The short version is this – despite years of folks thinking the contrary, it turns out ethanol is better for us and the environment than gasoline. End of story. I have read enough studies and papers on the Net Energy Value (NEV) of ethanol and the benefits it has for the environment, local economies, farmers, the atmosphere and reducing our dependence on oil to argue all goddamn day if necessary and cite articles, perform feats of thermodynamic calculations and berate you with facts and figures until you give in or run away screaming.
This plus a nearby E85 filling station means i will be burning at least 50% E85/50% E10 unleaded until further notice. Info and links follow.
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Of all the things I don’t worry much about with my car, number one on the list is how it looks. It has its share of dings, is missing the trim pieces on the passenger side and three interior door trim panels, the glovebox lid was crudely drilled through to gain access and I don’t remember the last time I waxed it, much less vacuumed it out.
Over the weekend, I went and got a medium stuffed crust pie from my local pizza establishment – greasy food is the best hangover cure ever. On the short drive back to the house, the containment vessel was breached and an ounce or so of pizza juice was leaked onto the passenger seat. Last night, I got around to cleaning it up with the extraction cleaner The Girl gave me for Christmas a few years ago. After getting rid of that spot, I went ahead and cleaned the rest of the passenger seat cushion for shits and grins. I was absolutely horrified by the putrid effluvent it was removing from the upholstery – the waste tank of the machine (a Bissell Little Green Deep Cleaner, if you must know) was slowly filling with a dark brown fluid.
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