Is ethanol free that much of a difference...

SeattleLion

Ethanol, aside from the obvious saving of petroleum, replaced MTBT as a "drying agent" in gas. The MTBT was added because gas and water don't mix. As a result in cold climates water would accumulate in the gas lines and freeze when the car was parked. Of course the car wouldn't start until the gas line thawed.

MTBT was found to be highly toxic and since it, like ethanol, made up 10% of motor fuel, if a gas station's storage tanks leaked into the ground, the ground water was polluted with this highly toxic chemical. Ethanol replaced MTBT since it also will combine with water. Ethanol is grain alcohol and not as toxic (unless you have one too many).

Years ago, MTBT was only added to fuel in my part of New York, I lived in the City, from November to March. During the other months the gas was pure.

Lots of politics are involved in ethanol. Ethanol is made primarily from corn in the US. Corn farmers spend a lot of money promoting its use as a gas additive/replacement.

Bottom line is that ethanol is useful during cold weather to prevent water from accumulating in the gas line. The water is not harmful to the engine in small quantities. Some say it actually improves performance. I dont' know. Here in Washington our winters are pretty mild. Also, our Z's have a closed loop fuel system so it is less likely that condensation (from the walls of the gas tank) will form. Keeping your tank full in winter is an effective way to avoid this problem.

In any case, if you have a cold winter, it's probably a good idea to have some fuel additive to absorb water and prevent the possibility of gas line freeze. Ethanol is as good as any other. But in warmer places the only reason to add ethanol is political.