Date: Fri, 01 Jan 1999 12:24:37 -0800 From: RED <davharnopsamnet.net> Subject: Re: Gas mileage?
Charles H. Stoyer wrote: > > The gas pumps in Colorado from November to March say 15% MTBE added. So you > are buying 85% gasoline, 15% MTBE. Thus you should get about 15% less mpg > because a gallon of fuel does not contain a gallon of gasoline anymore. > > Charles. > > DamonP228 wrote in message <19981230123026.00191.00004859nopsamt1.aol.com>... > >Hello fellow saab owners > > > >I went to the dealership today to have some work done on my 1988 saab 900s > and > >found out something I never heard before. I told the technician that my > gas > >mileage which was before around 26-28 mpg has now doropped to 21-22. His > reply > >was that the fuel has changed to have more oxygen in it Well, not quite. MTBE is methyl tert-butyl ether which also burns as a fuel, although its energy output is probably not as great as the gasoline it's mixed with. So, the effective reduction in energy output is probably much less than 15%. I just picked up my new 9-5 4cyl, 5-speed yesterday and was reading the manual last night. There's a section on types of fuels with a discussion of oxygenated and other kinds of reformulated gasolines. It says that 15% MTBE is OK for the engine, but says you should not use fuel that is more than 2.7% oxygen by weight. Of course, I don't know how you find out what the O-content is. It warns against fuel containing an additive called MMT, which it says is in "some" US and Canadian gasoline. Bob
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