Gasohol Issue, Yet Again....motorcycle, Please Help!

[moo9]

Huh, is the VPower at Shell now really Gasohol? I use to go to the Shell station at Pattaya Second Road, as imho only Shell offered 95 regular in Pattaya. If they now switch to 95 VPower Gasohol, I will be running out of choices. My bike can accept 91 reg, may be have to adjust some octane booster from time to time.

I wonder what gas all the big bikes rentals will take now, because most of the bikes are quite old.

Cheers

[BigBikeBKK]

Folks with high compression engines should just carry around a small bottle of octane booster. A capful mixed in with a tank of 91 gasoline and you'll be good to go.

Ride On!

[CroBiker]

Just came back from Caltex station in Phuket, no such thing as เบนซิน ออกเทน 95 (ULG 95 RON) as mentioned here:

http://www.eppo.go.th/retail_prices.html

Edited March 22, 2010 by CroBiker

[BigBikeBKK]

Here's a quick guide to some of the more popular octane boosters out there:

Torco's Mach Series Accelerator -L and -U. Available in 32 bottles and 5 gallon pales.

STP's Octane Booster. Available in 12oz bottles.

Outlaw Octane Booster. Available in 16oz bottles.

Lucas Octane Booster. Available in 16oz bottles.

NOS Racing Formula Octane Booster. Available in 12oz bottles.

Ride On!

Tony

[seedy]

I bring HD fuel additive from Canada in my suitcase. Then I just fill with 91 if no 95 available, add a few ml and away I go. If you do not travel often, a locally sourced additive would have to do. I can feel the difference between 95 and straight 91 w/o additive.

[BigBikeBKK]

I bring HD fuel additive from Canada in my suitcase. Then I just fill with 91 if no 95 available, add a few ml and away I go. If you do not travel often, a locally sourced additive would have to do. I can feel the difference between 95 and straight 91 w/o additive.

dam_n- you better hope the airline never finds out you're transporting that stuff in a suitcase- BIG no no...

Easy enough to find name brand octane boosters here in Bangkok, no need to risk blowing up an airplane

[VocalNeal]

As Thailand grows palm oil and also refines gasohol, there is the possibility that it will become harder and harder to find regular gasoline.

As we import molasses to make alcohol the conspiracy theorist in me says it's got more to do with which family produces all the alcohol than it has to do with palm trees or sugar cane. or saving the planet (sic)

Recently tho' my wife did comment on there not being much sugar available.

Oh well i'll look for caltex etc. now. I used to be a loyal Shell customer.

[katabeachbum]

As Thailand grows palm oil and also refines gasohol, there is the possibility that it will become harder and harder to find regular gasoline.

As we import molasses to make alcohol the conspiracy theorist in me says it's got more to do with which family produces all the alcohol than it has to do with palm trees or sugar cane. or saving the planet (sic)

Recently tho' my wife did comment on there not being much sugar available.

Oh well i'll look for caltex etc. now. I used to be a loyal Shell customer.

blending gasoline with Ethanol 10%, 20% or 85% is done to reduce import of oil payed in us$.

blending diesel with palmoil, same reason.

only

everything else is side effect, good or bad

for environment protection gasoline 98RON is needed in 2010 high tech engines

for environment protection diesel Euro IV with more advanced engine ECU and particlefilter is needed.

Hopefully by january 2010 in LOS

Edited March 22, 2010 by katabeachbum

[just_another_guy]

95 gasoline in Thailand (non gasohol) was switched to a light blue color a month or so ago.

I personally wouldn't use the Shell station just up from Third road because they have a reputation for all kinds of short change problems. The threads about this station have been running for years on T.V.

It would not surprise me if they used the cheapest gasohol available and sold it as regular 95. The only way around that would be to check the color before they actually pump it in the tank. But that would be a pain in the rear to do everytime.

The Caltex stations on Sukhumvit all still seem to have regular 95 available.

Happy riding.

[barrybike]

hows the bike running now cro ??????/ sounds complicating ...

[VocalNeal]

blending gasoline with Ethanol 10%, 20% or 85% is done to reduce import of oil payed in us$.

blending diesel with palmoil, same reason.

only

Sometimes I wonder?

How do you suppose one pays for molasses in a global market? I guess it is always possible we barter with rice.

[William Osborne]

will this octane booster work work with Gasoline 95 as well ? if so where can i get some in Pattaya ?

[AJS 7R]

will this octane booster work work with Gasoline 95 as well ? if so where can i get some in Pattaya ?

You can try True Value, opposite Tesco South Pattaya, they had several different brands when I was there last week.

[Oldvisitor]

If you have injection, no worry with it, if carb, yes worry

[simoncnx]

This happened before here countrywide, but I can't seem to find the links on TV. I heard that the exotic car owners and clubs complained so much that they reversed it, yet now it's back.

Use 91 octane gasoline; not ethanol.

Yes I believe that is our only option now.

Gasohol seems to me to be a complete scam. They created it and tell us to use it because it saves energy and is cheaper. But if it's saving 5% of the oil used in processing, and it is 5 or 10% cheaper, but is 10% less efficient (in my experience my gas mileage suffers noticeably, at least 10%) then how is that doing anything but creating a net increase in oil use and actually costing the same or more at the pump? All the while diverting corn from feeding hungry people so that Americans can keep driving their Hummers!!!!

http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/cont...0514_058678.htm

im sorry but it is physically impossible to be 10% less fuel efficient. if 10% ethanol and 10% less efficient it means that the ethanol has no calorific value at all. 2 or 3% maybe but in brazil they use 100% ethanol and their cars move!!!!!!!!!!!

Edited March 31, 2010 by simoncnx

[katabeachbum]

If you have injection, no worry with it, if carb, yes worry

ethanol damages injection systems and fuel tank gaskets if the materials are not designed for ethanol. just as carbs. 5% ethanol seems to not damage any fuel systems, but in LOS its 10%, 20% or 85%.

as for Brazil, they started with Ethanol in the 70s (40 years ago), and (european and american) vehicle manufactorers have had time to improve stuff for this market. In LOS it was introduced over night, and most japs/LOS vehicles have not been sold in markets with etahnol before this. Most vehicles older than 3-5 years have problems when running gasohol.

[katabeachbum]

This happened before here countrywide, but I can't seem to find the links on TV. I heard that the exotic car owners and clubs complained so much that they reversed it, yet now it's back.

Use 91 octane gasoline; not ethanol.

Yes I believe that is our only option now.

Gasohol seems to me to be a complete scam. They created it and tell us to use it because it saves energy and is cheaper. But if it's saving 5% of the oil used in processing, and it is 5 or 10% cheaper, but is 10% less efficient (in my experience my gas mileage suffers noticeably, at least 10%) then how is that doing anything but creating a net increase in oil use and actually costing the same or more at the pump? All the while diverting corn from feeding hungry people so that Americans can keep driving their Hummers!!!!

http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/cont...0514_058678.htm

im sorry but it is physically impossible to be 10% less fuel efficient. if 10% ethanol and 10% less efficient it means that the ethanol has no calorific value at all. 2 or 3% maybe but in brazil they use 100% ethanol and their cars move!!!!!!!!!!!

any documentation on the 100% ethanol in Brazil?

State of the art bi-fuel cars run 85% Ethanol, but then consume double amount of fuel. Just introduced in LOS by Ptt/Volvo.

[Loz]

I live in Korat and have not seen 95ron non gasohol for 2 years. I MISS it. I have a very modified little bike which lapped up the 95 and with a booster was quite a little animal! On 91 I lose performance but that means I ride it softer and it lasts longer so not all bad.

If there is ANYHERE in Korat that sells 95ron non gasohol I'd really like to know about it.

Cheers,

Loz

[ScubaBuddha]

This happened before here countrywide, but I can't seem to find the links on TV. I heard that the exotic car owners and clubs complained so much that they reversed it, yet now it's back.

Use 91 octane gasoline; not ethanol.

Yes I believe that is our only option now.

Gasohol seems to me to be a complete scam. They created it and tell us to use it because it saves energy and is cheaper. But if it's saving 5% of the oil used in processing, and it is 5 or 10% cheaper, but is 10% less efficient (in my experience my gas mileage suffers noticeably, at least 10%) then how is that doing anything but creating a net increase in oil use and actually costing the same or more at the pump? All the while diverting corn from feeding hungry people so that Americans can keep driving their Hummers!!!!

http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/cont...0514_058678.htm

im sorry but it is physically impossible to be 10% less fuel efficient. if 10% ethanol and 10% less efficient it means that the ethanol has no calorific value at all. 2 or 3% maybe but in brazil they use 100% ethanol and their cars move!!!!!!!!!!!

In my Yaris I get an average of 530 km between fill ups with non-gasahol, and an average 480kms with. That's a 9.5 % difference.

Edited April 12, 2010 by ScubaBuddha

[ScubaBuddha]

Since I last visited this thread it appears that non-gasahol petrol is no longer available at Shell. Not 95, and not 91. Shell now only sells gasahol fuel.

Looks like I will not be visiting Shell again.

[jackcorbett]

I have perused a rather extensive article on the web about the sources for Thailand's energy. Let's start with Thailand supplies 40 % of its energy from domestic sources and after finding natural gas in the Gulf of Thailand more and more vehicles are using this "home grown fuel" Thailand's switching to gasohol is only part of its ongoing efforts to wean itself off of Mideast oil. Truth is even our "pals" in Saudi Arabia" have been playing hopscotch with terrorists devoted to taking down the West because as long as they do, they feel the radicals will not take down the Saudi monarchy. So look at it this way, out of every dollar or pound we spend on Mideast oil, a sizeable percentage goes to fund our enemies. Personally I see nothing wrong with Thailand's wanting to send as few baht as possible to bolster such regimes.

Edited April 12, 2010 by jackcorbett