Do you guys believe this?
#31
01-22-2012, 07:49 PM
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You've got a lot to learn. There are many things wrong with what you stated. First off, I'm not a fan of ethanol, I'm just clarifying the truth about the myths. We are never going to be an ethanol country because we would never be able to produce enough. If every piece of farm land was soley producing corn for ethanol, it would give us less than 20% of what we use in gas. Don't forget that we need farmland for food, clothing etc.
Yes ethanol does not get as many mpg's, but a dragster would use nearly as much dino fuel. It's making an estimated 8500 hp. They wouldn't make that much on petrol though. It's also not necessary to change rods and pistons to benefit from it. Many car makers have dual fuel vehicles that run regular gas or E85. The only difference is it switches its tune in the computer. They make as much as 15% more power and are several tenths quicker on acceleration. It's been tested and published. However, if you are going to build your engine, you can use a higher compression than gas and make more power without detonation. No need to change rods.
I run 10% all of the time in my cars and my bike. It's not a 20%+ reduction in mileage. I actually surpased the rated highway mileage by 4mpg with my one car on a trip. The others are right in the range they are supposed to be. When I moved to Florida for two years, I didn't have to deal with the 10% anymore. I didn't notice any significant change in mileage at all. The numbers that you talk about for mileage are for the E85 or straight ethanol. And the reason it doesn't cause more emissions is because it is corn oil, not petrol. I don't know how else to explain that other than that it burns a lot cleaner.
The only thing you would have to change on your bike to run E85 or better would be the carb or injectors and the fuel line. Pretty simple.
Yes ethanol does not get as many mpg's, but a dragster would use nearly as much dino fuel. It's making an estimated 8500 hp. They wouldn't make that much on petrol though. It's also not necessary to change rods and pistons to benefit from it. Many car makers have dual fuel vehicles that run regular gas or E85. The only difference is it switches its tune in the computer. They make as much as 15% more power and are several tenths quicker on acceleration. It's been tested and published. However, if you are going to build your engine, you can use a higher compression than gas and make more power without detonation. No need to change rods.
I run 10% all of the time in my cars and my bike. It's not a 20%+ reduction in mileage. I actually surpased the rated highway mileage by 4mpg with my one car on a trip. The others are right in the range they are supposed to be. When I moved to Florida for two years, I didn't have to deal with the 10% anymore. I didn't notice any significant change in mileage at all. The numbers that you talk about for mileage are for the E85 or straight ethanol. And the reason it doesn't cause more emissions is because it is corn oil, not petrol. I don't know how else to explain that other than that it burns a lot cleaner.
The only thing you would have to change on your bike to run E85 or better would be the carb or injectors and the fuel line. Pretty simple.
So no it will not blow up your motor but it will cause a loss of fuel milage and eat at seals.
#32
01-23-2012, 01:01 AM
Elite HDF Member
Thanks Obummer!
#33
01-23-2012, 09:16 AM
Ugh, I hate threads like this. This is such a pet peeve of mine.
Repub or Dem, Ethanol is one of the biggest lies that's been perpetrated on the American people over the last 10 years.
And yep, it's bad for bikes. Bad for the environment too. Bad for the global economy. About the only thing it's good for is farmers. I've got nothing against farmers, but there's better ways to help them.
OP: I say get what you want. Yeah, things are gonna get eaten away, break, fall off, wear out, and loosen, but there has to be a price to having something you want.
Repub or Dem, Ethanol is one of the biggest lies that's been perpetrated on the American people over the last 10 years.
And yep, it's bad for bikes. Bad for the environment too. Bad for the global economy. About the only thing it's good for is farmers. I've got nothing against farmers, but there's better ways to help them.
OP: I say get what you want. Yeah, things are gonna get eaten away, break, fall off, wear out, and loosen, but there has to be a price to having something you want.
#34
01-23-2012, 11:22 AM
Originally (in the 60's), funny cars ran gasoline with NO2 boost (nitrous oxide). NO2 is also known as laughing gas, and that's how the term "funny car" came about.
#36
01-23-2012, 12:24 PM
Elite HDF Member
Thing is, the fuel burns less efficiently which emits more exhaust by theory, so I never really got why it could even be good for the environment other than the whole "not taking oil out of the ground" thing. It is just a garbage fuel. It's only benefits are it's lack of detonation, but when added to gas it really does not help that factor at all either.
#37
01-23-2012, 02:08 PM
Normally, my mileage varies between 42 and 45 MPG, depending on riding conditions. With winter gas my mileage drops to 38 to 42 or about a 10% drop. I did a little reading on it and one factor that people fail to take into consideration is that winter driving is different than summer, most importantly, engines take longer to warm up. So, I am now in the habit of letting my bike warm up a bit longer before riding and it helps a little bit. You pay a big price for riding with the engine cold and the ECU running a much richer mix until it warms up.
#38
01-23-2012, 02:37 PM
Big Kahuna HDF Member
Why in the winter in Phoenix do they require the change.
Last edited by jmorganroadglide; 01-23-2012 at 02:42 PM.
#39
01-23-2012, 06:23 PM
I read the other day that the Fed quit subsidising alcohol production. So the price will probably go up as there never was a maket for it in the first place. Where I live in the middle of Kansas we don't have much ethanol unless you look for it. Most stations just have regular unleaded in 2 or 3 grades without alcohol. Its never been about the environment. It's all about big oil. Companys that make lots of money are hard to control by the federal government, although they keep trying. The ultimate goal is to take over the oil companys, the pharmacutical companys, the Tobaco industry, and any thing else they deem desirable. I just hope Harley never takes any bail out money from them or we will all be riding electric Harleys.
#40
01-23-2012, 07:01 PM
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Is seafoam really ethonal? Ive been using it for years ,I thought my fuel lines and carb getting gunked up twice a year was from crappy gas.