CarGuyNVA

Let me begin by saying that even though I'm a former 958 owner, I decided to post this here as opposed to the Macan forum due to greater visibility/participation here. Furthermore this subject applies equally to 958s as it does to Macans or any other vehicle for that matter.

My question(s) have to do with use of unleaded non-ethanol fuel in our vehicles. While I'm generally aware that the non-ethanol part is a good thing, the concern I have is the quality of selecting a non-ethanol fuel source. I'm a 'top tier' fuel guy, Shell is my fuel of choice in all of my vehicles Porsche or otherwise.

Recently I became aware of a BP station in town that has two separate pumps connected to huge above ground tanks with 87 and 93 octane unleaded non-ethanol gas. I purchased the 93 for use in my lawn equipment with great results. I'm just not sure about putting it in one of my vehicles, the Porsche in particular. People do roll in there and buy it for their vehicles. Again my concerns are the overall quality of the fuel...additive packages, etc. Next time I'm by that station I'm going to stop in and inquire about this, but who knows how much information I'll really be able to get.

Thoughts? Anyone done/used non-ethanol fuel in their Porsches?

zamorskii

I usually fuel up at Costco and seek out locations where they have 92 vs. 91 grade. Never had any issues with gas.
Just to add, I typically keep my vehicles till about 60-70k miles, so if there're any long term consequences, I never see them.

Quadcammer

for a modern car, the difference is mostly academic. You may get a bit better gas mileage, but you pay more for it...and who knows how long its been sitting there.

Put the corn juice in there and don't think about it.

If you have a classic car, than the non-ethanol is worth exploring.

CarGuyNVA

Thanks...yeah, so that's another big question I forgot to include....are there any REAL benefits of using non-ethanol in our modern Porsches? For small engines (lawn equipment) the benefits are well established, as is the case for older classics like you mentioned. But I'm not sure about modern vehicles we drive?

I've had fantastic results with Shell over the many years in MANY vehicles I've owned with zero fuel related issues, so there'd have to be some very real benefit for me to try something else, hence my questions here in this thread.

Thanks again

DAVfoto

Apparently down in SC where my parents live, non ethanol is easier to source. I don't think I've seen one station in my area that carries it. They claim it gives them better gas mileage but I don't know. Modern cars are basically built for this type of fuel since it's been around for over 15 years now.

Mark7000

Ethanol has less power (BTU's) per gallon than "real gas" and real gas will get you better mpg.

mikeearly

This ^^^^^ is what I thought also.....

If I could get it in the right octane I'd use it in a heartbeat...

RED HORSE

When I had my Audi S8 (a V8 twin turbo) there was a lengthy discussion of this topic on an Audi forum. The conclusions during this discussion reflected my personal experience. In a normally aspirated car non-ethanol gas will result in about 7% better fuel mileage. However, is a turbo powered car there is little or no improvement because of the turbo.

I have both Shell and Citgo ethanol free gas in 93 octane available within a couple miles of the house, and although in my Porsche 911 I get the improved mileage, I have seen no improvement in my Cayenne Turbo or when I had the Audi S8.

deilenberger

On a fairly simple engine like my motorcycle, there is an immediate improvement in vibration and responsiveness when I can (rarely and never in NJ) find non-ethanol 92 or higher octane fuel. As far as it selling slower - it's not an issue - since the major problem with aging and modern fuel IS caused by the ethanol picking up water from the air. The non-ethanol fuel will last just fine for a long period of time.

So far I haven't found it when on the road with the Cayenne - but since I'm starting for home in NJ tomorrow from San Francisco, I'll have to keep an eye out for it. Many stations in Ontario Canada have two sets of pumps - one for ethanol laces fuel, one for non-ethanol.

chsu74

I mix stabil into my small lawn equipment gas can and forget it. Reason corn oil is bad is because it can gum up carbs if left unused for years.. I leave gas in lawn mower and snow blower up to 7-8 months without issues.

If I am going to store small gas equipment for over a year, then just run it out of fuel and drain the carb. Chain saws, which will see use very infrequently, makes sense with non ethanol gas.

fskof

The list of Ethanol-free gas stations in the U.S. and Canada

https://www.pure-gas.org

CarGuyNVA

Appreciate all the response thus far, good info. Keep ‘em coming.

One thing I’m still unsure of is whether or not these non-ethanol fuels have the sufficient detergents, etc. added to them to be safe near and long term for use in vehicles like our Porsches. Never a concern with a Top Tier fuel like Shell.

rdboxster

Non-oxy is really fine for the vehicle and I would prefer to use except for the cost and low volume. I always put non-oxy in the Boxster tank for winter storage as it has a much longer shelf life. Oxy fuel will deteriorate in less than 90 days causing build up on injectors and carburetors. This is why it is so important to use some sort of stabilizer when storing for more than 30 days. I have eliminated most fuel line issues in smaller engines, mowers and such, by using only non-oxy fuel. Would never use oxy fuel on a boat motor as it will deteriorate the fuel lines. Newer boats allow but still wouldn't use. Auto manufactures have become very good at tolerating oxy fuels and so has the fuel industry. 10% is what most warranties allow but there is a push to highest percents. The current level is a nonissue but what will happen as the levels increase faster than the auto industry prepares for it?

Oxy fuel original intent was to reduce auto emissions during cold start warm ups during winter months. During the warm up process the pollution equipment is cold and unable to clean as well as when hot. The oxy fuel helps during this process. As technology improved the cold start pollution issue has been reduced. Under most circumstances oxy-fuel will reduce mpg as more ethanol is added. E85 maybe less expensive but ask anyone what their mileage is. It later become a way to reduce the amount of oil imports.

There are many incentives to the auto industry to increase the % of ethanol. Most likely being driven by the farm and agriculture lobby. The same goes for bio-diesel. This is just one guys opinion.

Mark7000

There are many top-tier fuels without it,from Shell, Sunoco, Phillips, etc.

There is an app for locating the stations, too:
https://pure-gas.org

deilenberger

I only wish pure-gas.org was kept up to date. I've driven miles looking for pure gas to find the station no longer carries it - and hasn't for some considerable period of time. It seems easy to add stations, but less easy to get them removed.