HP Ain't Cheap

Also interesting, was the part where my owner's manual said premium gasoline recommended, but you can use mid-grade or even regular, as long as it has at least 87 octane. So, being a newly demanding and finicky Corvette owner, I began checking out gas stations, calling Chevy dealers and gettiing a colossal run-around. After discovering much ignorance, I wised up and called Scott, the service manager at Rotolo Chevrolet in Fontana. (That's in So. Cal) Even he was puzzled about the "don't buy gasoline with methanol" warning and said he'd call me back after investigating. Scott called me back 15 minutes later. He said that GM recommended Chevron first and Shell second. He said he was unfamaliar and surprised about the methanol warning, (apparently this had never come up before) and told me that he presumed that most gasoline, at least in So. Cal, had at least some methanol in it. We both agreed that Arco had perhaps the highest methanol content. Anyway, he said he'd avoid Arco and not to worry about a very small amount of methanol that might be contained in other gasolines. I told Scott that I bought some gasoline that had ethanol in it today (ethanol was not listed as something to avoid in my owners manual) and he said that as far as he was concerned there was virtually no difference between ethanol and methanol. So,,WTF? Have any of you read the anti-methanol warning in your Corvette owners manuals? Do you use gasoline with methanol added?

VRROOOM2

Ethynol is used as a fuel blend and is an oxygenater. It can be used as a primary fuel source or mixed with gasoline...

Methynol is a wood type alchohol and is more widely used as a industrial solvent or in denatured alchohol...

My buddy Nouman uses Methanol in his newly SC'd Vette but has put denatured alchohol in it so far.

Sorry about my spelling and such.. I looked this info up n the internet...

wamara

At least here in the Midwest, I've never heard of methanol being added to gasoline; ethanol, yes.... And if your friend Scott thinks there is no difference between the two, well, I don't even know where to begin

Karl_in_Chicago

Who the heck adds methanol to gasoline?

You are needlessly worrying yourself over a non-issue.

Buy gas at major retail outlets. IMO, buy premium. You can run the lower octanes and the knock retard will adjust but in doing so will deliver performance and mileage below what the premium would do and the net mile per $ would be similar.

Jeffyvette

Now many of us running boost (turbos or superchargers) also run methenol injection. It lowers intake temps and raises octane. So it must not be too bad for the motors.
Jeffy'

FactoryRaceCar

DeeGee

This is a topic that causes a lot of debate on the Forum. E-T would give you chapter and verse if he was here.

The LS1 is a high compression engine and is designed to run on premium 91 octane(MON). It will run on lower octane but the knock sensor detects any pinging and retards the ignition. IMHO thats too late as the damage may be done. It fixes the problem after the event. To that end I use the best octane I can get.

My owners manual (an 02) doesn't mention methanol or ethanol. I'd heard the 85% ethanol brands were not too good for the engine but I've no hard facts so I'd stick with premium. The reason Chevron and Shell are mentioned is that they have Techron or a similar additive which is generally good for the car. Lots of examples here where Techron has fixed the errant gas gauge.

You'll get other opinions but JMHO.

OzzyC4

Runfast, never take your car to that idiot! To make a statemen like that shows his ignorance.

Read this thread for info on alcohol enhanced pump fuel:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...hlight=ethanol

Vetteman Jack

No stations around here sell methanol in their gas. Ethanol is added and it runs fine - I've used it in mine.

moserbe

Welcome to the forum.

Oldad

1st Hello and welcome

your allowed to fill in your profile.
Stay with high voluum big name gas stations that service their filters.
91-93 oct what ever you can get and you'll be fine.
Methynol will desolve some of the fuel system parts over time.
If your stuck for fuel you can get by with lower oct. gas and the computer will adjust for its lower oct. but your performance will suffer and it will not burn as clean.
Enjoy

Karl_in_Chicago

There's a big, big, difference between specialized methanol injection and Shell/Mobil/yourgascompanyhere adding methanol to their retail gasoline supplies. But, then, you knew that.

Armadillo

I don't think any pump gas contains methanol. But it is sometimes used as an additive by some to boost power. My older brother used to add it to his boat gas and it gave him a couple more mph at full throttle. I use Chevron whenever possible for the techron in it.

Cole

This is silly. Methanol and Ethanol are ONE carbon molecule different and BOTH completely combust to CO2 and H2O. Methanol may be a slightly "lighter" molecule and thus be "slightly" more caustic to seals than ethanol, but BOTH are tougher on seals than long chain hydrocarbons (gasoline). I suggest that running on pure methanol could damage some of these seals, but you are not going to find M-85 ala E-85 in any gas station.

RedHaze

Margarine and plastic are but only ONE molecule different...which would you eat? Sometimes that ONE molecule can mean the difference in good baked potatoes...or death. But I digress.