Why is it legal for gas stations to advertise regular* gas on their signs, and then sell only E10 at the pump. To me, that’s not regular gas, it’s E10. I get 3-5 miles per gallon less with E10, and I don’t know that’s what the station is offering until I’m already at the pump. Sure, it costs 10% less, but I’m getting 20% less fuel economy.
*Regular, as opposed to premium or plus, not as opposed to leaded.
Is ‘regular’ gas anywhere to be found in your state? In Wisconsin all gas must have at least 15% ethonol. E15 IS regular.
ETA maybe it’s E10 here as well, now I don’t remember, eitherway, there’s no gas without it.
I believe so. At the Conoco-Phillips and Shell stations it’s featured prominently with a sticker right above the pump handle, and those stations are usually .10 - .20 less per gallon. The Chevron stations are usually a bit higher price, but don’t have the sticker. I’ll double check this evening*, but I’m pretty sure that’s the case*
*I’ve got to fill up to head down to Albuquerque for a Metallica concert!
No one in the town I live in sells anything but E10, which is the maximum ethanol concentration reccomended for my Subaru, and lowers my fuel economy from 29 mpg to 23 mpg. It also destroys the plastic and rubber parts in small equipment. I just heard from a coworker that one station 30 miles south of here sells gas without ethanol. Guess that’s where I’ll be going to fill up. :mad:
It’s “regular” because it has the same octane level as regular gas without ethanol.
Conversely, if you buy 91 octane gas without ethanol, it won’t be called “regular” but “supreme,” “premium,” “super unleaded” or some such.
What kunilou said. “Regular” refers to the octane rating of the fuel, not its composition. If you’re old enough, you may recall the time when there was “regular leaded” and “regular unleaded.” Whether and how alcohol content must be specified varies from state to state, but has nothing to do with using the word “regular” in this context.
I remember when “regular” meant leaded, and “unleaded” meant unleaded. Perhaps that’s part of my confusion. Thanks for the clarification, kunilou and Gary T. It still upsets me that I have no way of knowing what I’ll be buying without actually pulling in to the station.
I think that this only applies to those of us in SE WI (the 5 county metro area), where we must also have emissions testing due to being in some EPA pollution zone. Madison folks don’t have to endure this torture.
It is 10%, though.
Other people don’t have to do emissions testing? (I might have read that here before, now that I think about it).