[CRS]

So Chevron is going to add up to 10% of ethanol in their gasoline except for 94 Octane. So everything else will have a mixture of unleaded fuel with some ethanol. This is pretty BS, I've been a customer of Chevron since my first car and I guess now, I'll be going to Shell.

Opinions?

This is coming from the Burnaby Refinery so pretty much ALL metro vancouver stations will be affected. So Pedro Can, Chevron, Mohawk, etc... now all suck to me. I hope that Shell doesn't do this though there may not be a choice.

[Bimmerista]

Crap. That's my opinion.

Federal standards mandate 5% ethanol in a fuel grade (not in every fuel grade) as of 2010.

I hope Esso leaves its super untouched by ethanol!!

I also hope the rest of Canadian retailers go no further than 5%, since we all know the issues that the 10% content (likely culprit) has caused in the US with a certain Hpfp.....

[VWtoBMW]

Originally Posted by Bimmerista

I hope Esso leaves its super untouched by ethanol!!....

I hear that Esso is not considered a Top Tier gasoline though.

[charlie335]

the price difference between 94 and 91 is so small anyways. so you might as well just fill up with 94 if it means no added ethanol.

[samchoi604]

I hope Shell V-Power continues with no ethanol. If one day they add ethanol to even V-Power or 94 octane, then I really don't know what to do anymore. Probably take public transit.

[hubble bubble]

Chevron supplies PCan in the lower mainland? In AB and Sask, Shell and PCan have a reciprocal agreement to supply each other. The Calgary hub has a big tank of Shell additives and another with Petrocan that get added/mixed in the tanker truck. The third parties (Mohawks, grocery stores, etc) just get the raw gas without the propietary additives.

[CRS]

Originally Posted by charlie335

the price difference between 94 and 91 is so small anyways. so you might as well just fill up with 94 if it means no added ethanol.

Average is about 3 cents/litre so it isn't much.

It is just lame how they are adding ethanol since there is no seemingly "good" forecast by adding this in.

[Universal_Magnetic]

does sunoco 94 have any ethanol? how does it run compared to shell v-power 91 since it contains no ethanol

[Andy M]

Originally Posted by samchoi604

I hope Shell V-Power continues with no ethanol. If one day they add ethanol to even V-Power or 94 octane, then I really don't know what to do anymore. Probably take public transit.

I e-mailed Shell last summer to ask about the ethanol content in their gasoline. Here's the reply:

Current provincial legislations requires that gasoline sold in certain provinces contain an average of 5 percent fuel ethanol, on an annual basis. This allows refiners and the marketplace to determine where it will be sold. V-Power, our premium grade gasoline, doesn't contain any ethanol. Silver, our mid grade gasoline, contains approximately 5% fuel ethanol, and bronze approximately 10%, where Shell markets ethanol-blended gasoline.

Shell is committed to providing customers with reliable supplies of high-quality fuels at competitive prices. Part of Shell’s offer of high-quality fuels includes providing customers with choices. This way, we are offering customers a choice about what they use to fuel their vehicles while still meeting Government regulations.

Some provinces already had the 5% ethanol regulation in place (like Ontario which had the regulation in place in 2007). So the 2010 federal regulation just means that it's now Canada-wide. I'd be just worried if the regulation bumps it up to 10%.

What's interesting though is that HPFP's failing in the US are usually thought to be linked to ethanol, however, the EU has the 5% ethanol regulation in place as well.

[Bimmerista]

Originally Posted by VWtoBMW

I hear that Esso is not considered a Top Tier gasoline though.

I have been using Esso for all my Bimmers with no ill effects whatsoever.

Originally Posted by Andy M

I e-mailed Shell last summer to ask about the ethanol content in their gasoline. Here's the reply:




Some provinces already had the 5% ethanol regulation in place (like Ontario which had the regulation in place in 2007). So the 2010 federal regulation just means that it's now Canada-wide. I'd be just worried if the regulation bumps it up to 10%.

What's interesting though is that HPFP's failing in the US are usually thought to be linked to ethanol, however, the EU has the 5% ethanol regulation in place as well.

Good to know about Shell VPower.

As for the ethanol, I don't know if it is the culprit, but if it is, then the concentration could well conceivably be a factor.

[Blackadder]

I was at the pumps today and noticed a bunch of new stickers on the pump.

Bronze - May contain up to 10% ethanol
Silver - May contain up to 5% ethanol
VMax - Contains no ethonol.


All that is fine and dandy for you gas burners, but the sticker that concerns me is on the diesel pump. MAY CONTAIN 5% BIO-DIESEL.

Does this bio-diesel effect the 335d???

[MRQturbo]

sunocco 94 has 10%....its marked on the pumps....i never had any problems and thats the only gas i've ever used in any of my turbo'd cars...

[Bimmerista]

Its not the turbo that is the issue; its the Hpfp, and that sucker is related to the direct injection bit.......

[Bimmerista]

Originally Posted by Blackadder

I was at the pumps today and noticed a bunch of new stickers on the pump.

Bronze - May contain up to 10% ethanol
Silver - May contain up to 5% ethanol
VMax - Contains no ethonol.


All that is fine and dandy for you gas burners, but the sticker that concerns me is on the diesel pump. MAY CONTAIN 5% BIO-DIESEL.

Does this bio-diesel effect the 335d???

Allegedly, it's not supposed to (I think the EU has similar percentage madated crap content-but not sure). However, the 5% bio-diesel is supposed to be compatible with the low sulphur modern diesel engines, as per Transport Canada.

[Andy M]

Originally Posted by MRQturbo

sunocco 94 has 10%....its marked on the pumps....i never had any problems and thats the only gas i've ever used in any of my turbo'd cars...

If you check it again, it usually says something like "up to 10%". That's just to cover them for tolerances in ethanol content and also if legislation changes, they won't need to change the stickers. Sort of like "may contain traces of" disclaimers on food.

And yes, the EU has a 5% ethanol content regulation in place before Canada did. Google up "ethanol EN 228" to find the EN 228 legislation regarding 5% ethanol mix in their fuel. However, from what I heard, the EU does a much better job of putting stickers up to tell the user how much ethanol content is actually in the fuel. Shell's the first I've seen in Canada to list the breakdown of ethanol content at the pumps. The rest are all "up to 10%" (except for Husky I think which boasts higher ethanol content)

[MRQturbo]

^^i know...was just being lazy when posting....lol...

[jasonintoronto]

10% wow, that's a lot. ethanol as an additive will increase the octane rating in gasoline so it's always been used in sunoco's offerings.

i also have stayed away from ethanol in fuel for the direct injection cars (335i) because of fear ethanhol plays a role in the HPFP issue. this is unsubstantiated, but it's an easy thing to do.

[Andy M]

I think BMW will fix the HPFP problem before they implement 10% ethanol. It's already taken them long enough to make 5% ethanol and even some environmentalists are questioning this decision. The argument by some environmentalists is that even with 5% ethanol, it'll make a significant dent in the supply of crops in Canada.

I can see high content ethanol (i.e. 50% to 85% ethanol) pumps coming soon though in place of adding more ethanol to gasoline. I believe the EU has pumps for high content ethanol already. Engine platforms like GM's E-Flex platform can take advantage of high ethanol content since they were designed for ethanol use and this will let refineries stay well ahead of any ethanol guideline (since the average ethanol content of their fuel will go up...while their premium fuel may still have 0%, having something that contains 50% will push up the average).

[flyer333]

time to go to shell!!!

[Blackadder]

Originally Posted by flyer333

time to go to shell!!!

Nope, Shell has changed to ethanol. I believe that all providers in BC with go that route as well.

[ehhhwik]

i've always stuck with shell and have no problems, but i know friends that fill up their BMW, Mercedes, etc at Superstore and they are having no problems so far, as long as you are filling up with the recommended grade of gas

[Andy M]

Just something interesting when I was searching for ethanol content in Canadian gasoline

Ethanol in Husky gasoline:
http://www.myhusky.ca/you/fuel/ethan...nded_fuel.html

A selection of octane levels to suit your needs
Octane 87. Regular with ethanol (SK, MB & some parts of BC)
Octane 89. Mid-grade blended with premium (Ontario only)
Octane 90. Mid-grade blended with ethanol, for the same price as 87 (Alberta and some parts of BC only)
Octane 91. Premium - no ethanol (Ontario only)
Octane 92. Premium, blended with ethanol (BC, AB, SK & MB)
Octane 94. Premium Plus, the highest octane fuel available (BC, AB, SK & MB)

Ontario residents: ever used Husky 91 before??