If biofuels were readily available, would you use them?

I would use only biofuel if I could get it and it didn’t void the warranty.

My other ride is E85 which I love for the reason that since its 85% domestic produced alcohol, at least 85% of every dollar I spend stays right here in the good ol’ USA supporting Americans. I’m in FL now where availability is limited but when back up north its all I run.

Note: We do now import some ethanol from Brazil but even with that I’m happier some of my money goes there opposed to others like Venezuela, anything Middle East etc

 

Henry Ford’s Model T could burn kerosene, gasoline or ethanol. He was a huge propionate of using ethanol and had hemp farms for fuel production and used hemp in building his cars. He lost out to oil companies in the long run of course yet now we find ourselves going back to his brilliant thinking and Rudolf Diesel’s biofuel

 

I had thought of this quite a bit when everyone was making all the fuss about them initially--but I have cooled considerably since--
First when I was shown--from an engineering standpoint that it takes #### near 3/4 as much Crude Oil in the refining process as regular diesel(which is in itself a byproduct of refining-and so the ripoff begins!)so no real savings there or end of foreign dependance

Secondly-the couple of times I tried the blends--my fuel mileage went in the toilet..

Third--and final straw--watched tanker pull in to dump--NO PLACARDS--asked driver about it and he told me the trailer is dedicated--Bio=Diesel only and due to make up and flash points--it is NOT considered flammable!!
Now I know I'm just a dumb ##### country boy--but we are talking imternal combustion here--which in my limited knowledge does require an explosion--usually easier to blow up a flammable material than non?

Now I can see where it can work on a small scale--read a recent article--about the University of Florida--creating a bio Mix--from sawgrass--cut on remote portion of their rather large campus--they feel after initial outlay--they can convert all University vehicles--especially mowers tractors(they have a substantial ag research dept)that in 5-7 they can be totally self sustaining--
But this is a small isolated case--although a great start!
Just my $.02

 

I once drove for a boss that is a diesel mechanic, he did his own testing of bio made fromused vege oil and after 3 years of testing on various engines, one was a engine with about 400k on it , one was a brand new engine, and one was a engine that he rebuilt, he removed the heads off each engine after 300k and found that all were in great condition and better than he expected, very clean internally and min wear, he now uses bio at 50/50 mix with regular diesel and has been doing so for more than 7 years. he is based in Brisbane queensland Australia so temps here are between 2 degrees C in winter and 40 degrees C in summer.

 

What temp is that in Farenhiet ?

 

35F-104F, rough math for C > F, double C then add 32

 

35.6 f to 104 f. just realised you had already giving temps in f

 

IMO, biodiesel may be limited used, but we have to know when not to use it, with CRD engines, when it is cold outdoors.

 

I use B% or B10 when I can get it. All diesel sold in Mn is a bio blend.

I also like E85 and have my old hemi set to run on it... what's not to like about 105 octane for 60-80 cents per gallon less that unleaded?

 

No I would not use it. I have access to it here locally and no one uses it. Biodiesel is a joke along with E85. Burning our food is stupid, and wasting our tax dollars to subsidize it makes it even dumber. Anyone want to guess why the price of corn is now over $7.00? The only people who buy the E85 at the local co-op is the car dealerships. Since they always fill up every new car they sell they use the cheaper E85, of course the fuel mileage is lower with it but the new owners don't notice on the first tank. We need to drill for our own oil, not burn our food.