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Fuel additive for ethanol gas

8K views 42 replies 22 participants last post by  whiskeyrockr 
#1 ·
I was talking to some one the other day. He showed me a bottle of fuel additive to combat the ill effects of ethanol in todays modern gas. Well I have certainly heard that ethanol is not really good for motorcycle engines,but is anyone else using an additive for this?
 
#2 ·
Not something that I'd heard of, and honestly I don't really worry about it, if it was that bad wouldn't there be bikes falling apart all over the place? I agree it's not the best, but it's kind of like I don't eat egg white omelets and skim milk every morning, but I'm still pretty happy with the way I'm running!
 
#5 ·
Well I have certainly heard that ethanol is not really good for motorcycle engines,but is anyone else using an additive for this?
Nope...Ethanol WILL NOT hurt your engine in your bike, car, lawn mower, chainsaw, weedeater, or gas powered vibrator...Lot's of total BS about E10 being spread around...It's all I've been able to buy for over 20 years where I'm at, and have not had a SINGLE problem running it in anything I own...


BTW..I DON'T own a gas powered vibrator....Just want to clarify that...lol...:D
 
#10 ·
Ditto....on all points

The guy who hosted our tech session sells Startron and swears by it.
Really? Would you expect a different outcome?

I have been using startron all this year and love it!!! I had a problem with my carb getting some sludge in it from the ethenol sitting ..it creates a sludge if not ran often..have not had a problem since.....
How did you determine that the cause of the sludge was from the ethanol and not from contaminated fuel source or something else?
I don't doubt the claims of Sea Foam and others for cleaning fuel systems just the unsubstantiated claims of damage and everything else due to ethanol.

The ethanol debate swirls everywhere and the only thing that is really lacking is scientific evidence that ethanol is bad. Everyone has heard a story but no one has the science to back it up. Watch for anecdotal evidence and learn to recognize it. Next time someone tells you a story ask them for the facts. The debate will likely end there.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anecdotal_evidence
 
#7 ·
The guy who hosted our tech session sells Startron and swears by it. This guy has built and still builds and tunes race bikes and others, so I trust his opinion. What he says he has seen with ethanol fuels is an algae like growth that can get stuck in nooks and crannys. This stuff keeps it from building up, and according to him is just as good if not better than Seafoam. I haven't tried it yet, but will be getting a bottle. You only use I believe a half ounce per tank full for the bike. That bottle should last awhile.
 
#8 ·
May years ago when I last rode , I had a 650 Triumph added a few oz. of Marvel Mystey Oil to my bike and the RPM's increase by 300-400 RPM's for about 3 minutes , then a few years ago I added it to my wife 4 cylinder Chevy , got a call from her when she got to work that the car was running rough , pick up the car filled the tank and was ok. So was this a waste of money or not adding the Mystey Oil ? :hmm2:
 
#12 ·
I've never had a problem with ethanol fuel either, although my bike rarely goes more than a day or two without being ridden, so the fuel doesn't sit and get stale. I do run add seafoam occasionally.
 
#14 ·
out of curiosity, how does a bottle of additive give you more horse power? i'm curious is all?
 
#16 ·
everyone ALWAYS has their own opinion which we are entitled to and mine is when etenol sits for extended periods of time it gums up carbs..I never had this problem before all gas had 10% eth in it..I would rather buy a 12 dollar bottle of startron and add it to every tank which will only cost me 24 bucks for the whole year and not have to worry bout my bike sitting too long.I have 3 bikes ,2 four wheelers,and all my equipment for lawn care,and 3 generators.Being proactive to keep them out of the repair shop just makes sense to me!!
 
#18 · (Edited)
i'm gonna combine ferox fuel additive so i can increase my HP 19 digits alone, then i'm gonna add startron to increase it another 10 digits and stop producing carcinogenic compounds...but, in order for this to work, i must use 114 octane racing fuels as indicated on ferox website...and starbrite, the manufacturer of star tron, has some balls to claim to eliminate carcinogenic which makes their product superior...and let's not forget, with ferox added to our regular old 93 octane, we can get the same HP as the 114 octane racing fuel...but wait, we don't run high combustion engines, so it's now pointless....wow, i was born a day, but it damn sure wasn't yesterday...


horsepower
Dramatically increase your Horsepower with Ferox Fuel Additives!

Produce as much horse horsepower to your engine with 1 (one) Ferox High Performance Fuel Additive Tablet as you would get from an air intake system and headers….for a lot less!
Ferox Fuel Additives is a high performance fuel additive This product can be used in engines with tighter tolerances making it perfect for street racing without the need for expensive engine modification. Use Ferox Fuel Additives as a horsepower booster for your engine.
Finally, I was able to get a vehicle with a carburetor on the dyno.
The engine increased in HP from 334 to 353. No adjustments were made to the engine.
The purpose of this test was to see if the Ferox Fuel Additives would bring up the air to fuel ratio within range. We were successful in past tests on injected turbo charged vehicles, but this was our first attempt with a carburetor.
The Ferox Fuel Additives Technology worked perfectly. The engine was blueprinted and tuned with 114 octane racing fuel. At the time of the Dyno Test the engine had been running for a total of 20 minutes.
The Ferox Fuel Additives Technology was then added to 93 octane fuel and run on the dyno. The Ferox Fuel Additives Technology delivered the same performance as the racing fuel. Racing fuel is $10.00 / gallon vs. 93 octane fuel for $3-$4 / gallon.
Octane Boost

Ferox Fuel Additives can be used in place of expensive octane boost fuel additives. By increasing the efficiency and burn of the fuel, greater power is achieved at the drive wheels without the use of higher octane
Save the Environment and Save Gas

Ferox Fuel Additives lowers emissions and therefore reduces carbon gases. Ferox Fuel Additives also increases fuel economy, saving money at the pump. Visit our Eco-Friendly page to learn how Ferox Fuel Additives is saving our planet!
Horsepower

Independent tests have shown a dramatic increase in horsepower without the aid of expensive engine modifications. Ferox Fuel Additives can be used as a horsepower booster for any hydrocarbon-fuel burning engine.
 
#19 ·
Ok, if all of you bothered to read the other part of it instead of just one small line that would apply to a salesman, not a bike builder, or race bike builder no less. Nothing makes anything any of you say any better than what he says. And all I did was share something that could possibly help others and had to do with the original post.
 
#20 · (Edited)
my point was i've built racing engines as well and don't understand the point you are making as to him being an engine builder and using startron :hmm2:...maybe that's why i only have 100 trophies for racing and not 200 since i didn't use the startron...salesman is a salesman, period, no matter what he does for a living :nope:

it's sort of like golf clubs...all these people go out and pay 1000 dollars for golf clubs, while my dad played 40 years with a cheap 100 and 200 dollar sets made by wilson and beat the hell out of those with the 1000 dollar clubs...and he didn't see the need to wear 100 dollar shirt and 200 dollar pair of pants to play golf in, he said he didn't need to look good playing, only win and that's what he did....he shot par and below

i can understand adding it to help clean your system and make those claims, which usually is true....but 5-35% increase in HP....
 
#21 ·
I did read your entire post Woody...But that first line stands out as an easy target for a "Duuuuuuuuhhhhhh!"...Nothing personal man....I do the same thing from time to time...

If I sold matches I'd be claiming how superior they are to butane lighters to everybody I know...;) :D
 
#24 ·
If you want my .02 on the matter any additive that claims to increase HP and MPG is almost always (i cannot think of an instance that it isn't but there is a chance) a bunch of B.S.!! If you are relying on products like seafoam, stabil and lucas just to keep gunk out of the fuel system then you are probably pretty much on the money, however i don't think that you need to use it every other tank, or every ten for that matter, but on occasion, maybe if the bike has been sitting a while.

As for the other products that claim to increase HP & MPG's, they would probably do just as good of a job if you flushed them down the toilet! Most of these products claim to increase the octane rating of the fuel. Increasing the octane rating of gasoline only makes it more stable, and less likeley to detonate in high compression(more compression, more heat) applications. In order to have a fuel that would increase your HP you would have to increase its BTU factor not octane rating. Ever wonder why you get more MPG's with 100% gas than you do with E10? Gas has a BTU rating of about 115,000 while ethanol only has a BTU rating of about 75,000 and by mixing the two you lower the BTU rating of the gasoline. Also by running the higher than required octane rating fuel in whatever you are using does not make more MPG's or HP either since all grades of gasoline have approx. the same BTU rating.

As for the Ferox, I personally would stay away from that stuff! Do a Google search on how it works and you will find that (according to one of the company's own "white paper's") they claim to be a catalyst that lowers the temperature that the fuel starts to combust at, therefore allowing a more complete burn.....IF YOU ARE LOWERING THE TEMP AT WHICH THE FUEL COMBUSTS AT, YOU ARE LOWERING THE OCTANE RATING, INCREASING THE CHANCE FOR DETONATION!!! Detonation by the way is what happens when you use regular unleaded in a high compression engine, the lower octane rating means that the fuel is less stable and in a high compression engine (more compression=more heat) the fuel spontaneously combusts before the piston is in the optimum position causing an audible ping or knock which can cause serious engine damage!

Sorry, I will step off of my soapbox now!
 
#26 ·
Startron . . . . . Amsoil Fuel Treatment . . . . . StaBil . . . . . . SeaFoam . . . . . they all do the same thing and will work perfectly fine in any gasoline engine. Pick one and then swear by it. I'm a StaBil fan, have been for years, never had a fuel related problem in anything I've owned with a gasoline engine . . . . 2 stroke or 4.
 
#28 ·
People believe what they believe no matter what. You guys want scientific proof ethonol is bad, why not show us scientific proof its good for your engine. I personally am against it, not because of anything it does or doesn't do to your engine. It's like a govt run anything, its running at a loss. Farmers get subsidies for growing extra corn for it, ethanol plants get govt money to make it. And it takes more energy to make it then you get back out of it. They tout how its home grown fuel, we need to get off fossil fuels. Well, your burning more fossil fuels to convert corn to fuel. How does that make any sense???

Ok, rant over.
 
#29 ·
and i'll be the first to say i don't disagree with you one bit in the world...either way, my part was about the snake oil additives people sale and claim upwards of 35% HP increase... as for ethanol, i've run it long enough to not see any bad things happen to my vehicles, but i've hauled it long enough to know it's not what we need to run due to the fact (as you stated) it takes more energy to make it and run it in a vehicle...:cheers:
 
#30 ·
Couldn't honestly say if the ethynol is doing any harm to any of the machines I'm using it it. Car, bike, lawnmower, whatever. I do notice a slight loss in mpg's when using E10. I do occasionally use seafoam and have used the new Amsoil additive as well. Not sure if it helped anything but figure it doesn't hurt either. There's only one or two places left in town that still have pure gas. I'm sure they'll be E-10 pretty soon too.
 
#33 ·
Quick look says btu of ethanol is 116,000/gallon, gas is 125000/gallon. Ethanol then contains approx 93% of the btu of gas so a percent or 2 mpg drop at 10% blend should be expected.

everyone ALWAYS has their own opinion which we are entitled to and mine is when etenol sits for extended periods of time it gums up carbs..I never had this problem before all gas had 10% eth in it..I would rather buy a 12 dollar bottle of startron and add it to every tank which will only cost me 24 bucks for the whole year and not have to worry bout my bike sitting too long.I have 3 bikes ,2 four wheelers,and all my equipment for lawn care,and 3 generators.Being proactive to keep them out of the repair shop just makes sense to me!!
I'll agree with you on the point that ethanol setting for long periods of time has the potential for trouble. Ethanol attacts moisture. Heres a quote I lifted from a Ethanol site who's agenda isn't real clear but seems geared towards the anti-ethanol camp. They offer some science on ethanol then take great liberty and make real general statements about engine damage. I personally liked this statement.

"IMPORTANT: Most newer engines can run safely on E10 blends when gas is fresh and of high quality. Some engines are not designed for use of gasahol, and even following all precautions will cause damage. (Check your owner's manual for fuel recommendations). However, E10 damage is most often due to gasoline "contamination", and would not have occurred had the E10 fuel met all ASTM quality standards. "

my guess is that most of us have experienced this. Gasohol does have a high solvent value and may be cleaning out your fuel distributor and dealers equipment particularly if its been in service for a while
.

HAS anyone looked in their Honda manual? Mines out on the bike and its raining otherwise I'd see if Honda makes any statements for/against.
 
#31 ·
Just for the record...I personally am not for or against ethanol in gasoline...I actually couldn't care less either way...It just irks me to no end when people spread false rumors about it's use in an internal combustion engine, and have to interject my experience with it over the past 20+ years of running it in everything I own...

Also the myth that high octane fuels make more power bug the crap out of me...Octane rating has nothing to do with the hp an engine makes...Too many people think that running av-gas in their low compression street car is gonna make it run 9's in the 1/4 mile....:rolleyes: :nope:
 
#34 ·
Just got back from Wal-Mart took a look at Seaform @ $ 8.97 for 16 oz. also check out Marvel Mystery Oil @ $2.67 for 16 oz. both claim the same thing , that you can use it in the fuel and oil crankcase , check out both of there Web Sites see what you think ? All I know about Marvel Mystery Oil is what I post yesterday on this post how my RPM's increase at idle about 300-400 , the time I put some in my 650 Triumph . Is that a good thing , did it help . I can't really say . but both of the products we are talking about are claiming to do the same thing but not at the same price .
 
#36 ·
Okie Dokie Folks, since we all are now experts on gasoline additives, why don't we move on the the next post or else let's talk about something good to eat. Wishing all well.
 
#37 ·
We could but then we would get caught up in the condiment debate :eek:
 
#41 ·
I was talking to some one the other day. He showed me a bottle of fuel additive to combat the ill effects of ethanol in today's modern gas. Well I have certainly heard that ethanol is not really good for motorcycle engines,but is anyone else using an additive for this?

FWIW I looked up Gasohol in my Honda Owners manual on the 1800F and the manual says its ok to run up to 10% ethanol blend.

It also says its ok to run up to 5% methanol and concentrations over 5% methanol cause damage to rubber parts etc
 
#42 ·
OK..... let's make sure we are talking apples and apples........... it might be "OK" to run 10% ethanol and take the hit on mileage and power, but it is NOT OK to leave ethanol fuel sit in any tank for any length of time....
 
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