New Petrol Quality Question.

[ChookD2]

Ok, so I now have a 4.0l V6 and I'm happy. I have no problem with the requirement for quality fuels but if suitable alternatives are available at a reduced price well.......

I have looked at the manual which states fuels better than 90 Ron and will accept 10% Ethanol fuels also. From researching here and elsewhere the consensus seems to be that 95 should be the minimum and 98 is better but will run on 91 if absolutely necessary.

However, I have noticed recently at a couple of local servos there is a new alternative and was wondering if any one with more knowledge of fuels (petrol) than me could maybe shed some light on whether this is a viable alternative. Or indeed has anyone used it.

This new concoction is an E10 rated at 94 Ron. Which begged the question, in my head anyway......would this be a suitable alternative?

[101RRS]

This new concoction is an E10 rated at 94 Ron. Which begged the question, in my head anyway......would this be a suitable alternative?

Normal E10 is 94RON so what is different about this new concoction.

[ChookD2]

Previous E10 fuels I've seen have all been 91 Ron. And I've been looking because the wife's little C2 has to take premium fuels as well. What brought this one to my attention was when one local establishment stopped selling 95 and installed these E10/94 pumps.

[DiscoMick]

Puma up here has E10 at 94. We use it in our Mazda.

[101RRS]

Previous E10 fuels I've seen have all been 91 Ron.

I dont think so as normal unleaded is 91 Ron and when you add 10% ethanol it becomes 94Ron. For an E10 to be 91RON you you need the original petrol to have a RON of about 88 and we do not have petrol of that RON.

I thought E10 started at 94RON and then goes up.

From a blurb according to Mr Google

The E in E10 stands for ethanol, a form of alcohol added to fuel to make them more environmentally friendly to produce and use. E10 fuel has largely replaced the old basic fuel we knew as 'Unleaded' and which carried an octane rating of 91RON.
The key difference between E10 and unleaded, is E10 is made up of 90 per cent unleaded with a blend of 10 percent ethanol content.

The ethanol helps to lift its octane rating to 94RON, but that doesn’t translate into higher performance or improved mileage as the alcohol content actually increases fuel consumption due to the fuel’s energy density (or how much power you get from each litre of fuel burned).

The battle of E10 vs 91 fuels is largely over as E10 has mostly replaced the more expensive 91 unleaded.

When it comes to choosing in the ethanol vs petrol debate it's important to read the owner’s manual of your car, or the sticker behind the fuel door, to see what the manufacturer recommends as a minimum grade of fuel safe to use in your car.

If you’re unsure if your car can run on ethanol fuels check on the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries website (https://www.fcai.com.au/environment/can-my-vehicle-operate-on-ethanol-blend-petrol).

[ChookD2]

I was of the belief that since the introduction of E10, these fuels where at the 91 level, anyway I've been known to be wrong. I also read somewhere that our fuel quality is at best "third world", which doesn't really fill one with optimism, it's certainly not to euro standards. But with the loss of manufacturing and increased reliance on imports, what can we expect.

[Aussie Jeepster]

I haven't touched E10 with my V6 since I bought it - call me old fashioned, but I remember the days of rubber fuel hoses perishing, and just a general "bad" feeling on E10.
If E10 is so great why doesn't every servo have it?
Anyway, for better or worse, I run 95RON BP (we have a company BP account) petrol in my D3 and it likes it, and I'm happy.
I've used normal unleaded (91) and that seems to run fine too, but I've just settled on 95

[INter674]

I understoid ethanol was added to all petrol in varying degrees as a cheap octane booster. Woolies certainly admitted that some time ago when questions arose in Tas about their fuel damaging engines?

[Bigbjorn]

I noticed that in a couple of western US states that 100LL is available from the pump at many gas stations. There is warning that it is not for use on roads, only in aircraft, boats, and off-road vehicles.

[DiscoMick]

I was of the belief that since the introduction of E10, these fuels where at the 91 level, anyway I've been known to be wrong. I also read somewhere that our fuel quality is at best "third world", which doesn't really fill one with optimism, it's certainly not to euro standards. But with the loss of manufacturing and increased reliance on imports, what can we expect.Our petrol can contain up to 150ppm of sulphur, which causes acidic emissions.
The developed world has already moved to the international standard of 10 ppm for petrol. Our diesel is already at 10 ppm sulphur.
The car companies asked the federal government to move to 10ppm sulphur in petrol because our dirty fuel harms their engines, which are manufactured to run on 10 ppm sulphur, and have to be detuned before they can come here.
Vehicle emissions also contribute to about 1700 deaths from respiratory diseases a year, which is higher than the road toll from crashes.
The fuel refiners lobbied our federal government which delayed the move to 10ppm of sulphur in petrol until July 1, 2027, to save money for the refiners.

[letherm]

My personal experience in my previous car a Pajero was that you get what you pay for. Three, three month trials showed me that E10 had worse mileage and less performance, regular unleaded had better performance and better mileage and vortex or whatever 98 had the best performance and mileage and in the end cost less to run despite the extra cost at the bowser. My mechanic at the time told me he had seen a lot of petrol tanks with rust caused by the water in Ethanol based fuels in the cars he serviced. I would never go back to ethanol if I ever bought another petrol powered car. Ethanol was introduced by politicians to help their mates not because it's good for cars.

Martin

[Bigbjorn]

Our petrol can contain up to 150ppm of sulphur, which causes acidic emissions.
The developed world has already moved to the international standard of 10 ppm for petrol. Our diesel is already at 10 ppm sulphur.
The car companies asked the federal government to move to 10ppm sulphur in petrol because our dirty fuel harms their engines, which are manufactured to run on 10 ppm sulphur, and have to be detuned before they can come here.
Vehicle emissions also contribute to about 1700 deaths from respiratory diseases a year, which is higher than the road toll from crashes.
The fuel refiners lobbied our federal government which delayed the move to 10ppm of sulphur in petrol until July 1, 2027, to save money for the refiners.

Some time ago, back in the 70's from memory. WA had high sulphur diesel made there from Indonesian crude. This caused acid corrosion of the top piston ring and a number of engine manufacturers refused warranty claims for ring and piston failures caused by this fuel. Detroit Diesel (the two stroke) and White Farm Equipment (the 150 HP inline 6) were two makers who refused warranty claims as the operators had been using a grade of fuel that was expressly forbidden in the Owners and Operators Handbooks.