The dreaded E10 fuel scenario!
 

OK so ... most of us will have heard all sorts of stories regarding the E10 fuel compatibility issues that may or may not affect us. The main concern as I understand it is that it can damage fuel lines etc in older SV's, ie ... my 1999 curvy! So, with this in mind I intend to change all my fuel lines for 100% ethanol safe lines (relatively easy and cheap to do), my other concern is ... are there any parts in the fuel delivery (carbs) that would need changing? Ie ... gaskets/ O rings/ etc? I know that E5 is still going to be available for the foreseeable future so I'm not overly worried about it but having witnessed the mahoosive queue at my local filling station this evening by motorists only wanting E5, I have concerns over availability when I want to fill up. Back to topic ... does anyone know if there are any suppliers of E10 safe carb rebuild kits for the curvy ?
I've been searching the Web but not found any yet.

Re: The dreaded E10 fuel scenario!
 

E10 isn't recommeded for my DRZ400s either. I've had to splash out and pay the extra for E5 today. Brought the grand total I fitted in the tank to £6 instead of £5. It has a very small tank.


Not sure I understand the difference between E5 , E10 and how it relates (or doesn't?) to octane?


No help with carb kits etc, sorry.

Re: The dreaded E10 fuel scenario!
 

E5 = 5% ethanol- 95% fuel
E10=10% ethanol- 90% fuel
Higher the E percentage... the less 'bang for your buck' you get!

Re: The dreaded E10 fuel scenario!
 

Premium unleaded is still E5 if you're really concerned. The cost on the SV where you're probably filling up 13-15 litres, is probably an extra £1.30 a time? So in reality for every 12 tanks of fuel you've 'spent' an extra tank.

AFAIK using the fuel is fine in *most* machines. The real difference/potential for it to cause issues is if you're storing a vehicle with E10 in the tank for a while as the ethanol will separate out and attract moisture.

Re: The dreaded E10 fuel scenario!
 

Not good for carbs, but then regular fuel isn't either if left to sit.

Re: The dreaded E10 fuel scenario!
 

I understand that but how does it relate to octane? Why is E5 now called premium when it used to be normal?... is it still higher octane or does that relate directly to the ethanol content?

Re: The dreaded E10 fuel scenario!
 

Ethanol actually boosts octane not reduces it.
https://tinyurl.com/ym4xrx5u

Re: The dreaded E10 fuel scenario!
 

I've read that ethanol actually boosts octane to achieve the minimum 87 rating required. The 'bang for buck' loss is aimed at the projected increase in E5 fuel ... average £15 extra for a 55 litre tank.!!

Re: The dreaded E10 fuel scenario!
 

you have all been running your vehicles on E5 for the past ermm ages... if ethanol was going to do damage to your vehicle it would have done so by now so an extra 5% is not going to suddenly destroy things.

if your that worried about it then use a fuel stabiliser every top up.

its the media and fools that are scaring everyone, its the whole unleaded v leaded scaremongering all over again.

premium unleaded will stay premium but E10 95RON , its super unleaded that might stay E5 98RON. then you have weird ones like V-Power which is 99RON. there is no benefit to using a higher RON rating if your vehicle was not designed to use it. fuel like V-Power on the other hand has a lot of good additives that aid in keeping the combustion area clean, these additives are also partly responsible for raising the octane rating.

there is absolutely no rush to change anything that "might" deteriorate due to the extra 5%E. if your worried then keep an eye on your fuel lines for them turning "mushy" to touch. but as i have said if your worried then use a fuel stabiliser.

Re: The dreaded E10 fuel scenario!
 

Genuine question.. why aren't we running on 50 percent ethanol then?