[nn0wheremann]

Originally Posted by BigDawgInLakeDenham

I'm no expert but I did get an A in Organic Chemistry and had an understanding of some chemical reactions.....along with a lifetime of running and repairing my small engines. First let's agree that the golf cars engines are small engines like the ones that are on my lawn tractors or log splitter. It's essentially a fancy go cart. It's not an automobile engine.

Gasoline by itself does not have the affinity to attract water. Ethanol mixes nicely with water. Think bourbon rocks or scotch and water. Water contains oxygen which oxidizes and ruins a lot of stuff. Ethanol by it's self oxidizes and breaks down rubber over time. Think how your wine doesn't taste as good hours after its opened. Gasoline without ethanol can help with engine maintenance by not attracting H2O into the engine. Remember how humid it is here. If you let the small engine sit with ethanol Gasoline you'll end up with inconvenient but common issues with ethanol gas. I think the Villages Golf Cars recommended ethanol free gas because there are so many folks that are not full time in TV, so their cars will sit and have "bad gas" over time. It seems plausible that ethanol free could pay towards it's cost by increased mileage and less destructive properties over time. If you are running that engine every day then any gas will work but if pure gasoline is available.....then why not? It's a luxury that I've never had where I've lived forever, but having relaced multiple carburetors due to ethanol gas, I will definitely spend a few extra coins to make me and my new toy happy.

The only rubber in the fuel stream on my old 2009 Yamaha golf cart is the short fuel line fro the tank through the filter to the carburetor. This is original to the cart and is in perfect condition.

If I were storing the cart for a lengthy time, I would, as with all gasoline engine devices, either drain the fuel, or add StaBil fuel stabilizer.

[MrFlorida]

Regular gas is fine.

[dawabeav]

I use a couple of ounces Sea Foam twice a year. It keeps the fuel system clean and acts as a fuel stabilizer. It's about 8 bucks a can at Walmart, I use it in all my gas engines 2stroke or 4. Also replace the fuel filter every year.

[JGibson]

Simple-
Ethanol-free when the cart sits for extended periods regular gas when not.
Next.

[Emkay56]

Originally Posted by perlsvilla

Hello ..I'm here visiting my parents. They recently bought a gas golf cart. That salesman told them it's best to get gas at the Villages Golf Cart store because it's pure ethanol and no additives. Is this true? Can they use regular gas from any station? Is premium gas better? Thanks, Perl

It is better to use non ethanol gas but it’s also available at other gas stations…..like the 7Eleven on Miller Blvd (466A) by Colony Plaza.

[MX rider]

Originally Posted by Emkay56

It is better to use non ethanol gas but it’s also available at other gas stations…..like the 7Eleven on Miller Blvd (466A) by Colony Plaza.

Thats not accurate. It's not better. It's a gimmick. See my previous post. None of the power equipment I own is recommended to use NE gas. Waste of money to buy it.

[Bruceg0028]

Ethanol free gas should have no performance issue with running the engine. Where the issue comes in is fuel with ethanol which is essentially alcohol degrades the rubber fuel lines in small engines or RV engines. Car manufacturers started using special fuel lines years ago when fuel injection came out for the higher pressures and the new types of fuel. Most non fuel injected motors do not use these types of rubber ethanol safe fuel lines. It takes time but over a period of time your fuel line can degrade and cause a fire. I had a Standby generator that sat in my garage for a few years and the fuel eventually ate through the line and all the gas ran out.
Most golf carts take 5 gallons of gas and go over 200 miles on a tank. To me it’s worth an extra 5-7 dollars for a tank to protect my investment. If you spent 12-15k for a new golf cart you should be able to afford the gas.

[T&SMiller]

Non ethanol has is available at many of the has stations. It is the one with the blue handles and is labeled RV gas. However, unless your gold cart is sitting for a while without use it is not necessary to use. We use regular gas while we are here but put the RV gas in once we leave for the summer.

[MX rider]

Originally Posted by Bruceg0028

Ethanol free gas should have no performance issue with running the engine. Where the issue comes in is fuel with ethanol which is essentially alcohol degrades the rubber fuel lines in small engines or RV engines. Car manufacturers started using special fuel lines years ago when fuel injection came out for the higher pressures and the new types of fuel. Most non fuel injected motors do not use these types of rubber ethanol safe fuel lines. It takes time but over a period of time your fuel line can degrade and cause a fire. I had a Standby generator that sat in my garage for a few years and the fuel eventually ate through the line and all the gas ran out.
Most golf carts take 5 gallons of gas and go over 200 miles on a tank. To me it’s worth an extra 5-7 dollars for a tank to protect my investment. If you spent 12-15k for a new golf cart you should be able to afford the gas.

I have plenty of small gas engines I've had for years. What you're saying is simply not true! Show me an owners manual that recommends it.

As I said you can't even buy NE gas in many areas. Again, ask any REPUTABLE power equipment dealer. Not TV golf cart store. They just want to sell you overpriced gas.

I own and have owned a ton of toys and equipment over the years. Too many to count. Jet skis, boat motors, four wheelers, SxS's, Harley, too many dirt bikes and about every kind of gas powered tool including a Generac portable generator. Always used reg gas without a gas related issue. All of what I have sits idle while we're here for 6 months.

My family has been in the motorcycle business since 1974. They never recommend NE gas and don't use it in their powersports vehicles.

Again it's just an urban myth. All modern engines are designed to use reg gas. That's a fact!

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by MX rider

This is not correct. All modern power equipment is made to run on regular gas, including golf carts.
If ethanol free was required it would be in the owners manual, which it is not for a Yamaha. Besides they would never require something that is not readily available everywhere.

My brother is a longtime powersports dealer in Indiana. He sells Polaris and Kawasaki. None require non ethanol gas. They don't even sell it there.
And the engines and fuel injection on those are much more high tech than a single cylinder golf cart engine. It's a waste of money to buy NE gas.

I've had many different dirtbikes, SxS's and four wheelers over the years. Some carb and many fuel injected. Always ran pump gas and I've never had a fuel related issue.

1. I never said required. I said recommended.
2. I never mentioned the owners manual, because I've never read it.

87 octane gas is recommended (notice once again - I'm not saying required) - because it contains less than 10% ethanol. That is WHY 89 octane gas is recommended. It is WHY higher octane gas is /not/ recommended: because the higher octane gas is more likely to contain more ethanol.

Ethanol is not good for these engines. It stands to reason that gas with NO ethanol would be optimum. But - it's not required, because any unleaded gas with less than 10% ethanol in it (such as 87 octane regular unleaded) will work fine for most gas golf carts. Carts that are left for months without using, might need that non-eth, to prevent separation and moisture accumulation.

[rochellepfaff]

Originally Posted by perlsvilla

Hello ..I'm here visiting my parents. They recently bought a gas golf cart. That salesman told them it's best to get gas at the Villages Golf Cart store because it's pure ethanol and no additives. Is this true? Can they use regular gas from any station? Is premium gas better? Thanks, Perl

I've had my cart for 18 years, and it is now 21 years old. I have always used regular gas from the nearest station, and my cart runs just fine. I asked my mechanic about it, and he said regular gas is fine. Why pay $1 more per gallon when regular works well?

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

1. I never said required. I said recommended.
2. I never mentioned the owners manual, because I've never read it.

87 octane gas is recommended (notice once again - I'm not saying required) - because it contains less than 10% ethanol. That is WHY 89 octane gas is recommended. It is WHY higher octane gas is /not/ recommended: because the higher octane gas is more likely to contain more ethanol.

Ethanol is not good for these engines. It stands to reason that gas with NO ethanol would be optimum. But - it's not required, because any unleaded gas with less than 10% ethanol in it (such as 87 octane regular unleaded) will work fine for most gas golf carts. Carts that are left for months without using, might need that non-eth, to prevent separation and moisture accumulation.

87 octane is recommended for golf carts because higher octane is unnecessary. Higher octane is recommended for performance vehicles because 87 octane may result in pre-ignition. It has absolutely nothing to do with the alcohol content.

[Packer Fan]

Originally Posted by BigDawgInLakeDenham

I'm no expert but I did get an A in Organic Chemistry and had an understanding of some chemical reactions.....along with a lifetime of running and repairing my small engines. First let's agree that the golf cars engines are small engines like the ones that are on my lawn tractors or log splitter. It's essentially a fancy go cart. It's not an automobile engine.

Gasoline by itself does not have the affinity to attract water. Ethanol mixes nicely with water. Think bourbon rocks or scotch and water. Water contains oxygen which oxidizes and ruins a lot of stuff. Ethanol by it's self oxidizes and breaks down rubber over time. Think how your wine doesn't taste as good hours after its opened. Gasoline without ethanol can help with engine maintenance by not attracting H2O into the engine. Remember how humid it is here. If you let the small engine sit with ethanol Gasoline you'll end up with inconvenient but common issues with ethanol gas. I think the Villages Golf Cars recommended ethanol free gas because there are so many folks that are not full time in TV, so their cars will sit and have "bad gas" over time. It seems plausible that ethanol free could pay towards it's cost by increased mileage and less destructive properties over time. If you are running that engine every day then any gas will work but if pure gasoline is available.....then why not? It's a luxury that I've never had where I've lived forever, but having relaced multiple carburetors due to ethanol gas, I will definitely spend a few extra coins to make me and my new toy happy.

Great Post and a good lead in for me to explain a few things. Let me first say I spent 10 years as the Commodity Manager for Fuel system components at Briggs and Stratton. I was responsible for carburetion systems on all their small engines up to 2 cylinder Fuel injected models, but especially all their carbureted systems. I am also a Metallurgist. So here is what is going on.
In any engine with a metal (aluminum or zinc) carburetor, the Ethanol oxidizes and causes corrosion in the jets of the carburetor. You eventually have to replace them if you use ethanol fuel. This is NOT a problem in Fuel Injected engines like the Yamaha quiet tech engines, but if you have an old gas Yamaha or Robin engine that is not running smoothly, get a new carburetor.
Also - all the new engines use Nitrile or other Ethanol resistant Gaskets so that is not a problem either.

Bottom Line - If you have a carbureted Gas golf cart, use non-ethanol fuel (way cheaper at some of the other gas stations other than the TV one, but heck, they are convenient). If you have a Fuel Injected Golf cart - use any gas you want.

I suspect your salesman wants you to buy from TV because they make a lot of money on selling over priced ethanol free gas.

BTW- When I was there we went from Zinc to Aluminum to Plastic Carburetors on the smallest engine line to solve this. Now all small engines have Plastic Carbs that are WAY BETTER than the metal ones. I don't work there anymore, so I have no skin in the game.

Hope that helps explain it.
Ed

[MX rider]

Originally Posted by Packer Fan

Great Post and a good lead in for me to explain a few things. Let me first say I spent 10 years as the Commodity Manager for Fuel system components at Briggs and Stratton. I was responsible for carburetion systems on all their small engines up to 2 cylinder Fuel injected models, but especially all their carbureted systems. I am also a Metallurgist. So here is what is going on.
In any engine with a metal (aluminum or zinc) carburetor, the Ethanol oxidizes and causes corrosion in the jets of the carburetor. You eventually have to replace them if you use ethanol fuel. This is NOT a problem in Fuel Injected engines like the Yamaha quiet tech engines, but if you have an old gas Yamaha or Robin engine that is not running smoothly, get a new carburetor.
Also - all the new engines use Nitrile or other Ethanol resistant Gaskets so that is not a problem either.

Bottom Line - If you have a carbureted Gas golf cart, use non-ethanol fuel (way cheaper at some of the other gas stations other than the TV one, but heck, they are convenient). If you have a Fuel Injected Golf cart - use any gas you want.

I suspect your salesman wants you to buy from TV because they make a lot of money on selling over priced ethanol free gas.

BTW- When I was there we went from Zinc to Aluminum to Plastic Carburetors on the smallest engine line to solve this. Now all small engines have Plastic Carbs that are WAY BETTER than the metal ones. I don't work there anymore, so I have no skin in the game.

Hope that helps explain it.


Ed

Exactly. As I said a number of times here, ALL modern engines are made to run on regular gas. You have to go pretty far back to find one that isn't. Especially in the powersports industry.

[MX rider]

Originally Posted by Packer Fan

Great Post and a good lead in for me to explain a few things. Let me first say I spent 10 years as the Commodity Manager for Fuel system components at Briggs and Stratton. I was responsible for carburetion systems on all their small engines up to 2 cylinder Fuel injected models, but especially all their carbureted systems. I am also a Metallurgist. So here is what is going on.
In any engine with a metal (aluminum or zinc) carburetor, the Ethanol oxidizes and causes corrosion in the jets of the carburetor. You eventually have to replace them if you use ethanol fuel. This is NOT a problem in Fuel Injected engines like the Yamaha quiet tech engines, but if you have an old gas Yamaha or Robin engine that is not running smoothly, get a new carburetor.
Also - all the new engines use Nitrile or other Ethanol resistant Gaskets so that is not a problem either.

Bottom Line - If you have a carbureted Gas golf cart, use non-ethanol fuel (way cheaper at some of the other gas stations other than the TV one, but heck, they are convenient). If you have a Fuel Injected Golf cart - use any gas you want.

I suspect your salesman wants you to buy from TV because they make a lot of money on selling over priced ethanol free gas.

BTW- When I was there we went from Zinc to Aluminum to Plastic Carburetors on the smallest engine line to solve this. Now all small engines have Plastic Carbs that are WAY BETTER than the metal ones. I don't work there anymore, so I have no skin in the game.

Hope that helps explain it.
Ed

I would disagree on what he said about bad gas. When is the last time anyone has seen that? Very rare anymore. Todays gas just doesn't go bad. May lose a little octane but it doesn't go bad.

As I said in a previous post, I have plenty of gas powered toys and equipment that sits idle for many months along with the can of gas. Sometimes I don't start my motocross bike or SxS for 5 or 6 months. I've had no issues and I can't remember the last time I had "bad gas".

Bottom line is, gas is a non issue at all anymore.