Well if it is just Eastern Iowa they could be deciding between filling up the tank for the round trip before leaving home or just getting enough to get to Des Moines if it is cheaper in the metropolis.
Gas prices
- Thread starter dafarmer
- Start date
I am generally not stopping during peak times but I have never had to wait for a pump at the Ankeny Costco. The two I frequent up here in the Twin Cities, on the other hand...
I'm pretty lucky that I have one Costco under 5 miles and another under 10 miles in two different directions so my errands often take me near one.
Does it work to just alternate putting in half a tank of 91 then half a tank of 85 on alternating visits to the station so you are mixing half a tank of the high octane with half a tank of the low octane?
I live in California. I go to bed clutching a bottle of whiskey while reading Don’t-Kill-Yourself books.
KidSilverhair
Well-Known Member
That’s the place, for sure. I’ve noticed the big Love’s in Mt. Pleasant on 218/34 has started matching that BP a lot of the time now.
KidSilverhair
Well-Known Member
I used to have to do that with a car I had with a non-functioning gas gauge. Write down when I filled up, keep track of how much I drove, then be sure to fill up again before I ran out.
Its the BP at Olds, cheapest gas in the state. Actually a very clean station, and its always packed with people buying gas.
Ethyl Alcohol has about 30% less energy than gasoline so if you are buying 10% ethanol you should be paying 3% less to break even over the 100% gasoline. For $3.00 gasoline it should be a savings of at least $0.09 to break even. Any additional savings is gravy. This is ignoring the benefits of higher octane of the ethanol blends.
This goes for comparing E-10 to E-15 as well. There the difference is 5% alcohol so 30% reduction in energy times only 5% of the volume is only 1.5% reduction in energy per gallon. So if you are paying $3.00 for E-10 you should be paying $0.045 less for E-15 to make it worth your while.
E-85 is a little more difficult to find fuel that is cost effective since there is generally 75% more ethanol than E-10 so it is 22.5% less energy than the E-10. if E-10 is $3.00 you better be saving at least $0.675 to break even. Note that in the winter months the mix is more likely 70% ethanol rather than 85% due to the difficulty with vaporizing ethanol at lower temperatures. This means you have more energy in "E-85" in winter. Winter savings should be around 18% which is about $0.54 in our $3.00 E-10 example.
I was kind of burned on E-85 in the past though. I bought a vehicle in the aughts that was flex fuel so I ran E-85 in it when I could. I ended up with engine problems though after long term use (a decade or so). The kicker was that there was a manufacturer notice that went out about it cautioning against going back and forth between mixes that I never saw. It went out to dealers a few months before I bought the vehicle but they never provided it to us when we bought the vehicle, nor did they tell us about when we were back for service. The owners manual touted being able to go back and forth between mixes without restriction or adverse effects. That experience makes me pretty nervous about too much going back and forth between mixes.
Does that protest against growing crops for fuel include using waste like corn stover for making fuel? The corn is still being used as food/feed, it is just a corn byproduct being used for the making of fuel. Is that acceptable or not in your book?
Not judging, just curious because there are a lot of people who aren't aware we have gotten beyond just processing what would otherwise be food to make biofuels. We also are using waste oils to make biodiesel.
I'm going to be using a lot more tap water than I am Evian or Fuji because, you know, it's cheaper and more economical and I am a cheap ass at heart.
Not ours. I can get around 13 when it's very empty. Mine's a 2015, maybe that's why.
Now our 1992 GMC Sierra, on the other hand ...
No clue why its always so cheap, but we used to drive by it on our way to play Waco in sports. When you are riding the cheese wagon after awhile you get bored and start noticing the price of gas as you drive by places.
