What If The Petrol Station Doesn'T Have The Fuel You Want?

[Wentworth]

To start with - I'm told that 91 and 95 refers to the octane levels - which means 'The square root of nothing to me'. I'd never heard of 91 and 95 before I came to Thailand; all I knew was 4 star or unleaded.

My wife's car is about 3 years old and the book says 91(the normal stuff, not Gasohol). Most people tell me that 91 Gasohol is fine. I know it's cheaper but the performance is noticeably more sluggish when I'm in other cars, not sure if there's any difference in the distance per litre. I saw a report in the press that continuous use of 91 Gasohol in my case will cause engine problems. I'm not sure how true it is but I stick to using the ordinary 91. With that in mind, how about if I used 91 gasohol on the odd occasion eg every 4 fill-ups?

I don't usually let the tank get down to sucking the fumes, but my wife isn't always so vigilant. I'd be grateful for some advice about what to do if I get to desperation status and can only find a garage with say 95 and 95 gasohol. Will I have problems if I put one of the 95 variations in the tank in an emergency? Can I use these or should I keep my fingers crossed that the car will make it to a garage with 91? Advice in layman's term would be appreciated.

[onnut]

my old Civic used to take 91 but could also take 95 if that was all I could find. if you stick with 91 or 95 you will be fine. except the price increase!

I never put this Gasahol stuff in though as I never understood what it was!

when I changed to a new accord a couple of years ago it took E20 which was hard to find so I had to use 91 or 95 again until more stations sold E20.

[gotlost]

TG I have a diesel. I just burn B5 because its cheaper.

[thaicbr]

It would help if we knew what car it was. Most if not all fuel injected cars within the last 5 years can run E10 (gasohol 91). with the exception of the more exotic cars like Ferrari etc.

[bazmlb]

I run E10 91 or 95 Gasahol in all my cars and my twist and go, only problem so far was a fuel return hose disintegrated and I replaced it with some nice German Wurth hose. One is a 91 BMW E34 M20 and the other car has a Nissan SR20 transplanted in it.

[Wentworth]

It would help if we knew what car it was. Most if not all fuel injected cars within the last 5 years can run E10 (gasohol 91). with the exception of the more exotic cars like Ferrari etc.

My wife's car is a Honda City.

[hakku]

Hey Guys, come on, all standard cars after 2000 can handle gasohol. If your car runs on 91 it runs better on 95 when pushed. If not pushed no difference there. gasohol will consume slightly more (3% if its E10, 5 to6 % if its E20) so offset that with the price difference. 95 is hard to get except for gasohol, seems only caltex and petronas sell the real 95.

The added alcohol doesn't do much, it enhances octane, cools the vaporised fuel a bit more and is lightly more aggressive on older fuel lines and rubber parts.

As stated, most cars after 1998/2000 run fine on gasohol, exceptions are high performance cars which require 95 as a minimum anyway but would prefer 98, 100 or 100+ octanes which you buy at tesco in the uk but in TH is (almost) unobtainable.

Hak

[katabeachbum]

Hey Guys, come on, all standard cars after 2000 can handle gasohol. If your car runs on 91 it runs better on 95 when pushed. If not pushed no difference there. gasohol will consume slightly more (3% if its E10, 5 to6 % if its E20) so offset that with the price difference. 95 is hard to get except for gasohol, seems only caltex and petronas sell the real 95.

The added alcohol doesn't do much, it enhances octane, cools the vaporised fuel a bit more and is lightly more aggressive on older fuel lines and rubber parts.

As stated, most cars after 1998/2000 run fine on gasohol, exceptions are high performance cars which require 95 as a minimum anyway but would prefer 98, 100 or 100+ octanes which you buy at tesco in the uk but in TH is (almost) unobtainable.

Hak

all cars after 2000 can NOT handle Ethanol, thats gasohol E10 or E20.

Most motorbikes until 2007 can NOT handle gasohol without premature damages, some still cant.

Ethanol is agressive, and can damage o-rings, rubbergaskets, valves etc.

For the vehicles able to handle gasohol, the agressivity is also an advantage, keeps engine cleaner.

One player in LOS with major Gasohol issues until my 2006 is Subaru. Several BMW models until 2005/2006.

Benz approved some models for gasohol E10 around 2006, and still not all for E20

Many new cars can still not handle E20. Some manufactorers in LOS state their cars can handle E20, but other manufactorers using identical engines states E 10 only. Volvo V50 E10/ Ford Focus 2,0 E20 springs to mind, same Yamaha developed 2,0/145 hp. Cars have 5% lower taxes if stated they can use Gasohol E20, making it attractive for some to state so without doing proper tests and research. 50.000 baht saved on a million baht car isnt bad (not to mention 250k baht saved on a 5 mill baht car), just say E20 compatibel.

My 2005 VTX 1800cc Vtwin was a mess after one tank by mistake of Gasohol E10. Injection had to picked apart, and sparkplugs full of black glaced "tare". 12k km on the bike when it happend. Most gasohol use damage isnt this instant, but in general result in premature damages

On other vehicles I have been using Gasohol E10 for +200k km.

For OP, 2006 and newer City can use 91 and 95, petrol and Gasohol E10. 95 Gasohol E20 as emergency fuel 10 liters will probably not damage anything

[katabeachbum]

Hey Guys, come on, all standard cars after 2000 can handle gasohol. If your car runs on 91 it runs better on 95 when pushed. If not pushed no difference there. gasohol will consume slightly more (3% if its E10, 5 to6 % if its E20) so offset that with the price difference. 95 is hard to get except for gasohol, seems only caltex and petronas sell the real 95.

The added alcohol doesn't do much, it enhances octane, cools the vaporised fuel a bit more and is lightly more aggressive on older fuel lines and rubber parts.

As stated, most cars after 1998/2000 run fine on gasohol, exceptions are high performance cars which require 95 as a minimum anyway but would prefer 98, 100 or 100+ octanes which you buy at tesco in the uk but in TH is (almost) unobtainable.

Hak

all cars after 2000 can NOT handle Ethanol, thats gasohol E10 or E20.

Most motorbikes until 2007 can NOT handle gasohol without premature damages, some still cant.

Ethanol is agressive, and can damage o-rings, rubbergaskets, valves etc.

For the vehicles able to handle gasohol, the agressivity is also an advantage, keeps engine cleaner.

One player in LOS with major Gasohol issues until my 2006 is Subaru. Several BMW models until 2005/2006.

Benz approved some models for gasohol E10 around 2006, and still not all for E20

Many new cars can still not handle E20. Some manufactorers in LOS state their cars can handle E20, but other manufactorers using identical engines states E 10 only. Volvo V50 E10/ Ford Focus 2,0 E20 springs to mind, same Yamaha developed 2,0/145 hp. Cars have 5% lower taxes if stated they can use Gasohol E20, making it attractive for some to state so without doing proper tests and research. 50.000 baht saved on a million baht car isnt bad (not to mention 250k baht saved on a 5 mill baht car), just say E20 compatibel.

My 2005 VTX 1800cc Vtwin was a mess after one tank by mistake of Gasohol E10. Injection had to picked apart, and sparkplugs full of black glaced "tare". 12k km on the bike when it happend. Most gasohol use damage isnt this instant, but in general result in premature damages

On other vehicles I have been using Gasohol E10 for +200k km.

For OP, 2006 and newer City can use 91 and 95, petrol and Gasohol E10. 95 Gasohol E20 as emergency fuel 10 liters will probably not damage anything

Just have to ad to this.

When Gasohol E20 was introduced in LOS, not ONE car company would state their car could handle this much Ethanol (20%). Took like 9-12 months until LOS government introduced 5% reduction of excise taxes on new cars Gasohol E20 compatible. All the sudden years of testing E20 was completed, and 70% of LOS cars became E20 compatible over night, taking 50-200k baht off the price same night. Od thing is, most of these cars cant run E20 in other marketsB)

[garyh]

It is illegal in Australia to use alcohol fuel in any percentage, the reason why is the alcohol separates over time and settles to the bottom of the tank. If this happens the engine will not run. So avoid it if it is a car the tends to sit around a lot.

[Wentworth]

It is illegal in Australia to use alcohol fuel in any percentage, the reason why is the alcohol separates over time and settles to the bottom of the tank. If this happens the engine will not run. So avoid it if it is a car the tends to sit around a lot.

I'm grateful to hear this, I hadn't heard of it before. I did mention to start with that I'd seen a report in the Bangkok Post Motoring section over a year ago. It basically said that even using E10 in engines not designed for it would cause problems and shorten it's life. My car is only 3 years old and I'm still convinced that people are just burying their heads in the sand about this point. Our car doesn't get that much use; lucky to 7 or 8.000 kms in 6 months. I hear conflicting information on this post and so I'll err on the side of caution and continue to use standard 91. I just wonder in an emergency if it would be alright to use standard 95.

[katabeachbum]

It is illegal in Australia to use alcohol fuel in any percentage, the reason why is the alcohol separates over time and settles to the bottom of the tank. If this happens the engine will not run. So avoid it if it is a car the tends to sit around a lot.

I'm grateful to hear this, I hadn't heard of it before. I did mention to start with that I'd seen a report in the Bangkok Post Motoring section over a year ago. It basically said that even using E10 in engines not designed for it would cause problems and shorten it's life. My car is only 3 years old and I'm still convinced that people are just burying their heads in the sand about this point. Our car doesn't get that much use; lucky to 7 or 8.000 kms in 6 months. I hear conflicting information on this post and so I'll err on the side of caution and continue to use standard 91. I just wonder in an emergency if it would be alright to use standard 95.

yes, using 95 pure petrol has no disadvantage to your car, only your wallet when paying petrol.

but pure 95 petrol is no longer available in LOS, even Shell V-Power 95 is now blended with 5-6% Ethanol. Not as bad as 10% Gasohol E10, but still blended

[tig28]

It is illegal in Australia to use alcohol fuel in any percentage, the reason why is the alcohol separates over time and settles to the bottom of the tank. If this happens the engine will not run. So avoid it if it is a car the tends to sit around a lot.

..... From Wiki

Biofuel in Australia is available both as biodiesel and as ethanol fuel, which can be produced from sugarcane or grains. There are currently three commercial producers of fuel ethanol in Australia, all on the East Coast.

Legislation imposes a 10% cap on the concentration of fuel ethanol blends. Blends of 90% unleaded petrol and 10% fuel ethanol are commonly referred to as E10,^[1] which is available through service stations operating under the BP, Caltex, Shell and United brands as well as those of a number of smaller independents. Not surprisingly, E10 is most widely available closer to the sources of production in Queensland and New South Wales. The Australian Government has set a target for the sale of 350 million litres of E10 fuel each year by 2010.^[2]

Recently^[when?]BP Australia celebrated a milestone with over 100 million litres of the new BP Unleaded with renewable ethanol being sold to Queensland motorists. In partnership with the Queensland Government, the Canegrowers organisation launched a regional billboard campaign in March 2007 to promote the renewable fuels industry.^[1]

^{Also from Australia:}

^"Over the next 12 months, oil company Caltex will install up to 100 pumps across Australia that can dispense E85 fuel -- regular unleaded petrol that's been mixed with 85 per cent ethanol."

http://www.carsales.com.au/news/2010/holden/the-pros-and-cons-of-ethanol-20281

Edited September 12, 2010 by tig28

[garyh]

It is illegal in Australia to use alcohol fuel in any percentage, the reason why is the alcohol separates over time and settles to the bottom of the tank. If this happens the engine will not run. So avoid it if it is a car the tends to sit around a lot.

..... From Wiki

Biofuel in Australia is available both as biodiesel and as ethanol fuel, which can be produced from sugarcane or grains. There are currently three commercial producers of fuel ethanol in Australia, all on the East Coast.

Legislation imposes a 10% cap on the concentration of fuel ethanol blends. Blends of 90% unleaded petrol and 10% fuel ethanol are commonly referred to as E10,^[1] which is available through service stations operating under the BP, Caltex, Shell and United brands as well as those of a number of smaller independents. Not surprisingly, E10 is most widely available closer to the sources of production in Queensland and New South Wales. The Australian Government has set a target for the sale of 350 million litres of E10 fuel each year by 2010.^[2]

Recently^[when?]BP Australia celebrated a milestone with over 100 million litres of the new BP Unleaded with renewable ethanol being sold to Queensland motorists. In partnership with the Queensland Government, the Canegrowers organisation launched a regional billboard campaign in March 2007 to promote the renewable fuels industry.^[1]

^{Also from Australia:}

^"Over the next 12 months, oil company Caltex will install up to 100 pumps across Australia that can dispense E85 fuel -- regular unleaded petrol that's been mixed with 85 per cent ethanol."

http://www.carsales....f-ethanol-20281

Sorry my mistake, it is illegal to use it in boats.

Should say

It is illegal in Australia to use alcohol fuel in any percentage in boats , the reason why is the alcohol separates over time and settles to the bottom of the tank. If this happens the engine will not run. So avoid it if it is a car the tends to sit around a lot.

[katabeachbum]

It is illegal in Australia to use alcohol fuel in any percentage, the reason why is the alcohol separates over time and settles to the bottom of the tank. If this happens the engine will not run. So avoid it if it is a car the tends to sit around a lot.

..... From Wiki

Biofuel in Australia is available both as biodiesel and as ethanol fuel, which can be produced from sugarcane or grains. There are currently three commercial producers of fuel ethanol in Australia, all on the East Coast.

Legislation imposes a 10% cap on the concentration of fuel ethanol blends. Blends of 90% unleaded petrol and 10% fuel ethanol are commonly referred to as E10,^[1] which is available through service stations operating under the BP, Caltex, Shell and United brands as well as those of a number of smaller independents. Not surprisingly, E10 is most widely available closer to the sources of production in Queensland and New South Wales. The Australian Government has set a target for the sale of 350 million litres of E10 fuel each year by 2010.^[2]

Recently^[when?]BP Australia celebrated a milestone with over 100 million litres of the new BP Unleaded with renewable ethanol being sold to Queensland motorists. In partnership with the Queensland Government, the Canegrowers organisation launched a regional billboard campaign in March 2007 to promote the renewable fuels industry.^[1]

^{Also from Australia:}

^"Over the next 12 months, oil company Caltex will install up to 100 pumps across Australia that can dispense E85 fuel -- regular unleaded petrol that's been mixed with 85 per cent ethanol."

http://www.carsales....f-ethanol-20281

Sorry my mistake, it is illegal to use it in boats.

Should say

It is illegal in Australia to use alcohol fuel in any percentage in boats , the reason why is the alcohol separates over time and settles to the bottom of the tank. If this happens the engine will not run. So avoid it if it is a car the tends to sit around a lot.

Very interesting to read OZ government has LAWS against more than 10% Ethanol in petrol, except for E85 which very few vehicles can run. Here in LOS there are huge tax incentives for vehicles "able" to run 20% Ethanol

Since OZ is a major market for MItsu, I can understand why they have spend money on making their 1,8 Lancer E85 compatible