Will E15 gas hurt my engine?

One of the major complaints by E15 opponents is that ethanol can corrode many of the plastics, metals, and rubber components used in internal-combustion engines and their fuel systems. Hence, using fuel with a higher concentration of ethanol than the manufacturer recommends may damage your vehicle.

Is 15 percent ethanol bad for your car?

Pure ethanol has an octane rating of 130. The EPA has approved E15 for use in cars built since 2001, but automakers, do not necessarily agree that the older cars should use it. Owners of collector cars, though, should avoid using E15 in any vehicle that hasn’t been modified to handle it.

Can I put regular gas in E15?

So an engine designed for E15 can run regular gas with up to 15% ethanol (aka alcohol) or less (E10 or E5) or regular gas 87 octane (no ethanol), or mid-range 89 octane, or premium 91+ octane.

Is unleaded 15 safe for my car?

Pushed by ethanol producers, the EPA approved the use of E15 — a 15% ethanol-gasoline blend — in June over objections from automakers and the oil industry. EPA stickers affixed to gas station pumps say E15 is safe for use in virtually all vehicles 2001 and newer.

Is E15 better than 93?

With E15, the extra ethanol boosts the pump octane rating of the fuel several additional points compared to 10 percent ethanol gasoline. The pump octane rating may be as high as 98 with E15 if it is blended with a high grade gasoline, or as low as 91 to 93 octane if it is blended with a low grade gasoline.

What if I accidentally put E15 in my car?

Running E15 gasoline in a car that is not approved for it could cause engine problems. Independent research by AAA’s auto engineers also finds that using E15 in new and older cars could cause damage to the fuel system, speed up engine wear and cause the “check engine” light to illuminate.

Is 10% ethanol bad for cars?

Ethanol and gasoline mixtures like E10 and E15 can negatively impact your engine, especially if you drive an older model car that isn’t equipped to run on ethanol-mixed fuels. Some drivers have reported a breakdown of rubber seals for certain parts.

Is E15 a premium gas?

What’s going on? A: First of all, it’s important to understand what E15 is not. Traditional fuels marketed as Regular Unleaded, Mid-grade, Plus, Super Unleaded and Premium Unleaded are E10, not E15.

Does E15 get better gas mileage?

The current E10 blend is 10 per cent ethanol and 90 per cent gasoline, while the coming E15 is a 15/85 ethanol/gasoline blend. You can expect about a 4 to 5 per cent difference in fuel economy between gasoline with no alcohol, and running E15, which gets poorer mileage.

Is E15 gas the same as unleaded?

The new fuel is called E15 and contains 15 percent ethanol, compared to the 10 percent in regular unleaded. Though E15 is sold at the same pump consumers are used to, government warnings say it’s not safe to use in every engine. On the pumps at KwikTrip, E15 is sold in the space that used to dispense 89 octane gas.

Does 10 ethanol reduce gas mileage?

E10 is 10 percent ethanol and came into use after amendments in 1990 to the Clean Air Act, according to the Department of Energy. A gallon of E10 has 96.7 percent of the energy in one gallon of gasoline, according to the DOE’s Alternative Fuels Data Center. That means E10 gas fractionally lowers real-world gas mileage.

Is E15 better than 87?

E15 is a blend of 15% ethanol and 85% gasoline. It contains 5% more ethanol than E10, which is the most common fuel used in the U.S. E15 is higher in octane – typically 88 octane while E10 has an octane rating of 87. Retailers are offering E15 as Unleaded 88 to highlight its high octane value.

What vehicles can use E15?

E15 was approved for use in model year 2001 and newer cars, light-duty trucks, medium-duty passenger vehicles (SUVs), and all flex-fuel vehicles (FFVs) by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2012.

What cars can use E15?

Today, the majority of vehicles made by GM, Chrysler, Ford, Honda, Volkswagen, Toyota, Land Rover and Jaguar are manufactured and approved for the use of E15 gasoline. The Mini is the only car in the BMW portfolio that is rated for E25 gasoline.

Where to find E15 gas?

Hy-Vee Inc., a chain of supermarkets throughout the Midwest , now offers E15 at five locations across its eight-state region. The Hy-Vee store located at 3120 Agency Street in Burlington, Iowa, is the latest to offer the fuel option. The addition of E15 adds to Hy-Vee’s eco-friendly gas options, which also includes E85 at 15 different locations.

Is E15 gas OK?

While E15 can cause car-damaging problems in most vehicles, certain vehicles are still safe to run E15 gas. The reason that E15 is problematic because there is a higher concentration of ethanol than is present in most of the gas you choose now, and traditional fuel tanks cannot handle such high ethanol concentrations.