> Clark, I think if you run the numbers it is not as bad as you
> think. While
> it is true that alcohol has less heat energy per gallon than gasoline, it
> is not completely devoid of heat energy. It may be as much as 25 - 30 %
> lower but at only 10% content this reduces the heat energy per gallon by
> 2.5 to 3%.
Problem is, it (deliberately) screws up the mixture. On cars that were
already tuned lean (eg anything sold in the US after about 1968), they can
be pushed "over the edge" and become so lean they don't run right. The
result is a more dramatic loss in power, fuel mileage ... and a big increase
in emissions !
I've never bothered to check it myself, but a friend with a TR4 recently
told me he got 10-12% better gas mileage on a trip to Vegas, after filling
up with non-oxygenated fuel. However it's not a strictly accurate
comparison, since California's "Phase 2 RFG" is not the same as the federal
RFG.
Randall
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