Quote:
Originally Posted by Nickj
Which does mean the water content of the fuel you buy has increased, ethanol holds it's own weight/mass in water ... hence the rusting of tank bases ... the expanding fuel tanks ... rotting rubber ... additional corrosion ... decreased MPG ... decreased power output and all the rest of the goodness that accompanies it.
Which is also water at (todays local best price) £1:20 a litre
Seal the tank before it looks like a pregnant elephant  |
I'm no scientist, but I'm going to disagree with this.
The fuel does not come with increased water content from the pump (or shouldn't if it's been stored properly), so you're not buying water at petrol rates.
Ethanol is hygroscopic. That is to say it can and will absorb water from the air, if it is exposed to it.
Air is drawn into the tank via the breather as the fuel level drops, so it is exposed to air in this way.
If you top the tank up at the end of each journey, then the amount of air/moisture in the tank is at the minimum possible. This is especially important if there is an interval of days before the next ride. So store your bike with a full tank.. Preferably do this with low Ethanol or Ethanol free fuel.
It's perfectly possible to get a little water in the tank even if no Ethanol is used, so a periodic drain and clean is a good thing. This phenomenon is not unique to Ethanol.
Not sure what exactly causes all the problems associated with Ethanol, but I'm guessing that it's osmosis. what the role of water has in this I also don't know.
Regarding the effect on power and mpg, lets just think of the use of water/alcohol injection in aero engines, and also that strange phenomenon that we all must have noticed when the engine really seems to run well on a damp evening??
Sorry guys, not joining in with all this alarmist stuff and claiming to be a victim. There has got to be some logic in trying to grow renewable fuel rather than burning the finite fossil stuff?.. Just needs a slightly different management.
...Oh bugger! Just remembered I've left the bike empty after a wet ride home two weeks ago..
