Ethanol?

[Zchild]

Could someone give me a definitive answer on the use of ethanol products in bimmer engines? I've read several websites opinions and most say that ethanol is severely destructive to BMW's and causes performance and undue wear on the engine as well as the sum of its parts. Please feel free to weigh in because the ethanol revolution is coming whether we are prepared for it or not. Just trying to gather enough information to understand the depth of the possible problems and get help with the re-engineering needed to make my bimmer excel on ethanol if that's my only fuel choice. Thanks in advance...

[bren]

The "Ethanol Revolution?" :lol

[1996 328ti]

Ethanol is here.

[goinfromslow]

My brother said that the ethanol is good but bad at the same time. He said your getting more power because the ethanols like a racing gas but your getting lower mpg. He said its cutting mpg by 1/4. He said thats they're thinking about bringing back the 93 gas later on by having it only for the new cars to use. This ethanol mix is messing with a lot of hondas that have been tuned for 93 gas and blowing them up. At my brother shop Convenience Car Care in Manassas they have a upgrade package for the ethanol. I don't know if it works that great but my brother said its good to have on your car anyways. It has a water dryer from BG that drys all the water out of your tank because some shady gas places are adding water now, new fuel filter and something else I don't remember.

Timmy said 0.05% of water is your fuel can damage your engine.

[jhm5]

Up to 10% ethanol, sometimes called E10, will not hurt bmws or most gasoline automobiles. That's what the mid atlantic and many parts of the country are getting... maybe someday all US gasoline if we can find enough corn, grass, weeds, whatever. 85% ethanol, E85, will NOT work in regular gasoline cars - you need a flex fuel vehicle for that and you'll only find it in corn-growing areas.
Ethanol has less power than gasoline, but in a 10% mix with gasoline, the power loss is only 1 or 2% -- i don't have the precise math at hand. Ethanol is an octane booster - good. And it is a detergent - good.

[Pinecone]

And it absorbs water - VERY bad.

[OwnedbyDuncan]

I prefer to drink my alcohol not put it in the gas tank. Corn should be used to make whiskey not ethanol.

Dave Apker

[Dirichlet]

I prefer to drink my alcohol not put it in the gas tank. Corn should be used to make whiskey not ethanol.

Dave Apker

+1
Amen

[TMB_540i]

I prefer to drink my alcohol not put it in the gas tank. Corn should be used to make whiskey not ethanol.

Dave Apker

I'll drink to that, too!

[Pinecone]

You can put the corn stuff in the car, BARLEY is to make alcohol from.