E85 Year Round MIDWEST

[WannaRace]

So....

I just called 4 gas stations in the Chicagoland area, 2 were Gas City, 2 were Marathon. All of them said that their blend of E85 does not change at all. Surely this is not accurate information, right? I can't believe I have a 100% concurrence amongst all of them. The blend as of right now should be a 2, and soon a 2/1. I am even provoking them to change their answer and they will not budge! Has anyone talk to any gas station owners around here and can confirm the blend dates?

[logic]

Most of the time, the folks at the gas station have absolutely no clue what it is they're selling; as far as they're concerned, the gas shows up in a truck. They're reselling fuel obtained from a manufacturer; in the case of Gas City, that was Verasun (I'm not sure how that supply chain operates now that Verasun is being split up in bankruptcy court, though), and they're the ones you should call if you want specific information.

Per federal guidelines, the actual E85 blend is dictated by the geographical fuel-marketing region it is distributed in. See the Handbook for Storing and Handling E85 (PDF), specifically Appendix A (Geographical Fuel-Marketing Regions) and table 3 on page 11 (the definitions of the three volatility classes).

Here in Chicago, we won't be in volatility class 1 (minimum 79% ethanol) until mid- to late-June. Right now, we are in volatility class 2 (minimum 74% ethanol).

EDIT: Also, as a quick note, at least one Thorton's station near my house carries E-85 as well. I have no idea who their supplier is, however.

[skiracer]

Guys working the registers/answers the phone prolly has no clue. I.E. dude at our local E85 station here doesn't even speak english

[WannaRace]

Originally Posted by logic

Most of the time, the folks at the gas station have absolutely no clue what it is they're selling; as far as they're concerned, the gas shows up in a truck. They're reselling fuel obtained from a manufacturer; in the case of Gas City, that was Verasun (I'm not sure how that supply chain operates now that Verasun is being split up in bankruptcy court, though), and they're the ones you should call if you want specific information.

Per federal guidelines, the actual E85 blend is dictated by the geographical fuel-marketing region it is distributed in. See the Handbook for Storing and Handling E85 (PDF), specifically Appendix A (Geographical Fuel-Marketing Regions) and table 3 on page 11 (the definitions of the three volatility classes).

Here in Chicago, we won't be in volatility class 1 (minimum 79% ethanol) until mid- to late-June. Right now, we are in volatility class 2 (minimum 74% ethanol).

EDIT: Also, as a quick note, at least one Thorton's station near my house carries E-85 as well. I have no idea who their supplier is, however.

Yep, I've seen the chart and that's what I was referring to in my first post. When I spoke to someone at Gas City, the gentleman told me that the Kerosene (sp?) was the only fuel that changed octane ratings. Otherwise, he said that the E85 remains the same all year round. The other Gas City was not as specific, only saying that the fuel remains the same all year.

I realize that the people answering the phones probably have no clue as to what's being shipped to them, rather, they only see the stickers on the pumps and assume that nothing has changed. I will expect Class 2 for my tune this month, but regret not being able to tune with pure E85. Is there any way I can make the Class 2 achieve 85% ethanol without buying a 55-gallon drum of E98?

[skiracer]

pour 3 part of this into your tank, then 1 part into your mouth and keep repeating until bottle is empty

[logic]

Your ideas intrigue me. I would like to subscribe to your newsletter!

[WannaRace]

That's pretty gangster of you.. I better add that to my grocery list

[skiracer]

Everclear is illegal to sell in state of CA. So, i gotta go to Nevada to get it...

[4g94T]

Originally Posted by skiracer

Guys working the registers/answers the phone prolly has no clue. I.E. dude at our local E85 station here doesn't even speak english

At Conserv Fuel?


Does this affect the west coast also? Or is it consistent year round.

[Jim in Tucson]

I can't speak to Chicago...

This was my first winter on E85. I always buy from the same private station. Prior to winter I asked the owner about his E85 supply, and if it changed to E70 at some point. He assured me that it did not change, that he in fact sells E85 all year round.

I fill up every 2-3 days. (A fill up is half a tank for me. I never let it get below 1/2 tank.) On four separate occasions this past winter I observed excessive CEL knock light activity. I'm convinced that unbeknown to the station owner he was in fact sold E70 instead of E85 a few times. I just took it easy until I burned through the suspect E70, so it was not really an issue for me.

However, it would have been nice to have one of those Ethanol content gauges, like Skiracer has.

[WannaRace]

Does anyone drum E85 that ships within the US? And is there really a way to mix my own, on a serious level now

[WannaRace]

Wow so I just learned that Rockett Brand Race Fuel is out of Glenview, IL. They make all sorts of race fuels including true E85. Not too far from me. I wonder if I can pump right from their facility and/or take a few 55 gallon drums home with me.

Anyone in the midwest ever been to their facility?

[skiracer]

i'm sure that stuff is not as cheap as E85 from the pump...

[WannaRace]

I'd just rather be tuned for the worst rather than on some weak E85 and suffer the consequences come summer when we get the real stuff.

Also, Rockett sells their 100 unleaded out of the same station that sells E85. Nice to know!

[cfdfireman1]

Ask them to supply the MSDS for the product you're buying they will have that on site.