E15
Road Master
Joined: Apr 2019
Posts: 1,157
Likes: 565
From: TX
hilarious that some can claim that there are no issues from running ethanol in certain applications. a car is most likely fine bc it's being used all the time. lawnmowers, boats or other items not used regularly it can and most certainly has caused issues. not to mention the fuel systems weren't designed for it.
also the more ethanol you run, the less your mileage is. that's a fact. again, some people choose to live in alternate realities. amazing
ethanol will give you more power though. it's a common mod in the mustang world to get a tuner to enable your car to run E85. you get more HP out of the car. gas mileage goes way down. but around here at least E85 is a lot cheaper than regular unleaded. I don't know if it's cheap enough to even out the mileage difference or not
from what i read this morning, gas stations advertise E15 as unleaded 88 octane. I've never seen anywhere in my life have 88 octane. maybe i misread that part though. I read an article from NBC out of dallas saying cars are ok to run on it. But I've never bothered to look in the manual.
also the more ethanol you run, the less your mileage is. that's a fact. again, some people choose to live in alternate realities. amazing
ethanol will give you more power though. it's a common mod in the mustang world to get a tuner to enable your car to run E85. you get more HP out of the car. gas mileage goes way down. but around here at least E85 is a lot cheaper than regular unleaded. I don't know if it's cheap enough to even out the mileage difference or not
from what i read this morning, gas stations advertise E15 as unleaded 88 octane. I've never seen anywhere in my life have 88 octane. maybe i misread that part though. I read an article from NBC out of dallas saying cars are ok to run on it. But I've never bothered to look in the manual.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 7,323
Likes: 11,760
From: Omaha,NE
Here's one website that gives some info. Not hard to find information on it if you want to look.
https://www.mcnallyinstitute.com/is-...ur-car-engine/
https://www.mcnallyinstitute.com/is-...ur-car-engine/
E10 in fuel injected engines of any kind is perfectly fine. The only detriment is it doesn't safely store as long and you have a slight reduction in MPG as ethanol burns cooler than non-ethanol gasoline. I would never run E-fuel in a carbureted engine as it can cause corrosion and other issues in the bowls and venturis.
Apparently nobody seems to know that many hot-rodders and racers convert to E85 for the performance value. E-fuel is not the demon some claim it to be.
Some areas in the midwest have almost nothing but E10 or E15 gas available. Ask any shop in those areas how many fuel-related issues they see from it and you'll hear crickets.
Back to the OP's question: HD OEM tuning allows up to E10. You cannot run E15 without some issues. Avoid it. You can theoretically tune your bike to accept it, but what's the point?
Road Warrior
Joined: Jan 2022
Posts: 1,974
Likes: 5,478
From: Woodlands, MB, Canada
FWIW, apart from Harley recommending a maximum ethanol content of 10%... Using E15 gas in motorcycles is illegal under the U.S. Clean Air Act.. The text below is taken from the owner's manual that came with my 2022 RK.
"Fuels with an ethanol content of up to 10% (E10) may be used in your
motorcycle without affecting vehicle performance.
United States customers: The United States’ Clean Air Act prohibits the use of
gasoline blends containing greater than 10% ethanol in motorcycles".
So if you're in the US, and you decide to use E15.. You're breakin' da law.
"Fuels with an ethanol content of up to 10% (E10) may be used in your
motorcycle without affecting vehicle performance.
United States customers: The United States’ Clean Air Act prohibits the use of
gasoline blends containing greater than 10% ethanol in motorcycles".
So if you're in the US, and you decide to use E15.. You're breakin' da law.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2016
Posts: 6,084
Likes: 6,441
From: East TN
E10 is what most gas has, All motorcycle , ATV, in the USA are cerified by the EPA to run E10, NONE are certified to run E15, AMA and other are against it because of possible damage to exhaust and possible engine damage, Dont worry, It wont be a problem under warranty, The main problem I see in E10 and maybe E15 is less MPG, and more pollution, and it might save you .10 cents a gallon, but you make it up by using more of it.
Me, my lawn equipment, and my boat only run on pure gas. My Motorcycles run most the time on Pure gas Premium, but do see E10 when traveling. I will not put E15 in them. My Corvette runs on Premium Top Tier gas only.
Actually, they are just trying to allow the sale of E15 in the summer, which was banned by the EPA in 2011. It was tried back in 2019 and was blocked by the courts.
No difference in anything else, just a big to do over nothing anyway. If they wanted to lower prices, they could cut the taxes.
No difference in anything else, just a big to do over nothing anyway. If they wanted to lower prices, they could cut the taxes.
Supporter
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 15,788
Likes: 5,623
From: along the shore of Mishigami
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 20,616
Likes: 4,440
From: anacoco, la
just for a different perspective. most of the other countries that i've been to in my army career do not view corn as a 'food'. one of the poorest countries even took offense when offered corn for food. they use it for their livestock, they don't actually eat it.
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Thread Starter
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Club Member
Joined: Feb 2022
Posts: 176
Likes: 242
From: IN
Is Ethanol Bad For Your Car's Engine? - YouTube
Not to mention the video that's posted at the bottom, pretty much shows no mechanical problems. As long as the fuel system is designed for ethanol, only problem is less MPG.
300,000+ miles on my 2003 Suburban running E10, some E15 and a few tanks of E85, no fuel related problems (actually haven't seen a big dip in MPG either).
If there is enough water in your fuel to cause problems, it would still cause problems with non-ethanol. SMFH!
Ethanol and Water Contamination Comparing Water Removal Additives | CropWatch | University of NebraskaLincoln (unl.edu)
Decrease in price of fuel and about an equal increase in use of fuel.
What did you expect, they might actually do something that's more than a gesture and that they actually care? Like actually reduce the taxes, that's funny.
Not to mention the video that's posted at the bottom, pretty much shows no mechanical problems. As long as the fuel system is designed for ethanol, only problem is less MPG.
300,000+ miles on my 2003 Suburban running E10, some E15 and a few tanks of E85, no fuel related problems (actually haven't seen a big dip in MPG either).
If there is enough water in your fuel to cause problems, it would still cause problems with non-ethanol. SMFH!
Ethanol and Water Contamination Comparing Water Removal Additives | CropWatch | University of NebraskaLincoln (unl.edu)
Decrease in price of fuel and about an equal increase in use of fuel.
What did you expect, they might actually do something that's more than a gesture and that they actually care? Like actually reduce the taxes, that's funny.