I'm not sure if this is the correct area of the forum for this question, but I was curious if anyone has experimented with alternate fuels, for the G? I tried using 1/4 tank of Ethanol 85 which is 105 octane and it seemed to run fine, but I got a SES light before I had a chance to fill up again. When I did refuel I used premium and eventually the SES light went out. Have I damaged the engine? Is it a safe fuel alternative? Serious replies please.

 

Engines are specifically designed to run on E85. Ours is not, except it would be better than running out of gas.
The owner's manual specifies ethanol/methanol requirements.
You could probably run on 110 aviation fuel too, but not sure I would recommend it.

 

Thanks, appreciate the reply. I will only resort to alternate fuels in emergencies.

 

Ditto. The entire fuel system on an E85 car is different. The "E" in E85 stands for ethanol, aka Alcohol. Alcohol is VERY corrosive to a conventional gasoline system in concentrations over 10%.
If you want an alternative to 93 octane prices, back off on the right foot and use 89. By using octane higher than recommended you may actually hurting performance and gas mileage. Higher octane burns slower, THAT"S IT. It does not contain any more energy than 89 or 93.

And for God's sake stay away from AvGas. That stuf has low levels of lead. Can you say dead O2/Catalytic Converter....

 

Thanks, rlwjr1. Again, I appreciate the information. That's why I put it on the forum. To confirm any reservations that I had.

 

Ethanol produces SIGNIFICANTLY less BTU and thus less power than gasoline.

E85 will require 30+% more fuel per mile to go the same distance besides the fuel system damage.

 

I don't think that's entirely correct. I believe that higher octane gas produces more BTU per gallon that pump gas. Looking for a source to link, I'll get back to ya.

Edit: Found one chart that shows 92 octane makes 10,000 more BTUs that 87 octane, looking for a better one.

http://www.vermontfuel.com/server/energy_specs.html