PTParks

Has anyone experienced any fuel system (or other) issues related to the 10% ethanol blend in the gasoline they use? I notice there are now a couple of over-the-counter gasoline additives that supposedly "clean out" the deposits that are left behind by the ethanol such as residuals from plastics degradation and ethanol's affinity for water, and there have been recalls by other car manufacturers to fix fuel system issues caused by ethanol. Are these products just snake-oil or something that should be used on a periodic basis to keep things flowing correctly? I've not suffered any breakdowns or such, however my Porsche is not a daily driver and does sit for extended periods, but not long enough to require anything such as "STA-BIL" in the fuel.

Domer911

snake oil. I know.

Don't you find it curious that there would be recalls (the costs for which are footed by manufacturers) if damage was done by some outside component?

btw, ethanol's affinity for water keeps your tank dry. Nothing wrong with that, especially if you live in a cold climate.

I am not a proponent of ethanol, as it's a typical, miss-managed government mandate. But it's not going to hurt your p-car. That said, don't ever use more than a 10% blend!

mdrums

Nope zero issues in the past few years

Jay H

I have the option of either 10% ethanol blend or 100% gasoline (as they say on the pumps here). I honestly can't tell any difference in performance between the two fuel choices (I use Shell only in both blends). However, the 997 will average 25+ mpg with the non ethanol and struggle to break 24 mpg on the 10% Ethanol stuff. Same goes with my 1984 911...24 mpg with non Eth and 23 with the 10% Ethanol.

I've never had any fuel related issues with any of my daily drivers, though I don't use any off brand fuels and only use Shell in the Porsches and BP in the other cars.

Macster

No.

My Boxster has used about 10,000 gallons (250K miles divided by (avg.) 25mpg) of mostly ethanol laced gasoline and the only fuel system problem was the fuel pump quit at around 200K miles. The tech reported the bottom of the tank had no signs of water and very little trash. (The in-pump fuel filter had collected some trash but not a scary amount and had plenty of reserve filter capacity.

I might add that the way the fuel system works, the fuel pump works, theres' considerable agitation fo the fuel when the pump runs. Since gasoline is lighter than water the water will be on the bottom of the tank (if there is any water) and when you turn on the key the pump will stir this up.

The only way there would be any risk of a problem is if the tank had a considerable amount of water in it far more water than it could accumulate under anything but extraordinary circumstances.

These tanks do not generate near the amount of water condensation as metal tanks of the past generated. Furthermore, these new tanks are pretty much sealed once the gas cap is fitted so they do not breathe in and out like the older fuel tanks, tanks that pre-date the gasoline vapor recovery systems cars now have.

Anyhow, buy a name brand gas from a busy station. Now I find Shell V-Power works pretty good for my car in my area, but so does Chevron, and a couple of other name brand/top tier gasolines, but you can experiment and settle on whatever your engine likes.

As long as you do the above, there's no need to worry about ethanol, though I too am not a proponent of ethanol and I agree with Domer911's opinion about the requirement to use ethanol in gasoline.

Sincerely,

Macster.

KBS911

No problem running with 10% non-eth fuel, however you will get better mpg with straight gasoline. I averaged 3 mpg more using 93 non eth fuel versus ethanol fuel when towing my car/trailer over long distance. It was measurable. Alcohol is not reallly good in a gas tank over long periods either because it will suck up water and if let to sit for any length of time it will phase seperate. Ethanol fuel or alcohol does boost octane, however it is less efficient and reduces energy because it does not have the same btu's. In short non-eth fuel can be cheaper because you go farther on less fuel, i.e. less gas = less money, and can negate the difference in the higher cost of the non eth versus E-10 if available.