Re: Ethanol vs premium

[David Stanton]

Here’s my 2 HP on the subject: For those of you in Minnesota, the only ethanol-free gasoline is premium because the Minnesota Street Rod Association lobbied the state legislature when they were going to totally outlaw gas without ethanol. Premium is what the Street Rods and a lot of collector cars needed, so that’s what we have. I’m just glad we have something that’s ethanol-free, and that’s all I use in all my boats, small engines, and a couple old cars. I’ve seen ethanol in gas turn old rubber gas lines to mush, and I saw the phase separation in my neighbor’s inboard tank after sitting all winter, and the gas tank was under the floor – not removable to empty it out!
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What I don’t understand is why the Sta-Bil gas stabilizer in the non-ethanol version is marketed in Minnesota at all???? You have to go out of your way to find "sta-bil-ethanol" treatment here. I found auto parts store counter guys who give you a blank look of not understanding when you ask for sta-bil ethanol. Note that "sta-bil marine" has twice the amount of the chemical that prevents phase separation in ethanol. I called the Sta-Bil company when sta-bil ethanol first came out to see if it eliminated any other ethanol-related problems besides gasoline storage issues (their ads were vague on this), and it does not. I’m getting tired of explaining this to friends and neighbors who bring me their small engines and outboards to fix!
Dave