esp. fleet vehicles) rather than demanded of EVERY vehicle, and rarely enforced on a level one could consider especially imposing (well, maybe CA notwithstanding...). Frequently the method is to offer incentives and or fines, not leave thousands of people stranded without fuel (or mass transit alternatives) or with destroyed engines.
http://www.afdc.energy.gov/laws/matrix
If all else fails: There's always horses.