Gas Question: Sunoco 93 Octane Question (methanol?)

Hi, I have been using Sunoco's 93 Octane but noticed they just started to include a sticked that says "Contains Ethanol". Can I continue to use this gas? Should I continue to use it? What do you recommend? Thanks!

Yes, 10% ethenol is fine to use.

10% ethanol (otherwise known as E10 or gasohol) is fine to use but it is not preferred from a power standpoint. Also, I've been told that it's not good to go back and forth between gasahol and regular gas, i.e. it's better to stick with one than to change back and forth. The best gas is Chevron, or at least a gas that meets the top tier gas standards http://www.toptiergas.com/retailers.html (used to be a much smaller list but since it's good marketing to meet these standards more and more companies are doing what they can to meet them. An industry insider - and no he doesn't work for a top tier gas company - has also told me that it really does make a difference)

I have been using Sunoco 93 since I have owned the car and only deviated once. Maybe I should get off "gassahol" and go with Chevron or the other Top Tier Gas companies. One other question, does it make a difference when I go between say 92 to 93 octane? I usually try and get the highest, but some gas companies have different ratings. In other words Gas Company X may only have 91 as their highest while Gas Company Y has 93.

There's a difference between 93 and 92 and 91, but it's just the octane, not ethanol amount, though different gasses do have different amounts of ethanol in them, the thing is some have very little amounts (under 9% is not considered gasohol).

are there any major gas retaliers in the northeast (metro ny area) who do not use ethanol in their gas?

in NY... havent found any.

If you use Ethanol-blended fuels, consider using Star brite's "Star tron" fuel additive. It is specifically formulated to "maximize" gas that has ethanol in it. I am not a chemist, so I hav eno clue how it works - I thinkit's magic. I came across it while researching how to make boats run better on ethanol-blended fuels.

Since NY and MA and VT are 'Green States' and given the EPA smog levels in the Northeast, we've actually been getting 10% ethanol for quite a while now....they just haven't put stickers on the pumps. Without going into the whole ethanol debacle (technically, from an energy perspective, it's a waste of time and energy), as mentioned, 10% is the max 'standard' (i.e. non flex fuel vehicles that can run on E85, 85% ethanol) can safely run on and be stored with.....above 10% you begin to have seal damage/breakdown and engine problems.

This is from a post in the Bimmerfest link below... =============================================== "Not only should you be using premium gas (whatever octane that is in you part of the country) but you should choose Top tier ( http://www.toptiergas.com/ ) gas which meets BMW specs.What, exactly, is this "Top tier Gas" web site? It doesn't disclose any affiliations, so some investigation is warranted: nwhois toptiergas.com Registrant: National Products Group (DWZWSDYIHD) P.O. Box 3475 Tulsa, OK 74101 US Domain Name: TOPtierGAS.COM Administrative Contact: Denny, Jim (18276434I) [email removed] P.O. Box 3475 Tulsa, OK 74101 US 9188368551 Hmmm. Not too informative. However, let's Google on the phone number. There are a large number of hits, most of which point to a "Quik Trip Corporation", which operates a large number of gas stations in that area. A Google of the Quik Trip web site reveals that Jim Denny is their Vice President of Marketing. In fact, they have a "Top tier" gas item on their web page (here) ( http://www.quiktrip.com/gasoline/Toptier.asp) . How likely do you think it is that the brands listed on the Top tier web page are the same ones that Quik Trip carries? And what are the odds that a gasoline retailer is actually conducting the studies needed to actually rate gasoline quality? The Internet is a wonderful thing, but one has to be cautious about any "facts" which are posted without substantiation or references." http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/arc...p/t-84965.html

In the latest Panorama, there's a comprehensive article about ethanol mixed fuel use in porsche cars. The way I understand the bottom line of the article is: -Ethanol tend to retain water =BAD -Detonates faster =BAD -Really bad for old P cars/Our MY adapts better due to the advance Bosch electronic ignition.