E10 Fuel in Ireland - should you be worried?
Vložit
- čas přidán 10. 05. 2023
- We need to talk about E10 Fuel.
Because from July 1st, E5, the existing blend will be no more.
Let’s take a step back - what is E5 and E10. The number refers to the percentage of ethanol in the fuel blend. E5 is made up of up to 5% renewable ethanol, E10 made up of up to 10%.
Bioethanol is a type of alcohol that can be manufactured from plant waste such as from sugar beet and wheat. The more of this in the mix, the better it is for the environment, apparently.
So why should we care? Well for the most part we really don’t need to. The vast majority of cars in Ireland will run on this fuel with no discernible difference. You might see your fuel economy a little worse, but not by much, that we will keep an eye on. But otherwise, for most people with cars 20 years old or younger there is nothing to see here, and if you like you can ignore the rest.
But there are some owners that do need to pay attention, but it isn’t the doomsday scenario painted in some quarters. Over on the AA Website you will find a list of cars that are potentially not perfectly compatible with an E10 fuel blend. These include a handful of FSI engines from the Volkswagen Group, some older Renault models, and some old Alfas and Fiats but beyond that, not much to worry about and even when we contacted these manufacturers, they told us that the cars will run fine on E10, but you might need to keep a closer eye on some components during the regular service.
Classic car owners do have legitimate concerns for a few reasons. The higher the ethanol blend, the fewer really old cars like it. Ethanol is hygroscopic, which means that it absorbs water from the atmosphere. And that water, in turn, can find its way into your car. It can lead to condensation in fuel tanks, fuel lines and carburettors and cause corrosion in brass, copper, lead, tin and zinc components.
Ethanol is also a solvent it can eat through rubber, plastic and fibreglass, so hoses and seals are likely to perish more quickly because of the higher concentration of ethanol in E10. For now, classic car owners are advised to potentially look at replacing fuel lines and other components that might suffer through prolonged use of E10. Users of older motorbikes should also be cautious. The same is true of many of your lawnmowers.
There are additives on the market - such as Wynn’s E10 Protector - we don’t know whether they work, but they are sold in places like Halfords for around €15 and this will get you around 5 tanks worth.
They promise to counteract any negative effects E10 might have on older vehicles. Even brands like Ferrari told us that they have no huge concerns over E10, once the owners are aware that there might be some more attention to be paid during service intervals.
So is there a huge cause for concern. We would say, no. If you service your car regularly and don’t leave it sitting idle for long periods of time, even car which haven’t been homologated for E10 should be fine. If you have a classic car or motorbike that you do intend to leave idle for longer spells, draining the fuel tanks could be advisable before storing.
Initially, the blends of E10 on sale are likely to be quite low in ethanol anyway. If you have a concern, speak to your dealer or technician who will advise, and you can check out www.theaa.ie/E10
Did you know? Here at The AA we've got a trusted panel of insurers from Ireland. Right now, we could help save you up to €180^ on your Car Insurance. Why not get a quote with the motoring experts today, visit www.theaa.ie/car-insurance/ for more information. T&C's Apply.
We've also got...
Roadside Rescue - www.theaa.ie/aa-membership/
Home Insurance - www.theaa.ie/home-insurance/
Travel Insurance - www.theaa.ie/travel-insurance/
Van Insurance - www.theaa.ie/aa-business/van-... - Auta a dopravní prostředky
Im already noticing on my first tank a drop from of at least 10 percent economy. The more concern is the risk to engine components.Its a sneaky way of getting more people off the road or into very expensive electric cars.Some older cars it may be really bad news on how long they will last .
The WEF wants the old cars off the road they cant leave us alone
Be worried, very worried.
This fuel wrecks small hand tool & generator engines as well as older car engines.
will this be fine one two stroke road bikes
As a German living with E10 for 10 years now, I can say that my vintage motorcycles pretty much couldn't care less about the higher proportion of ethanol. There's absolutely no difference between E5 and E10 regarding wear of seals, fuel lines etc.
It may not be the same for cars as there are alot more complex.
what about two strokes
@@hubertkam7647 My Jawa 175 and my MZ ETZ 150 also show no signs of wear. But if you consider the quality of petrol back then, especially in the communist countries, it's not surprising.
@@philippp.m.4265 what about higher performance 2 strokes like my Honda crm 125 would those be fine cause the jawas and mz can last forever so it’s probably not that big of a difference
E10 has been proved to eat seals and rubber fuel lines, it's all over CZcams and I've experienced it myself
Please is E10 called premium or unleaded?
Both, it's written E10 on the pump handle. All petrols in Ireland, I've checked.
AA please HELP THE POOR !!!!!
I don't run e10 in any of my 2 stroke chainsaws, its muck. I have to use stihl motomix at 6 euro a litre !!!!!! Already seeing issues in some of the 4 stroke engines i have, mowers quads etc. fuel lines rotting, carbs gumming up, awful messing. I have an opel manta and have to drive 40 minutes to get fuel for it in Enniskillen, thankfully they ensured a handful of forecourts still have e5 when e10 was introduced there, not like our green party fundamentalists. I'll be doing the same for the other yokes once the issues have been fixed.
Force me to diesel cars now......this is WRONG !!!!
E10… is not better for the environment… just a sneaky way to take old reliable vehicles off the road..
😂😂
Who can we sue if a fire is caused
Leo.
@@dazza4345 You cant sue Leo ...he's perfect in everyway.🤣