I don’t think it makes a difference unless you are storing the car. Even then you can use stabilizer. I have never put straight gas in my cars.

 

Here going to Shell and getting 93 traditional, or going to QP ethanol free is the same price. Might be minimal benefits, but we often over baby our cars with the elite when possible, so I do it.

 

It’s $5+ a gallon out here.

 

I just non-ethanol in my small engines, lawn tractor, weed eaters and such, lately they haven’t had any, in Shelby the 93 ethanol.

 

Here in the Keys most gas stations have what they call rec fuel, but it's all 90 or 91 octane.
Boats don't like ethanol gas.
Lou

 

I also only use non-ethanol in mowers and other lawn equipment but down here, all we have is 89 or 91.

 

I try not to use ethanol at all. Thankfully the Walmart down the road from me has Murphy gas and they offer 93 no-ethanol as well as another station closer to where I work. After seeing what ethanol gas did to my lawnmower and GPW I don’t like putting it in my car.

 

Truly small engines are not designed to handle ethanol fuel like our vehicles. Comparing the two categories of engines is a bit of an apples to oranges comparison. The rubber and plastic seals and other components in small engines crack and degrade when exposed to ethanol for a while. Our motors and fuel systems are designed to handle the ethanol. Many years ago I even verified with my car tuner that running premium fuel with ethanol was ok. He said it was absolutely ok. When I was storing my car for the winter, I did use non-ethanol fuel for storage due to the moisture/corrosion consideration.

 

Nothing was wrong with the seals. The ethanol gummed up everything. But you run what makes you happy and I’ll do the same.

 

In Minnesota the land of 6 month boat storage we have a lot of access to none ethanol none oxygenated fuel. It’s all I use in small engines and my car, my truck I use whatever’s cheapest.

 

I run ethanol free gas in the Mustang, but I think it's only 91 octane, so I put Sta-bil in the Shelby with the 93 octane. If the ethanol-free was 93 octane, I'd definitely put it in the Shelby.
Used to be easier to get the ethanol-free when all the Casey's were carrying it, then they stopped carrying it, but there's still 2 stations in the local area I can get it, so I know where to gas up before trips in the Mustang.

 

Your opening question did query the group about whether we use non-ethanol pump gas. That begs the comparison and why’s and why-nots. “So do you all on pump gas try and use non-ethanol 93?”

Not the first time ethanol has been discussed on here, and in the past some members have asked about ethanol gas use in small engines too. I took the approach that you and many others are new on this forum and haven’t read those past discussions. Some new members may know these points and some may not. So offering the well documented difference between using ethanol in small engines versus vehicles was given for the benefit of those who didn’t know, and I didn’t quite anyone so as not to suggest anything. I didn’t expect anyone to get their dander in a fluff.

I’m afraid there is quite a difference between synthetic versus Dino oil and comparing both types of fuel in different engines. But I’ll stop here. Don’t want folks to read into my comments too much. Carry on.

 

I use no-ethonol on my 70's motorcycles, carburated obviously. I've had issues there when they have sat for a while with ethanol, and I always use stabilizer in ethanol fuel.

In the Shelby I use what the guys at the dyno shop swear by... Sunoce 93, which is E10.

 

Good call. Older vehicles and motorcycles weren't designed for fuel with ethanol in it. Very similar reasons to the problem with small engines.

 

Yep... carburetors which rely on Bernoulli's principle and tiny orifices to draw fuel into an airstream and the cylinders. Much more delicate than an EFI system with a (big) pump preasurizing the fuel and a computer making electronic measurements and instantaneous compensation.

I note one difference between small engines and a carbureted motorcycle on this matter. I just want my lawnmower to run. It's not a performance machine, and I psonally use E10 with stabilizer in the mower. The KZ1000 I want dialed in. The density of fuel is important in a well-tuned carburetor, as it affects fuel level in the bowl and how readily fuel is pulled into the airstream. Ethanol and gasoline have similar density, but not identical so this may be a concern if one really wants to dial in a sensitave carburated system. Changing fuel could require a float adjustment and re-jetting. None of which is a concern for an EFI engine.

 

Exxon down the street from me is Ethanol free. I buy all my gas there for all my combustible engines.

Kinda kills me to buy Exxon gas - KodiakMustang will understand as a fellow former Alaskan....

 

I'm in the group who buys 100% gasoline for anything with a carburetor ... otherwise, my newer fuel-injected vehicles get whatever is available ... my truck however, sits a lot without use, so I try and use 100% gasoline in it just to avoid the added "water attraction" characteristic of ethanol, and I treat it with Stabil additive also. I don't have any "high performance" vehicles anymore, so the octane rating doesn't concern me anymore. Aaaaaaahhhh .... the easy life !!