Hitchcocks Forum

Given that E10 is soon to be unleashed on the forecourts is there any reason not to use it?.

Ethanol is alcohol so E10 is 10% alcohol so as long as your carburetor is jetted correctly (I'm talking older bikes obviously) then shouldnt it be perfectly fine to use it? ... My bike has a 170 main jet.. So does anyone know what a 10‰ Increase in jet size is equal to?.. 190?

Not as simple as that because alcohol has a very high octane rating so it'll give you a steadier burn but lower energy density. Most pump fuels are already E5 anyway. It's a nightmare on older japanese bikes with fuel pumps and complex pre-bent fuel lines!

It can seriously degrade older fuel lines to the point of total failure so make sure those are up to scratch.

My main issue is ethanol tends to absorb atmospheric moisture then settle out in layers if it's left sitting. 100% ethanol will actively absorb moisture until it's about 70%, that's why bottled meths/ethanol is often sold at 70%. Trouble is, 100% alcohol stays mixed with petrol fairly well. 70% not so much. So if you havbe a litre of E10 and leave it exposed to atmosphere, it will absorb 30ml of water. If left long enough, you'll have a container with 900ml of petrol floating on top of 130ml of 70% alcohol.

This is how it rots tanks and fills your float bowls with water and/or rusty sludge. It's a real issue for machines which are not ridden very often.

It also dissolves the lead in solder so old carb brass float will fall to bits. It also destroys some plastics and rubber components.

There are various fuel stabiliser products which claim to protect fuel tanks and systems from E5/E10, I don't know if they're any use.

A.

Well back in the day there was Cleveland and Driscol petrol with alcohol in them.. My 1953 Meteor was designed to run on lower octane fuels... I have an ethonol proof float.. I'm running on E5 as it is.. My fuel line is steel..

Esso Synergy only sold in some parts of the UK is supposed to be ethanol free and higher octane.

Its not the octane rating that's the problem though. Blending ethanol has an octane of around 114ron, much higher than the petrol.
They use a lower ron petrol to pull down the ethanol so that the whole mixture meets the required spec.

I understand that super unleaded will remain at E5.
See this:
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/indu ... ember-2021

Here in Sunny Thailand we have had E 20 for years. Ive given up thinking about it. I use E 20 in every bike I got.

My RE 350 did most definately love a 10% addition of diesel and yet the 500 UCE don't need it. I also have a CB 750 Night hawk that runs just fine. I had a 1400 VL intruder last rear too all using E 20 with brass floats..