[jlongman]

Salesman told us golf cart is ok with regular gas but then I keep hearing that it is better to use non-ethanol gas. So this morning I go to Marathon in Pinnelas with the intention of trying non -ethanol only to find that it is much more expensive. $2.83 for regular vs. $3.99 for the non-ethanol.
So my question is, is it really worth the difference? I don't mind paying the extra 5 bucks or so a tank if I will get better performance or better preserve the engine. What is your opinion? Is it worth it?

[k2at]

Just my 2 cents. I have been using regular gas for 6 years now and have no problems whatsoever. I think u will be throwing money away using the other gas.

[Chi-Town]

My salesman at The Villages Golf Cart Store said to use a higher grade gas and drop in a little marine StaBil (1/2 oz.) when you fill up.

[Challenger]

Have two carts Yamaha and Ezgo. Both 4 years old, run thousands of miles , always on regular ethanol enhanced gasoline. Never had any engine problems on either. Do the math - I probably have 8 thousand miles on these carts x $1.00 gal.

Could do a lot of engine work for $8,000 or $6,000 or even $4,000

[biker1]

I see the math as follows:

8000 miles at 40 miles/gallon = 200 gallons. If you bough the more expensive gas it would have cost you an extra $200.

Originally Posted by Challenger

Have two carts Yamaha and Ezgo. Both 4 years old, run thousands of miles , always on regular ethanol enhanced gasoline. Never had any engine problems on either. Do the math - I probably have 8 thousand miles on these carts x $1.00 gal.

Could do a lot of engine work for $8,000 or $6,000 or even $4,000

[Challenger]

Originally Posted by biker1

I see the math as follows:

8000 miles at 40 miles/gallon = 200 gallons. If you bough the more expensive gas it would have cost you an extra $200.

OOPs bad math. My careless error and I should know better.

Hope my engine replacement doesn't exceed $200.

Try this one . I have had the last three cars for over 75000 miles each. Assume 25 miles gal. Think that adds up to 9,000 gal x @1.00 = $9,000.

No (not any) engine issues.
Hope that I got the math right this time , but you better check me.

[biker1]

By higher grade gas does he mean higher octane or a brand name gas instead of a no-name gas? Running higher that 87 octane probably has no value. There may be some value in using a brand name gas -I don't know for sure. If you are using the cart regularly there is also probably no reason for StaBil. A salesman at The Villages Golf Cart Store told me the Yamaha carts have 2-cylinder engines (they don't) so I would not rely on them for technical advice. Consult your owner's manual or call the manufacturer.

Originally Posted by Chi-Town

My salesman at The Villages Golf Cart Store said to use a higher grade gas and drop in a little marine StaBil (1/2 oz.) when you fill up.

[biker1]

That looks good, I think ;-). Essentially engines last a very long time if you change the oil regularly and don't abuse them. Use the recommended octane, nothing higher, and perhaps use a brand name of gas. 10% ethanol is OK for modern engines. My Yamaha manual says no greater than 10% ethanol.

Originally Posted by Challenger

OOPs bad math. My careless error and I should know better.

Hope my engine replacement doesn't exceed $200.

Try this one . I have had the last three cars for over 75000 miles each. Assume 25 miles gal. Think that adds up to 9,000 gal x @1.00 = $9,000.

No (not any) engine issues.
Hope that I got the math right this time , but you better check me.

[Challenger]

Originally Posted by biker1

That looks good, I think ;-). Essentially engines last a very long time if you change the oil regularly and don't abuse them. Use the recommended octane, nothing higher, and perhaps use a brand name of gas. 10% ethanol is OK for modern engines. My Yamaha manual says no greater than 10% ethanol.

Remember hearing "Clic and Clac" on saturday mornings

"Dont use gas over 87 octane unless specifird in owners manual"
"No gas additives"
" Forget 3000 mile oil change cycles"

Was surprised to hear that they thought 10,000 mile interval was normally sufficient.

[biker1]

The oil change "computer" on my Honda essentially winds up indicating oil changes every 10k miles. I can't bring myself to go that long so I typically change the oil every 6k miles. I do it myself so the cost is pretty low.

Originally Posted by Challenger

Remember hearing "Clic and Clac" on saturday mornings

"Dont use gas over 87 octane unless specifird in owners manual"
"No gas additives"
" Forget 3000 mile oil change cycles"

Was surprised to hear that they thought 10,000 mile interval was normally sufficient.

[golf2140]

I have two gas carts. One is going on 50,000 miles have used regular unleaded since it was new. Each year I have the oil changed and a new spark plug. Never had a problem. Save your money.

[village dreamer]

non ethanol gas is best for small engines like lawn mowers,weed wackers,and boat motors,engines that you don't use that much and store for a long time. if you lay up your cart for the summer yes,but just the last tank.

[billethkid]

is non alcohol better? Yes.

Is it worth the prmium? No.

Figuring the probablilities of non alcohol helping save parts? Like measuring out to the 10th decimal place.

Save the $$$$ for something with better odds!

[villagetinker]

The main problem with the fuels with ethanol is that ethanol is very corrosive and many older gas powered equipment cannot handle this fuel well. In the case of the small 2 cycle engines, I have had the fuel lines get gummy from the ethanol, had to replace with line rated for ethanol. In my older cars, had to replace fuel lines, carburetor components, etc. due to ethanol.
IMHO, if the manual says 10% ok then go with regular gas. If you have older equipment you may want to consider the pure gasoline product. I agree with a previous poster about no additives, Stabil, is used for storing gasoline over a long period of time.
Just my thoughts.

[George Bieniaszek]

My 2 cents worth is this. Ethanol added gasoline would seem to attract more condensation inside the gas tank, but during weather conditions where there is a large temperature change if the vehicle is not driven for long periods of time. So if you are storing a classic car over the winter months, you should consider putting in a gasoline stabilizer to minimize this and keep the gas tank close to full and prevent rusting inside the tank.

Gas golf carts have plastic tanks so rust inside the tank is not a concern. I put a gas stabilizer in my last tank of gas in my golf cart and shut off the gas valve and run the engine till it stalls when I put the cart away for a period of time when I go north to visit family.

So in answer to the question, my opinion, not necessary to purchase the ethanol free gasoline if you treat the gasoline for the longer non-use periods.