UP Fuel?

[Forestmillian]

Can anyone provide me with some info about fuel in the UP Michigan? Does any of it have Ethanol in it? How much Isopropanol should a person use? A guy told me a few years ago to buy what ever is the cheapest because that's what they sell the most of so it will have less water in it.
What do you think?

Thanks!

06 FST Touring
00 Ski Doo Touring
98 488 Super Sport
98 440 Sport

[ccc webmaster]

Do you use premium in that FST? If so when I buy premium for my sleds, it does not contain ethanol. Only the lower octane fuels seem to have the ethanol. I get better fuel mileage with the non-ethanol premium.

[Budwick]

I'm more concerned with getting watery fuel from high octane, small town tanks. I'd go with the low octane, ethanol fuel. Why buy high octane and then thin it out with iso? Unless your sled requires it.

[Forestmillian]

I use premium when I can in all my machines when I'm around home. A few years ago the group is was running with had some problems with watery fuel bought in the UP. I asked a local what he ran and he told me people up there don't use enough of the Premium to keep the water out of it so the locals he knows use whatever is the cheapest. Since then I've been putting in what ever was the cheapest at the pump and have had no more problems up there. The reason I was asking whether or not Michigan had ethanol is because I want to avoid the use of too much of the "Red Bottle" Isopopanol with the ethoanol fuel.
I would prefer to use Premium when away from home but I'm still a little gun shy I guess.
The perferred fuel for the FST is premium. But thanks to Polaris's anti-ping puter programing I can run the cheap stuff. About the only thing I notice with the low octane fuel in the FST is a few hesitations @ about 25-35 mph and some loss at the top.

Thanks for the replys!

[YamaDooed]

Look at what the manu calls for in their specs sheet and run that. Higher compression engines usually call fer prem butt if in doubt run the premium. I personally will not run anything on the trail that requires premium fuel anymore as mostly was a huge PIA to find or were outta at quite a few places up north last year.

[AlumaDoo]

There have been endless problems this winter regarding the high octane fuel containing more water than ever. Logically it's because the fuel was so expensive for so long, that nobody filled their vehicles with it for months on end. Now that the stations can lower their prices on it, it lures us to start buying it again, and BAM, we have fuel issues. This is gonna take a while to run its course I think. It's a toss-up, buy the ethanol fuels, or buy the non-ethanol and use a little ISO. From what I understand about the gas, it's just a better deal to use the lower octane-ethanol fuels, but be sure to top off your tank at the end of each ride. Theory being the ethanol will "attract" moisture and speed up the condensation process in your tank. Any truth to it...don't have any proof, but I don't wanna find out the hard way either. A related theory is also that the ethanol absorbs water, much like the ISO products we add sometimes. So, the question is, does the ethanol help or hinder, or is it all just a big conspiracy marketing gig???? Use your own judegement I guess. Now, it's clear as mad isn't it???? So, when you run into ethanol fuels, just scratch your head for a second, then fill up with the cheaper stuff, because that's what everyone else is doing too. Therefore, you'll get fresh fuel, and on a fill up, about a gallon of it will be ethanol, as the percentage is "up to 10%" like it says on the pump.

[UPBrett]

Pure 100% ethenol can not be made outside of a vaccum. Outside of a vaccum pure ethonal will self dilute to 96.7%, so you'll get 3.3% water in your ethanol.

Most water in gas come for the fact that gas warms and cools at a faster rate than air, so you get condensation (water) in it from the air in the tank. You get more water on humid days, and bigger temp changes.

Thats why theres going to be water in the premium fuel you buy Now. Unless the station has sold alot and the tank has been kept full (less air in tank).

I don't know of any stations up here, or any where for that fact, that run a water seperator on the gas lines.

Hope this will help give you more insight on where most water can come from.
You always have the possiblity of rain water enetering the tank if it doesn't have a proper seal.

Brett