Fuel Additives - Octane boosters & ethanol treatment

[james250]

Has anyone got any good experience with any good products to increase fuel quality and possibly reduce the effects of ethanol? I always use E5 but even with E5 I feel like maybe we should still use some sort of ethanol treatment and octane boosters? Is it even possible to use E10 and use a ethanol treatment for cars no suitable for E10?

[johnatg]

Nothing really necessary, but if you're going to leave the car standing for long periods so that you get old petrol in the tank you could add Sta-bil - see eBay - it's a fuel stabiliser/preservative. I put it in the tank of my MX-5 which is laid up over winter and in my lawnmower fuel can.

And for some gold standard protection if you have money to burn - this is good! MANNOL Ester Petrol Ethanol Additive. Again - see eBay.

[Mr Vlad]

I've been using Millers additives for over 15 years. Either in diesel or petrol cars. Their EcoMax stuff. They do a E10 protection but it's expensive for what it is.

[kellogsj]

Are the stories about e10 wearing the fuel lines out really true. If so what’s the best additive to use. Or better to stick to super unleaded.

thanks 

[McShmoopy]

E10 should be suitable for cars after 2010 but if the E10 does linger for a while in the car I have heard it can mess with fuel lines. That being said I’ve noticed the economy on E10 is significantly worse than E5 so I know what I’ll be sticking with!

[Pielight]

1 hour ago, McShmoopy said:

E10 should be suitable for cars after 2010 but if the E10 does linger for a while in the car I have heard it can mess with fuel lines. That being said I’ve noticed the economy on E10 is significantly worse than E5 so I know what I’ll be sticking with!

I’m living testimony of lingering E5 in motorcycle fuel systems…to be avoided at all costs. Obviously E10 will be so much worse. Do not allow a vehicle to stand for long periods of time with that stuff in. FYI, Esso premium has no ethanol at all in much of the country (see their website) so is my fuel of choice (if you’re gonna pay for premium then you may as well benefit from zero ethanol). Don’t be fooled by its E5 label which simply means ‘up to 5%’ ethanol and must be displayed by law(there is no such label as E0). All is explained on Esso website.

[Mr Vlad]

The Esso website states zero ethanol only available darn sarf. Down south.

[Sundance]

On 12/21/2021 at 11:44 AM, james250 said:

Is it even possible to use E10 and use a ethanol treatment for cars no suitable for E10?

According to my local Lexus Stealer the answer is a very definite NO!

[Pielight]

6 hours ago, Mr Vlad said:

The Esso website states zero ethanol only available darn sarf. Down south.

Well slightly further afield such as Midlands, Anglia, South Wales etc (unless you consider anything south of Durham darn sarf as I did before moving from Geordie land to Peterborough 😂

This extract from the Esso website should be helpful to check ethanol free areas (it’s encouraging that they seem to imply it will remain ethanol free in these areas unless they are forced by legislation to do otherwise).

Cut and pasted from Esso website:

though our pumps have E5 labels on them, our Synergy Supreme⁺99 is actually ethanol free (except, due to technical supply reasons, in Devon, Cornwall, North Wales, North England and Scotland). Legislation requires us to place these E5 labels on pumps that dispense unleaded petrol with ‘up to 5% ethanol’, including those that contain no ethanol, which is why we display them on our Synergy Supreme⁺ 99 pumps.