Do you own a Flexible Fuel Vehicle (FFV)?

[diane_nassy]

What in the world is a Flexible Fuel Vehicle? It’s a car or truck that is capable of burning certain alternative fuels. Now we’re not talking gasoline vs. diesel engines here, we’re talking about gasoline engines that can also burn ethanol, natural gas, propane, hydrogen, methanol, and p-series fuels. According to some chemist at the U.S. Department of Energy, p-series fuels are “a unique blend of natural gas liquids (pentanes plus), ethanol, and the biomass-derived co-solvent methyltetrahydrofuran” just in case you were wondering.

Anyway, if you own one of these flexible fuel vehicles, and you could own one without realizing it, then you might be able to save yourself a whopping amount of money now that gas is nearing the price of gold.

Although some of the more exotic alternative fuels may not be flowing out of the pumps at your neighborhood service station, there is a good chance that ethanol is.

Ethanol is alcohol-based and it’s made by fermenting and distilling corn, barley, or wheat. It can also be made from "cellulosic biomass", which is just a fancy phrase for “chunks of trees and grass”, except that this version is called “Bioethanol” instead of plain “Ethanol”.

E85 is an Ethanol/Gasoline product that’s being sold at a lot of gas stations. It’s a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. E95 is a 95/5 blend of ethanol and gasoline. Both blends are capable of being burned by most Flexible Fuel Vehicles.

Some service stations are selling an E10 (10/90 ethanol/gasoline blend), that doesn’t really qualify as an alternative fuel. Its primary purpose is to reduce carbon monoxide levels, and it can be burned by most any engine that burns gasoline.

Unlike Hybrid Vehicles, flexible fuel vehicles are not necessarily more expensive because of the alternative fuel option, and they aren’t anywhere near as rare. In fact, there’s a chance that you’re driving one right now. If the salesperson didn’t tell you, and you’re not the kind that reads owner’s manuals, and you’re ignoring the sticker that’s probably on the inside of your gas tank cover, you could be in for a cash-saving surprise.

If you’re not sure if you own an FFV, or you’re planning on buying a new car soon, then visit the U.S. Department of Energy’s Flexible Fuel Vehicle (http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/afv/models.html) list.

If there isn’t a FFV in your life, there’s still hope. You can have an aftermarket conversion done. When you do a conversion, your gasoline-only engine ends up being able to burn some particular alternative fuel such as compressed natural gas (CNG) or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG, or propane), or Ethanol. You have three conversion choices; “dedicated”, “dual-fuel”, and “bi-fuel”. Dedicated means that your engine only burns one fuel after the conversion. Dual-fuel engines can burn two different fuels, and with a bi-fuel conversion, your engine burns two different fuels at the same time.
So, if you think that you have no choice but to continue paying through the nose when you’re paying at the pump, look into getting a Flexible Fuel Vehicle or an aftermarket conversion.

[Intercooled]

Ok enough, I feel like I'm just reading spam mail. I'm sure your ideas and incentives are fine but this is not the place for your free advertiseing. Why don't you advertise in one of the block headings!

[truzoom]

The post itself is actually very informative because I don't think many people know their cars can run ethanol.

[ScubaStevo]

Why would this be in the professional detailers section? Its spam, which isn't tolerated.

[SpoiledMan]

Good information but SPAM nonetheless!

[chml17l]

The SPAM-O-Grammer should be

[a.k.a. Patrick]

I appreciate the post as a matter of fact............I have a FFV, and totally forgot about it. If energy.gov is considered spam or a link which provides tips for saving gas (which I havent thoroughly looked at), my apologese......I dont take offense to anyone providing information or helpful links.....I find the following tips very helpful...:
Buy Gas In The Morning Or Evening

Gasoline becomes denser in colder temperatures. Gas pumps are set to measure the volume of the fuel that you pump and not the density. This means that if you fill up your fuel tank in the cooler morning temperatures, or in the colder evening hours, that you’ll be getting better fuel economy.

Buy Gas From A Busy Station

Try to buy your gas from a gas station that is consistently busy and therefore has its underground tanks filled on a regular basis. Gas stations that are slow will have gas that has been sitting in underground tanks for longer periods of time, leading to gas contamination. This contamination can mean that the gas you are purchasing is less powerful than fresh gas and will decrease your fuel economy.

High Octane Gas

Choose the right octane gas for your car. Unless your vehicle requires it, buying higher-octane gas is a waste of your money. The higher the octane, the higher the price.

Avoid Topping Off

Try to avoid over filling or “topping off” at the gas pumps. When filling your fuel tank, the gas nozzle automatically clicks off when your fuel tank is full. Too much gas will just slosh or seep out. In warmer weather, the gas will expand and may leak out.

Always Fill Up Your Tank

When you purchase just a bit of gas at the gas station the pump doesn’t have enough time to really activate, resulting in short bursts of fuel that may short change you from the amount of gas that you are purchasing.

The best time to replenish your fuel tank is when you have half a tank or less left in your vehicle, or when you find a gas price that you just can’t afford to miss.

Avoid Buying Gas From A Just Replenished Gas Station

When a gas station has its underground tanks filled, the particles at the bottom of the tank are stirred up. These particles can become mixed in with the gas that you are putting into your car, which can lead to efficiency problems. The particles can clog your fuel filter, causing your car to stall and start with some difficulty.

Tighten The Gas Cap

It may seem like a small thing to do, but tightening the gas cap on your car will prevent gas from evaporating and escaping into the air. Loose, missing or damaged gas caps cause 147 million gallons of gas to evaporate each year, according to the Car Care Council. So be sure to tighten up that gas cap each time you fuel up your car. If you have a gas cap that doesn’t fit tightly, or you’ve lost your gas cap, buy a new one to replace it. www.ebay.com is a great place to find low cost, discounted gas caps.

Diane, consider changing your signature to "_______owner of _______". This will be within forum guidelines.....Leave the direct link out...

If theres something Im missing here, then the mods need to speak to this member.....

[accordmaniac]

check her other posts out and you'll see a trend. it's definately spam. i highly doubt someone would be so zealous to post five threads about saving gas just for the heck of helping you save gas.

[a.k.a. Patrick]

Ahhhhhh, well if thats the case, then the tactics involved need to be addressed.....Hopefully the mods will step in and explain that there are rules that need to be followed or banning is eminent.....

[UnsanePyro]

FWIW about the propane thing, I fill propane at a hardware store, the invoices have been coming up at about $1.40-$1.50 (closer to $1.50) per gallon, in Southern New England. Better than twice that much for gas.

[wannafbody]

I've heard that chevy pickups from 02 and up can use the E85 fuels even tho they aren't advertised as FFV's-might want to call chevy customer service and verify tho

[ajbarnes]

Very informative info Patrick. Alot of the tips I already knew, but some you mentioned is new to me and I'm glad I picked them up.