How Much Ethanol Is in 93 Octane Gas and Why Is It Added?

by

The question “How much ethanol is in 93 octane gas?” has probably crossed the minds of most car owners who know that additives such as ethanol are added to gas for a myriad of reasons.

We’ll discuss the amount of ethanol that you can find in premium gas and why ethanol is even added in the first place. Also, we’ll look at how ethanol affects engine performance and the results of mixing ethanol with regular gas. Finally, this article will answer various questions regarding the other gas types and the amount of ethanol they contain.

How Much Ethanol Is Contained in 93 Octane Gas?

The amount of ethanol contained in 93 octane gas ranges between 10 to 15 percent depending on the state where the test is conducted. This is because each state has laws that prescribe the percentage of ethanol that can be mixed with 93 octane gas.

Here are the percent ranges of ethanol present in these other types of gas.

– 95 Octane Gas

How much ethanol is in 95 octane gas? The 95 Octane gas rating usually has 10 percent ethanol in the mix. However, some fuel producers claim that their 95 Octane gas is ethanol-free. According to them, the fuel is efficient in seasonal machines and limited-use engines and can be stored for a maximum of 3 years.

– 91 Octane Gas

How much ethanol is in 91 octane gas California? In the state of California, the ethanol content in the 91 Octane rating is 10 percent. In 2007, a law was passed that required fuel producers to increase their ethanol content to 7.78 percent. In 2010, the ethanol requirement increased to 10 percent.

– 90 Octane Gas

How much ethanol is in 90 octane gas? The percentage of ethanol in 90 Octane gas is 10 percent or 15 percent, just like the 93 Octane gas rating. However, Recreational Gasoline, popularly referred to as REC-90, has no ethanol present. This fuel type is also used in recreational engines such as mopeds and go-carts.

Rec-90 is also used in marine engines such as boats. The reason REC-90 is used in these types of engines is due to the corrosive nature of ethanol, which can damage the engines.

– 88 Octane Gas

How much ethanol is in 88 octane gas? Gasoline with an 88 octane rating has a 15 percent ethanol. It is usually classified as E-15 due to the ethanol percentage and marketed as Unleaded 88 gasoline. Unleaded 87 has 10 percent ethanol but when you add 5 percent more alcohol, the result is Unleaded 88.

– 87 Octane Gas

How much ethanol is in 87 octane gas? The 87 Octane gasoline rating has 10 percent ethanol. This type of fuel is useful in engines that have higher compression ratios such as diesel engines. If you use a lower octane gas in engines with higher compression, it causes incomplete combustion, which can damage the engine.

– 85 Octane Gas

How much ethanol is in 85 octane gas? There is 10 percent ethanol is 85 octane gas, however, do not confuse it with E-85, which contains 85 percent ethanol. In colder months, especially during the winter, the ethanol percentage in 85 octane gas may reduce to as low as 51 percent.

– Premium Gasoline

How much ethanol is in premium gasoline? Premium gas has 10 percent of ethanol and is better at resisting detonation, also known as engine knock. Aside from that, premium gasoline doesn’t actually provide more power than other grades of fuel as is usually marketed by Oil producing companies.

Why Is Ethanol Mixed With Gasoline in 93 Octane Gas?

Ethanol is mixed with gasoline in 93 octane gas to reduce detonation, decrease the country’s dependence on crude oil, and save the environment. Gasoline with ethanol combusted properly, thereby reducing harmful emissions while leaving the engine clean and strong at the same time.

All brands of 87 octane gas has 10 percent ethanol, which helps it to burn efficiently and provide power to the engine without knocking. This is because higher octane gas burns better and leaves no residue. The REC-90, however, is ethanol free and is specially designed for recreational and marine vehicles.

Initially, vehicles run on solely on gasoline which was derived from imported crude oil, but soon the government realized the harm it was causing the environment. The federal government also realized that it was spending too much money importing crude oil, therefore it came up with a brilliant idea. It discovered that ethanol, derived from plants, could be mixed with gasoline to produce great effect. Thus, it passed laws that mandated producers to mix gasoline with ethanol, which became known as the ethanol mandates.

– Benefits

The aim was to enlarge the renewable resources sector and create more jobs for people. Also, the government wanted to reduce its dependence on imported crude oil. Lastly, the addition of ethanol helped in reducing harmful emissions and save the environment from the dangers of fossil fuels. The ethanol mandates worked as they increased the use of ethanol in gasoline.

According to reports, each year, about 57 billion liters of ethanol are mixed with gasoline, which has drastically reduced America’s dependence on crude oil. Next, harmful emissions have been considerably reduced and the environment is a lot healthier and safer than a few years ago. 

– Derivates of Gas Mixed With Ethanol

When ethanol is mixed with gas, it forms several derivatives which are named E-10, E-15 and E-85, also known as flex fuel. Each type indicates the amount of ethanol added to the fuel. Therefore, E-10 means that 10 percent of ethanol has been added and it marked the first period ethanol was added to gasoline to reduce emissions. The E-15 derivate also indicates that 15 percent ethanol was added while the E-85 shows that 85 percent of ethanol has been mixed with the fuel. 

The E-85 fuel is the most environmentally friendly among the types as it features only 15 percent of gasoline. It is mostly used in flex-fuel vehicles, which are cars designed to run on either E-85 or regular unleaded fuel. 

What Effects Does Ethanol in 93 Octane Gas Have on a Car?

The effects that ethanol in 93 octane gas have on a car include cleaner emissions, better fuel economy and low maintenance costs. The many advantages that can be derived from using ethanol in the car are why many car companies are designing vehicles that run on gas mixed with ethanol. 

– Better Fuel Efficiency

Ethanol enhances octane and helps it to burn efficiently, thus there’s no wastage of fuel because every drop is put to good use. This leads to better fuel efficiency and drivers get their money’s worth of the gas they purchase.

Ethanol also improves engine efficiency as the engine properly combusts the air/fuel mix, providing maximum energy to the vehicle. This is especially good for high-performing engines as they get the right amount of energy they need to work.

– Cleaner Exhaust Gases

Mixing ethanol with gasoline leads to better emissions as the ethanol causes the gasoline to completely burn, and gasoline with higher octane burns better. As already mentioned, this is one of the reasons why the government passed laws to ensure ethanol is mixed with gasoline.

Burning gasoline results in the emission of Carbon monoxide (CO), particulate matter and hydrocarbons, which endangers the environment. Cleaner emissions contribute to healthier individuals, communities and the environment.

– Cleans the Engine

Ethanol keeps the engine clean by completely burning and leaving the deposits behind. This is different from gasoline, which leaves deposits that can clog the engine and may require maintenance. As you may be aware, cleaning an engine or carrying out other maintenance works on an engine is no easy task and can be costly. However, ethanol saves you all that cost by keeping the engine free of deposits that will hamper its smooth function.

– Ethanol Is Costly

It’s not all rainbows and sunshine with ethanol, however. Using gasoline mixed with ethanol means that you’ll use more fuel than pure gasoline to cover the same distance. It also means that you’ll spend more money on fuel than you will when your vehicle is running on gasoline. Here are the potential drawbacks to using ethanol.

The process of producing ethanol is expensive and it reflects on the price of the product. Thus, ethanol-infused gasoline is costlier than gasoline and this can place a financial burden on drivers. Aside from that, you’ll need to buy more fuel to cover the same distance that a pure gasoline car will require.

– Ethanol Will Corrode Parts of the Engine

Though ethanol burns well and cleans the engine, it can be corrosive due to its chemical components. This can be especially dangerous for seals and gaskets as the ethanol may gradually eat at them and cause engine malfunction. Also, ethanol can be absorbed by water and this can corrode some metallic parts of the engine and cause them to rust. This may lead to increased costs in engine repairs and maintenance.

– Ethanol May Lower the Vehicle’s Horsepower

Ethanol gas has a lower energy density than gasoline and thus can reduce a vehicle’s horsepower. This means that the car will perform below the energy levels it was designed to and you’ll need more fuel as ethanol burns quickly. This means your car will use up more fuel to reach the levels that it was designed to, which might not be achievable.

Conclusion

In summary, we’ve discussed the amount of ethanol in 93 octane gas and other gasoline ratings across the United States and the benefits of ethanol in gasoline. Here is a recap of all that we’ve discovered in this article:

  • The ethanol in 93 Octane gas is between 10 percent and 15 percent, depending on the state because each state has its own requirements.
  • Many of the octane ratings have their ethanol percentage between 10 and 15, but the E-85 has about 85 percent ethanol mixed with gasoline.
  • Mixing gasoline with ethanol has several benefits including the reduction of harmful emissions, decreasing dependence on crude oil, and lowering chances of detonation in engines.
  • Ethanol helps to prolong the life of engines by ensuring that the gas is properly burned, leaving no traces of deposits that can harm the engine.
  • However, there are still some potential drawbacks to using ethanol in engines such as spending more on fuel and a decrease in engine horsepower.

Overall, ethanol mixed with gasoline has been deemed helpful, thus several states across the country are making conscious efforts to increase the use of ethanol.

Ran When Parked
Latest posts by Ran When Parked (see all)