# Car guys and gals: Your opinions on gas with ethanol please.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-guys-and-gals-your-opinions-on-gas-with-ethanol-please/467661>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [October 13, 2008, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-guys-and-gals-your-opinions-on-gas-with-ethanol-please/467661 "2008-10-13T01:44:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\
**Post date:** [October 13, 2008, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-guys-and-gals-your-opinions-on-gas-with-ethanol-please/467661/1 "2008-10-13T01:44:08Z")

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Pure gas is getting harder to find but it is still available. Should I seek it out? Why or why not?

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**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\
**Post date:** [October 13, 2008, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-guys-and-gals-your-opinions-on-gas-with-ethanol-please/467661/2 "2008-10-13T02:32:54Z")

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A 10% ethanol blend will theoretically reduce your gas milage by about 3% (this is one post where I get to say YMMV and really mean it!)

On the other hand ethanol acts as an oxygenator and helps reduce carbon monoxide and several other tailpipe emissions.

On balance, probably a little better for the environment, neutral to slightly negative to you personally.

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**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\
**Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-guys-and-gals-your-opinions-on-gas-with-ethanol-please/467661/3 "2008-10-14T01:53:53Z")

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Any opinion of what it does to seals, rings etc?

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**Author:** ![hekk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@hekk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hekk)\
**Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-guys-and-gals-your-opinions-on-gas-with-ethanol-please/467661/4 "2008-10-14T02:10:57Z")

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> [@KRM](#):
>
> Any opinion of what it does to seals, rings etc?

On modern cars, nothing.

On my old 1964 Oldsmobile daily driver? It ate away at the rubber needle and seat in my carb about every 6 months or so.

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**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\
**Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-guys-and-gals-your-opinions-on-gas-with-ethanol-please/467661/5 "2008-10-14T07:43:56Z")

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I have had two cars run on 10%; both seem(ed) to run better on it.