[j4x4ar3]

Originally Posted by metrictundra

Ethanol will yield less mpg. Here is how it worked in my chevy flex fuel saburban. Ethanol has a higher octane rating than unleaded. You would think that it would help the power and mpg being higher octane. Wrong, the trucks computer senses higher octane and then retards the timing to compensate. there for loss of power and mpg. This mite just be the reason for some of the Toyota's getting less mpg. I live in Idaho. We do not have Ethanol yet. I burn 85 octane only and get some pretty good mpg.

Not true.. Ethanol based fuels actually have "issues" not because of octane but because of the way they burn. One gallon of ethanol doesn't produce as much energy as 1 gallon of gasoline. That's because ethanol and gasoline burn at different rates. It takes more ethanol to go 100 miles than is does gasoline. It's a known fact and is something that has been debated in the fuel circles for a long time. If vehicles were setup to run more on ethanol then we would all have to fill up more often.

"The other negative aspect of this inefficient fuel is that numerous studies have found that ethanol creates less energy than is required to make it. Other studies have found that ethanol creates "slightly" more energy than is used in its production. Yet not one of these studies takes into account that when E85 is used, the vehicle's fuel efficiency drops by at least 25% -- and possibly by as much as 40%. Using any of the accredited studies as a baseline in an energy-efficiency equation, ethanol when used as a fuel is a net energy waste." -- Ethanol: A Tragedy in 3 Acts