From: pat@rwing.UUCP (Pat Myrto)
Newsgroups: seattle.general
Subject: Re: Your Mileage May Vary
Keywords: Gasahol, mileage
Date: 21 Nov 92 16:39:53 GMT
Organization: Totally Unorganized

In article <4299@bcstec.ca.boeing.com> gee7759@bcstec.ca.boeing.com (Glenn Elliott) writes:
>Several years ago, right about the time that ARCO started installing
>those nifty debit card machines, I switched from BP (Mobil at the time)
>to ARGO gas.  I noticed that it smelled different, but didn't think
>anything of it.
>
>I was pleasantly surprised when my mileage went up about 1 MPG.  I
>thought that it must have been because of some additive that ARCO was
>using, but had no idea what it would have been.
>
>Recently, it hit the presses that all gas stations were going to have
>to start dispensing 10% ethanol Gasahol.  During the raging debates
>that followed, I learned that ARCO has been cutting ethanol into their
>gasoline for several years.

Just because SOME alky might be beneficial, doesn't mean a SATURATED mix
is better.  ARCO, BTW had a procedure for transferring over to ethanol,
consisting of making sure the underground tank was nearly empty before
the next gas load.  Then they came around a week later to replace all
the filters on the pumps.  It would seem this procedure would not
be necessary if they had been using alcohol all this time.  Therefore
I must conclude if alcohol were being used, it was only a couple percent
at the most. 

>I've now been using this new Gasahol for several weeks, and I noticed
>that my mileage appears to have INCREASED again, this time by about a
>half MPG.

Effects vary depending on the car, the type of fuel induction system,
and how it is tuned.  In MOST cars, set up for normal gas, mileage
does drop, several percent.  Power loss is quite obvious (third gear
feeling like fourth, etc).
>Everyone seems to claim that my mileage is supposed to DECREASE now
>that I'm using Gasahol.  My experience, however, indicates otherwise.
>
>I service my car regularly, and my emissions have always been barely
>perceptible when tested.  I have not had my car tested recently,
>however, so it is possible that my emissions will now register on the
>state's machine.  From what I've heard, however, ethanol as an
>additive is supposed to reduce my nearly non-existent emissions.

Interestingly, to permit the use of alcohol-gas, an EPA *VARIANCE*
was required.  The use of alcohol was prohibited by the EPA regs
because of its volatility.  Bush signed an execuitive order to
allow the variance in EPA regs, shortly after a big campaign contribution
by ADM (main mfr of ethanol).  ADM also gave a big contrib to the
Clinton campaign as well (to ensure Clinton doesn't revoke the order).
This is something many proponents of alcohol-gas 'forget'.

Alky (assuming proper tuning) will reduce CO to some extent, but if
the catalytic convertor is functioning normally, there should be
precious little CO output initially, so there might not be much
reduction for such cars.  I have seen some state emission printouts
showing zero CO - just CO2.  Perhaps a touch of hydrocarbons.  The
CO output was below the sensitivity of the detector.

>What's all the fuss?  Everything I've experienced indicates that the
>switch to 10% ethanol Gasahol was good.  If it also reduces the amount
>of pollution in the air, so much the better.

Because it affects not a small number of cars negatively.  Harder
starting (longer cranking time), lower power, and reduced mileage,
and plugged fuel filters.  Some cars have those filters in places
that are hell to get at.

>Has anyone actually experienced a drop in mileage?  If so, are you
>sure it isn't normal?  (My winter mileage is normally about 1 MPG
>lower than my summer mileage, which I attribute to the apparent
>inability of Washington drivers to cope with rain, which causes that
>wonderful stop-and-go traffic on the freeways to get worse.)

Yes, and yes.  I get normal mileage now, and normal power:  I drive to
an unaffected county to get 'real' gas because the car runs fine on it,
I don't want to screw it up, I don't want to retune it for alcohol, just
to retune again when the gas goes back to normal.  I tried it and didn't
like it at all.  The result was gutless performance and reduced mileage.
The REAL fuss is because the way this was implimented does not allow
ANY options.  The characters that rammed this law down our throats could
have left one grade, supreme for example, alone, so those that DO have
problems not readily fixed by a filter change, etc can have a CHOICE,
available for a few cents extra.  But those that push these utopian laws
would rather die than allow the public to have ANY choice.  Freedom of
choice is only important when it affects issues THEY approve of.  You
can bet that the gov't and state employees have appropriate provisions
to get real gas for themselves, if they want it.  The logic presented
will boil down to being 'because we are so important'.  THAT is the rub.

-- 
pat@rwing.uucp                                  (Pat Myrto),  Seattle, WA
                      If all else fails, try:
         ...!uunet!{pilchuck, polari}!rwing!pat
WISDOM:    "Travelling unarmed is like boating without a life jacket" 
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