anyone tried this 104 octane bioethanol yet?

[MartinWoodham]

I've just put 3/4 of a tank of Morrisons (yes the supermarket) 104 octane bioethanol in the scooby, just to see what it goes like - anyone else tried it yet?

 

After I filled up (and no info on the pump apart from 'its green, go on try it' sort of stuff) the cashier told me my car needs to be adjusted or dual fuel....if it's that critical why not have a warning on the pump?!

 

Anyway its mixed up with 1/4 tank optimax, and the car runs fine, seems just as perky as before, possibly a little quicker but subjectively difficult to judge.

I'll keep you posted as to whether the engine blows up....but I figure that any engine with lambda control (ie any modern engine) is going to get the fuelling right, and the scooby ecu learns (slowly) and adjusts the ignition timing to suit the fuel. Lets see if it goes up to 104...

 

I suspect this will prompt a rash of new race regs defining what a 'pump fuel' is - now that BP are doing 102 octane at selected (4?) outlets.

 

Martin

Roadsports B with upgradeitis

 

 

[dave1968]

Hi Martin

 

just FYI I had scoobies a few years back and seem to remember if you want your ECU (im assuming the standard one is fitted) to 'learn' faster when going from a lower to higher octane fuel you can perform a re-set (had to disconnect the battery over night or something like that)...

 

out of interest how much / litre was the bio fuel?

 

Dave

[MartinWoodham]

94p or so - it's set at 2p less than regular unleaded. Although it's dearer to produce the tax is less.

The sales pitch is that it doesn't produce any CO2 - meaning that the crop grown to produce the ethanol consumes the CO2 that the ethanol produces when it burns, so it's neutral overall.

Of course I bought it for the sound ecological/ environmental reasons, rather than the prospect of increased power through a higher octane rating

 

 

Martin

Roadsports B with upgradeitis

 

 

[dannylt]

Nothing to do lambda really. The ECU backs off the timing when it detects knock (via knock sensor), and I think it can take up to 30 hot/cold cycles to advance all the way back again. Disconnecting gets you back to the default. Best way to get more power is remap I guess.

 

 

[Peter T]

Not forgetting the Lambda on a normal car are a million miles slower at seeing real time than professional vesrions used in good dynoes, also standard learning ECU are not exactly state of the ark, and the processing power leaves a little to be desired. So to get any real power benefits would mean mapping the engine on that fuel.

 

R500 Mango Madness

[susser]

Not wanting to start a big debate or thread hijack but here goes;

(The CO2 that's absorbed by the plant is then returned to the Atmo' from whence it came so there is a neutral balance.) Is not totally the case. There is always fuel burned in the manufacturing and distribution process. Maybe if the entire process including the distribution is done using "Biofuel" then there is a net saving as there would otherwise be fossil fuel burnt in distributing the fossil fuel in the first place.

I'll stop before I start running on,,,,,,,,,,

So if we do more driving about because of the neutral impact of the biofuel (If it was 100% Bio) but the stuff is distributed and manufactured using non bio, then we get a positive impact.

I said I wouldn't do that.

[martinwhitcher]

Have you read Dave Walkers (Emerald) bit in circuit driver this month? it goes on about Biofuel 104 and BP102....

 

Martin

 

MW 51 CAT

Superlight No.171

now known as:Superlight DVA 207

[MartinWoodham]

Susser, my source for the enviro-nazi info was a Saab leaflet, all they claimed was the CO2 produced by the car was the same as the CO2 absorbed and converted by the plant (green one, not processing one) - like you, I'd be surprised if the CO2 'cost' of distribution and processing had entered the equation. But then it doesn't enter the equation for fossil fuel CO2 car emissions figures either.

 

Martin, I have just seen Dave W's (all hail to him) piece in CD, plus I've just read A Graham Bell's chapter on non-petrol fuels....seems that I'm taking a bit of a risk since alcohol based fuels need to be much richer, 6:1 - 9:1 range which explains DW's comments about upgrading fuel pump. 😳

Oh well, I'll just keep feeding optimax in and avoid full throttle. As long as it runs closed loop (ie under lambda control for mixture) there's a chance that it won't run too lean...I hope.

 

Martin

Roadsports B with upgradeitis

 

 

[susser]

Martin

Glad you see it that way.

I'm amazed when people say things like "It's electric, so it's pollution free"