97/98 RON better the E10?

[Witterings]

I normally use Aspen 2 as there's often breaks in between me using the saw but I've got a shed load to do in a short space of time and and have been going through loads of Aspen and still got lots to do.

I was going to just mix normal fuel as it's cheaper, is 97/98 RON "better" for the saw or should I just use the now standard E10.

 

It's a Stihl MS 261.

 

Anyody know if one's better than the other for lawn mowers as well?

Edited May 17, 2023 by Witterings

[scbk]

Usually the super  unleaded will be marked as e5.

 

E5 and E10 is the maximum percentage of ethanol, it might be less than this!!

[scbk]

 

[Vedhoggar]

I use E5 or Ethanol free fuel such as Aspen or Husqvarna Power depending on how often machine used and sometime add an Ethanol inhibitor to E5 but never use E10. The same machine might be filled with Ethanol free fuel or E5 depending on usage and have experienced no problems with chainsaws, mowers, strimmers, lawn mowers and other small machinery. If fuel going to be used up within a month we just use E5. As pointed out E5 is the maximum amount of Ethanol and with some brands in some areas of the UK E5 fuel has zero Ethanol.

[pleasant]

Use Esso fuel......they don't add ethanol to it. Unless you are in certain parts of the West country. Just google it. Save you a fortune in aspen

Edited May 17, 2023 by pleasant

[Dan Maynard]

4 hours ago, Witterings said:

Anyody know if one's better than the other for lawn mowers as well?

Unless your mower is really old it's likely to be able to run E10, from the point of view of material compatibility.

 

As far as I can make out the issue with ethanol is the absorbing water and separating out, this is terrible for 2T because then some of the liquid in your tank has no oil in. I guess on a mower or other 4T it will just cough and splutter rather than die from lack of lubrication.

 

I just use Esso E5 in everything, and don't store in part full tanks.

[pleasant]

2 hours ago, Dan Maynard said:

Unless your mower is really old it's likely to be able to run E10, from the point of view of material compatibility.

When leaded fuel was stopped and unleaded came in, all that was needed to allow Suffolk punches (for example) was to change to a different spark plug (J8)

 

Briggs were the same..being air cooled they run hotter than water cooled engines already, so the lack of lubrication and cooling from lead in the fuel wasn't an issue. Having ethanol E5 or E10 makes no difference either....they run on both.

 

It's the shelf life before it starts to go 'stale' and also absorb moisture that is the issue with ethanol........more ethanol in the fuel, the more moisture from the atmosphere it will absorb. It also lowers slightly the combustibility of even fresh E5 or E10....the more ethanol added reduces it's combustion properties, which makes small engines more difficult to fire, and use more fuel whilst running because of it.

[Witterings]

5 hours ago, pleasant said:

Use Esso fuel......they don't add ethanol to it. Unless you are in certain parts of the West country. Just google it. Save you a fortune in aspen

 

Cheers to all for the responses ... didn't mean to pick out one reply (and sorry for the ignorance I'm about to display) but when you say Esso fuel .... I'm guessing it means from an Esso garage and they're the only ones that sell it???? 

Sods law we have every other garage apart from Esso near here .... any idea if it's just the same as some of the higher RON ones at other garages?  

[pleasant]

Google esso premium unleaded its all ethanol free.....except for supply to some garages in the west country for some reason supply them with either e5 or e10 the same as everyone else. It seems it is only esso premium that is ethanol free of the petrol retailers 

[Vedhoggar]

Texaco Supreme 99 Performance Plus has also come out at 0% Ethanol in a test. Esso Synergy Supreme+ 99 is ethanol free say Esso except in Devon, Cornwall. North Wales, North England and Scotland. Legislation is such that E5 labels must be displayed on pumps that dispense unleaded petrol with up to 5% ethanol as well as those that have no ethanol.